Insights

A new study of kids in the Los Angeles basin found that as air quality “improved dramatically” in recent years, so did the capacity of children's lungs. The study's attributes the gains to more stringent emissions standards. But can the air quality gains continue amid a resurgent economy?

At the Native American Health Center in East Oakland, health reform has pushed clinic staff to experiment with new ways of delivering care. But changes in the way care is reimbursed and increased competition for patients still leaves clinic leaders nervous about longterm survival.

Only three more weeks to get your application together for the USC Annenberg National Health Journalism Fellowship.

New research finds that coverage of political conflict over the measles vaccine is unlikely to change the minds of the anti-vaccination camp, but could have negative effects on public attitudes and beliefs. Is the media's coverage accentuating a false controversy?

Doctors usually train in a specialty, but they don’t have to practice in that specialty. And, in most states, they don’t have to tell you how they trained before they treat you. Records from medical specialty boards can help reporters figure out if doctors are board-certified and in which field.

When it comes to enterprise reporting, "community engagement" is the order of the day. But how do reporters find the time for such work in overstretched newsrooms? Three journalists known for their work in this arena recently shared what they've learned with other reporters.

Medicare made more than $583 billion in payments in 2013. But, for one of the fastest rising areas of Medicare spending, the agency has no way of knowing whether all that money was spent wisely.

The journalists, chosen from a competitive field, are taking part in intensive workshops and then spending six months working on ambitious health journalism projects with support from USC Annenberg.

An innovative program allows elderly residents to remain in their own homes, rather than in a nursing home. At AltaMed's El Monte clinic, a 14-member interdisciplinary team coordinates each senior patient’s care, and vulnerable seniors are kept as busy and engaged as possible.