Medicine

48 Stories

UW Medicine is going to start billing for some electronic messages from patients

Ones that require medical expertise, and more than five minutes of their time.
- Eilís O'Neill
More delays and technical glitches plague Eastern Washington VA medical centers

Spokesman Review reporter Orion Donovan-Smith joined Soundside to give an update on the latest slew of problems surrounding the Spokane VA's new electronic record system, which caused delays in care, missed diagnoses, and missing medication for patients last year.
- Jason Burrows
Keeping an eye on Kraken

Thinking about Covid may have moved down on your to-do list. But scientists are tracking a new variant of interest that is highly transmissible. It’s being called "Kraken" and it’s the dominant strain in the Northeast. Dr. Pavitra Roychoudhury at UW Virology is hear to talk about the variant and what we might see in the Northwest.
- Jennie Cecil Moore
Contract negotiations leave Regence policyholders in limbo

Nearly 19,000 people in Washington have received a letter from their insurance company, Regence, that says their coverage options might look different starting in December. It’s caused a lot of confusion and worry among policyholders, many of whom are on state-subsidized plans.
- Mike Davis
Washington's children's hospitals 'in crisis mode' amid surge of respiratory viruses

A surge in RSV, a contagious respiratory virus, is straining pediatric hospitals across Washington state. As flu cases also begin to rise, and hospital officials look towards another potential Covid-19 wave, they’re sounding the alarm about hospital capacity for the state’s youngest patients. “We are in crisis mode,” said Dr. Tony Woodward, medical director of emergency medicine at Seattle Children’s hospital during a media briefing Monday. “And bordering, if not already in, disaster mode in our emergency departments across the state.”
- Kate Walters
What's it take to go from mechanic to physician at 51? Patience, an Ohio doctor says

Talk about a late bloomer. Carl Allamby, who ran an auto repair shop for more than 20 years, was recently hired as an attending physician at Cleveland Clinic's Hillcrest Hospital at age 51.
- Vanessa Romo
‘You have to start from scratch.’ Navigators at the World School guide students through the health-care maze

The Seattle World School in the Central District is gearing up for the new school year. Teachers are prepping for classes, lockers and classrooms are being cleaned out and readied to welcome new students. And, at the school's health clinic, two patient navigators are preparing to help students in a different way.
- Libby Denkmann
Washington nurses call for better pay as more colleagues turn to traveling work

Hospital staffing shortages across the state have some nurses taking their skills on the road.
- Katie Campbell
Monkeypox vaccines in short supply and high demand

Monkeypox is testing our already strained medical care system. Cases are doubling nearly every week and vaccines are still in short supply. But King County UW Medicine’s Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy is here to fill us in
- Brandi Fullwood
32 tons of emergency medical supplies headed to Ukraine from Seattle

A cargo jet packed full of bandages, clean syringes, and other medical supplies is set to leave for Ukraine this week from Sea-Tac Airport. A group of nonprofit organizations, including Nova Ukraine and the Ukrainian Association of Washington State, donated $3.5 million in supplies to help Ukrainians fleeing violence.
- Casey Martin

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