Integrated cancer care: Best future path for patients

Arvind Chaudhry

We are prevailing in the war against cancer, driven by a better understanding of genetics and the development of new targeted treatments specific to each individual patient. There have been tremendous advances in cancer care in the last decade....

Countdown to employers' rules under health care law

Treva Lind

Spokane-area businesses face significant decisions this year centered on employee health benefits, as major provisions of federal health care reform legislation take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, reshaping insurance coverage in the U.S. In basic most...

Preparation could curb looming nurse shortage

Linda Tieman

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act entered the national conversation a few years ago, for most people, 2014 seemed distant in the future. Today, the future is at our doorstep. If the Washington state legislature decides during a...

Spokane global health research niche eyed by WSU

Jessica Valencia

Research being conducted at Washington State University in Pullman could have important implications for the planned medical school here when a branch of the university's Paul G. Allen School of Global Animal Health starts operating in Spokane, of...

Emergency departments aim for more efficient use

How will the emergency department's role in overall health care delivery change in coming years?Dr. Jeff Collins, chief medical officer, Providence Health Care: In recent years, emergency departments have become the focal point for care in a...

Trying to solve the affordability puzzle at Group Health

Kelly Stanford

Like all other health care organizations, Group Health Cooperative is facing a radically changing health care market and the pressure of rising costs. But from chaos, comes opportunity. We are adapting in ways that put our patients' needs at the to...

WSU Spokane readies for second-year med school students

Mike McLean

Thanks to a two-year pilot program set to start in the fall, medical students in all four years of medical school soon will receive education and training based at the Riverpoint Campus, in Spokane. Even before that pilot program starts, public and...

Many expect to navigate ACA, continue to offer benefits

What impact do you expect to see as employers are faced with the choice of offering health care insurance to employees or paying a required alternate fee?Val Fields, director of human resources, Associated Industries: Whether loved or loathed...