Lauran Neergaard

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  High hospital bills go public, but will it help?

  By Connie Cass, Lauran Neergaard  |  May 9, 2013

  Why does a joint replacement cost 40 times as much at one hospital as at another across the country? It's a mystery, federal health officials say.

• Some hospitals charge vastly more for same care

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  May 8, 2013

  Data being released for the first time by the government on Wednesday shows that hospitals charge Medicare wildly differing amounts — sometimes 10 to 20 times what Medicare typically reimburses — for the same procedure, raising questions about how hospitals determine prices and why they differ so widely.

• Latest HIV vaccine doesn’t work

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  April 26, 2013

  The latest bad news in the hunt for an AIDS vaccine: The government halted a large U.S. study on Thursday, saying the experimental shots aren't preventing HIV infection.

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  Aging Americans in denial about long-term care

  By Jennifer Agiesta, Lauran Neergaard  |  April 24, 2013

  A new poll examined how people 40 and over are preparing for this difficult and often pricey reality of aging, and found two-thirds say they've done little to no planning.

• Scientists say baby born with HIV apparently cured

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  March 4, 2013

  A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

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  Panel questions value of calcium, vitamin D pills

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  February 26, 2013

  Popping calcium and vitamin D pills in hopes of strong bones? Healthy older women shouldn't bother with relatively low-dose dietary supplements, say new recommendations from a government advisory group.

• Doc groups issue list of overused tests, therapies

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  February 21, 2013

  Don't be afraid to question your doctor and ask, "Do I really need that?"

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  Leaving hospital? Listen to your doctor

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  February 11, 2013

  Michael Lee knew he was still in bad shape when he left the hospital five days after emergency heart surgery. But he was so eager to escape the constant prodding and the roommate's loud TV that he tuned out the nurses' care instructions.

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  No one fix to slow hospital readmission epidemic

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  February 11, 2013

  More than 1 million Americans wind up back in the hospital only weeks after they left for reasons that could have been prevented — a revolving door that for years has seemed impossible to slow. Now Medicare has begun punishing hospitals with hefty fines if they have too many readmissions,...

• Death rates from cancer still inching down

  By Lauran Neergaard  |  January 8, 2013

  Death rates from cancer are continuing to inch down, researchers reported Monday.