Elana Gordon

Got A Health Care Puzzle? There Should Be An App!

Elana Gordon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Kansas City, Mo., is looking to boost its health-tech cred.

So the city that's home to Cerner Corp. and other health information firms seemed a natural to host something called the Hackovate Health Innovation Competition.

A mashup of innovation and old-school hacking (though none of the participants was bent on doing harm, we're assured), the goal of the competition was to improve the nation's health system and help people navigate the complexities of the Affordable Care Act.

Oh, there was a catch.

Hospital Bids Bye-Bye To Big Macs, Others May Follow Suit

Elana Gordon — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:51:00 +0000

The McDonald's at the Truman Medical Centers' main campus in Kansas City, Mo., has closed, ending an epic, two-decade stint inside the hospital and making it the fifth health facility in the past few years to give the Big Mac the boot.

Earlier this year, hospital CEO John Bluford told The Salt that the presence of the McDonald's — located just feet from a revamped cafeteria to

Missouri, Kansas Reject Health Exchanges

Elana Gordon — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:02:00 +0000

Immediately after last week's election, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced the state would not be setting up its own health insurance exchange. Next door in Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback announced that Kansas will have no involvement in running a state exchange either. The moves open the door for increased federal involvement in health care in staunchly Republican territory.

Fast Food Chains In Cafeterias Put Hospitals In A Bind

Elana Gordon — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:42:00 +0000

On one side of a wall inside the Truman Medical Center cafeteria in Kansas City, Missouri, the menu features low-calorie, low-fat and low-sodium meals.

Health Care Law Puts Free Clinics At A Crossroads

Elana Gordon — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Free health clinics have long been places people turn to when they don't have health insurance or any money to pay for care. But the health law's expansion of coverage puts free clinics in uncharted territory.

While the law goes before the Supreme Court this week, health providers are already gearing up for a surge in patients with insurance.

Around the country, hundreds of free clinics have been established over the past 50 years to treat patients like Patsy Duarte.

"I have no insurance. I have no other means of going to a doctor," Duarte says.