hospitals & clinics

Long ER waits in the U.S. are common, especially for older patients. Some wait for many hours or even days to get a hospital bed. That's according to a new data analysis by Side Effects Public Media and the Associated Press. And experts say things will only get worse as the U.S. prepares for a "silver tsunami".

State data shows flu cases continue to spike in Iowa, as rates of COVID and RSV remain relatively low.

83 million Americans live in areas without adequate access to primary care physicians, according to the American Medical Association. Iowa ranks 44th in physicians per capita.

Should patient spirituality be considered as a determinant of health? Some public health experts say yes.

The second play by Allison and Margaret Engel — about the life of American columnist and humorist Erma Bombeck — debuts in Iowa in December.

A report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that over half of rural U.S. hospitals don't offer labor and delivery services. In Iowa, 62% don't have the services as of July 2024.

Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.

The Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompetes would impact the health care industry when and if it goes into effect. Some in the industry are applauding the rule, while others are voicing their dismay and vowing to sue.

Nineteen-year-old Christopher Turnis needed a second new kidney, but his donor wasn't a match. Through the National Kidney Registry, a chain of living donors formed to find Turnis a compatible organ.

Seniors who are hospitalized with even a minor illness or injury are at risk of "hospital-acquired disability," which puts them at risk of rehospitalizations and a downward spiral that could eventually land them in a nursing home.