54 Healthcare Blogs to Read in 2016

January 21, 2016 

In 2016, the trillion-dollar healthcare industry will continue to experience extraordinary change spurred by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the growth of large health systems, technological advances, and an emphasis on quality and outcomes. It is also a presidential election year, promising heightened scrutiny and debate of healthcare policies and practice.

Staying on top of new developments occurring at breakneck speed poses a challenge for healthcare professionals. Fortunately, for every sector of the healthcare industry, there is at least one if not numerous blogs filled with useful data, updates, insights and infographics. And as the industry expands at a blistering pace, so does the blog count, making it all the more difficult to sort out the most essential reading.

That’s why we’ve pored through the crowded healthcare blogosphere and found the top 54 blogs to equip you with the information necessary to navigate the year ahead (check out the 2014 list here). Varied in scope and topic, these blogs offer a panoramic view of the healthcare industry, whether you’re searching for nuts-and-bolts policy discussions or a financial analysis of Medicaid innovations. The list boasts four more blogs than last year’s to reflect new entrants or updated versions of previously featured blogs. 

This post was originally published on mha.gwu.edu.

Media Outlets

Organizations/Foundations

Health Care Professionals

Other Blogs of Note

Media Outlets

  1. Atlantic Health
    This Atlantic magazine blog features counterintuitive research findings, emerging public health problems, questionable practices and articles that explore medicine from historical, anthropological and sociological perspectives. It’s easy to linger here, reading stories about accidental medical breakthroughs and evolving medical theories. Readers can also find information about novel medical experiments and the struggle to eradicate Ebola.
  1. Becker’s Hospital Review
    Aimed at industry leaders, Becker’s Hospital Review keeps pace with healthcare’s ever-changing legal and business landscape. The Review diligently tracks infection control efforts and makes note of emerging epidemics. The latest thinking on improving patient experience and other measures of quality care can be found here as well.
  1. Health Affairs
    A wide-ranging forum for exploring health policy issues of concern domestically and internationally, Health Affairs speaks to scholars, providers, advocates, industry leaders and others. Blog entries are catalogued by dozens of topics and readers also have access to “theme issues” which explore policy subjects in depth.
  1. Healthcare Finance News/Healthcare IT News
    These companion blogs stay on top of industry news, valuable ways to use data analytics, recommended approaches to financial management, the impact of federal involvement and dozens of other issues. The blogs encompass a running list of healthcare frauds, instructive webinars and cybersecurity updates. Useful videos, slideshows, white papers and infographics make these full-service blogs relevant for industry insiders and health journalists.
  1. HealthThe Hill: HealthwatchAffairs
    Healthwatch delivers a continuous roundup of the latest healthcare news, policy debates and regulatory matters from Capitol Hill. Here’s where you’ll find blow-by-blow accounts of the battles over the ACA and funding for Planned Parenthood. Healthwatch is also a good source for breaking news about Big Pharma and other healthcare industries as well as trends and evolving policies across the country. The blog offers thorough coverage of each presidential candidate’s proposed healthcare plans as well.
  1. Hospital Impact
    Hospital Impact, a blog written by and for hospital executives, physicians and other healthcare thought leaders, looks at big questions such as the difference between data and technology. Evidence-based advice on adverse events and other problems is plentiful. The blog also conveniently links to the latest healthcare industry news.
  1. Huffington Post: Healthy Living
    This blog takes a pop culture approach to healthcare with a multitude of stories about healing foods and spices, new fitness regimes and healthy lifestyles. The blog culls healthcare information from television broadcasts, the Internet, medical experts, alternative health practitioners, wire services and an array of other sources. You’ll find posts about the supplement industry, stress-busting foods and experimental diets.
  1. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): Public and Environmental Health
    Articles, interactive features, commentaries and links compiled from nine JAMA journals with a spotlight on consumer protection, disaster medicine, disease control, injury prevention and lifestyle behaviors. Directed at clinicians, it is an essential source for research and current thinking pertaining to public health. Certain articles are free, but others require a subscription to read.
  1. Kaiser Health News (KHN)
    Kaiser Health News (KHN) partners with media outlets nationwide to provide in-depth coverage of state and national healthcare policy issues. Original content, such as A Med School Teaches Science and Data Mining, is often picked up by other online and print publications. The KHN Blog goes beyond reporting changes in healthcare laws to probe questions raised by the changes. Regular readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare landscape in the United States and state-by-state accounts of successes and failures.
  1. Modern Healthcare: Vital Signs
    With straightforward prose and catchy headlines, this blog explores the political, financial and technological dimensions of the healthcare industry. It encompasses a range of thorny healthcare issues, from operating room inefficiencies and healthcare industry fraud to primers on what Medicare pays for equipment and fixes for meaningful use rules. The comings and goings of healthcare CEOs and other leaders are also reported.
  1. The New England Journal of Medicine: Health Policy and Reform
    This rich compilation of articles probes the financial, ethical, political and evidence-based factors that determine healthcare policy in the United States and around the world. Health Policy and Reform casts a wide net with case studies of environmental victories as well as portraits of evolving healthcare systems. Topical commentaries look at social ills, global health, the business of medicine and more.
  1. The New York Times: Well
    A blog for general audiences packed with practical healthcare information mined from studies and trends. Posts range from advice on exercise and nutrition to current thinking on heart health and drug efficacy. Readers may have their health questions answered by the blog’s experts. The Well stays on top of findings and news related to healthcare disparities and population health.
  1. Politico Pulse
    Reporting daily from the intersection of politics and healthcare, the lively Politico Pulse offers the latest news on the presidential race, the Supreme Court, the insurance industry and state-level debates on Medicaid expansion, abortion and many other issues. It’s a fertile time for covering health news on Capitol Hill, and Politico Pulse delivers fast-paced, easy-to-digest reports on the latest ACA showdowns and includes links to informative primers on healthcare reform. The blog chronicles various plans by presidential candidates to curb drug costs, rewrite healthcare policy and tackle gun control.
  1. Shots: Health News from NPR
    This NPR blog examines how healthcare practices, research, ethics and costs impact the public. Much of the content is collected from top healthcare news sources as well as from NPR reports. Posts are broken down by the categories Your Health, Treatments and Tests, Health, Inc., Policy-ish and Public Health. A diligent reporter on health crises, the NPR blog mixes serious content with food for thought.
  1. The Upshot
    The Upshot is a free-ranging New York Times blog rich in data visualization that covers healthcare along with politics,
    technology, sports, culture and other topics. News pegs give The Upshot ample opportunities to discuss hot-button topics like family leave. It also serves up advice on how to overcome misconceptions about vaccine  and other public health priorities.

Organizations and Associations

  1. Alliance for Aging Research
    This blog documents the Alliance for Aging Research’s efforts to advance scientific discoveries that will improve the quality of life for senior citizens in the United States. Written for consumers as well as healthcare professionals, the blog helps readers make informed medical decisions. As it covers health and aging from many angles, the Alliance’s blog also provides the big picture on the costs and challenges of improving healthcare quality and access.
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Public Health Matters Blog
    The Public Health Matters Blog provides an arena for reflecting on the evolution of public health, lessons learned from past crises, and how to respond to new emergencies and chart innovative strategies for preparedness. Targeted to a broad audience, this blog tackles health topics of general interest in jargon-free, approachable prose. Many posts contain practical tips for food safety and other public health concerns. Others profile those responsible for emergency preparedness or recount how public health officials responded to a disease outbreak or similar crisis.
  1. Culture of Health
    Published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this blog features the latest thinking on healthcare innovation, the sociological dimensions of wellness, environmental health and preventive care measures. Posts by an array of contributors touch on issues such as food insecurity and the benefits of universal coverage. A conversational tone and vivid examples lend a sense of community to Culture of Health. An assortment of featured topics, including the built environment and health, patient-centered care and social determinants of health, make for a wide-ranging survey of healthcare’s many dimensions.
  1. Department of Health and Human Services Blog
    The Department of Health and Human Services blog mingles promotion for the ACA and other federal initiatives with public health advice and citizen testimonials supporting the ACA. The blog also serves as a tool for public health advocacy, champions nursing mothers and acknowledges climate change as a public health problem.
  1. Discover: Health & Medicine
    Discover magazine’s health blog centers on summaries of cool and surprising research, unusual case studies, unsolved medical mysteries and potential medical advances. Blog posts take a measured, well-researched approach to “strange but true” subject matter. The blog does not shy away from controversial topics like medical marijuana.
  1. Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review
    Consultant Bob Laszewski provides authoritative opinions on healthcare policy with a conservative bent. Laszewski takes a dim view of ACA from countless national and state vantage points. He stays true to his convictions and does not spare other conservatives with whom he disagrees.
  1. Health IT Buzzblog
    This forum for healthcare providers and industry professionals was created by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to discuss the transition from paper to electronic health records. This encyclopedic blog covers the finer details of the evolving IT landscape, including the ONC’s final rules for certification criteria and other specifics. This is the place as well to track federal investment in health technology.
  1. Let’s Move Blog
    The Let’s Move Blog is the go-to site for communities and families looking for strategies to help kids grow up healthy. The blog also chronicles government and nonprofit efforts to improve children’s health. The Let’s Move campaign, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, sings the praises of farm-to-table salad bars, takes aim at child obesity and encourages fun ways to stay active and fit. A bonus: the blog includes kid-friendly recipes.
  1. NIH Director’s Blog
    This engaging blog features videos that spotlight young researchers exploring tough medical problems, the stories behind medical advances, intriguing studies and more. Teeming with easy-to-grasp explanations of cutting-edge technologies, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool, the blog introduces a broad audience to difficult concepts. It also conveys a contagious enthusiasm that invites readers to embrace scientific exploration and recognize its potential for improving health worldwide.
  1. National Center for Policy Analysis: Health Policy Blog
    This blog offers a free-market perspective on insurance and reimbursement policies, healthcare models and government’s role in regulating the healthcare industry. Expect meticulous drill-downs on Congress’s handling of healthcare legislation, especially when it comes to cost.
  1. White House Health Care Blog
    Learn how the White House is integrating healthcare reform initiatives with new technologies, privacy protections and public health campaigns. A blog feature, “The Faces of Healthcare,” is a series of first-person accounts touting the ACA to personalize the impact of healthcare reform. Check the blog, too, for federal efforts to promote responsible antibiotic use and other crucial public health concerns.

Health Care Professionals

  1. Brian Klepper: Care and Cost
    Healthcare analyst and commentator Brian Klepper and a team of medical experts scrutinize testing, the FDA, predatory healthcare practices, health informatics and a host of other topical subjects. The consumer-friendly blog gets to the heart of pressing questions that might not be answered elsewhere. Klepper is not afraid to tackle thorny problems such as how to weigh the benefits versus the cost of oncological care or to criticize Congress for caving into the healthcare industry juggernaut.
  1. Joseph Paduda: Managed Care Matters
    Pithy commentary and keen analysis from Joseph Paduda, an expert on workers’ compensation, group health and auto insurance. Managed Care Matters examines workers’ comp from the perspective of insurance companies, regulators, health care providers and consumers. Little escapes Paduda’s attention. Questionable and corrupt industry practices receive some of his most vociferous commentary.
  1. Maggie Mahar: Health Beat Blog
    Maggie Mahar is the author of the expose “Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much.” Formerly a financial journalist, Mahar separates truth from rumor to challenge misconceptions about the ACA and shed light on thorny issues such as obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. She challenges widely-accepted assumptions about health and healthcare and highlights the humanity of those dedicated to the healing arts.
  1. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn: HEALTHPopuli
    Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, a health economist and management consultant, writes in support of primary and preventive healthcare, analyzes public health statistics and shines a light on the promise of digital technology. She is a lively commentator on healthcare developments and findings, willing to point out the discrepancies that favor wealthier consumers. The blog also links to Sarasohn-Kahn’s many white papers, presentations and articles.
  1. Paul Levy: Not Running a Hospital
    Paul Levy, the former president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, shares the finer points of medical diplomacy. A self-professed “coach,” Levy draws from world affairs and a wealth of professional fields to make astute observations on human behavior – both poor and exemplary – and the resulting impact on society. Many posts are backed by Levy’s reading in the social sciences, classics and other disciplines, and offer thoughtful solutions to timeless conflicts.
  1. Lynch Ryan: Workers’ Comp Insider
    As it stresses adherence to workplace safety rules, this lively blog looks at safety lapses, criminal cases and industry trends. The blog’s authors are quick to credit other bloggers in the field and call attention to important articles about high-profile workplace accidents, investigations and legal wrangles. The blog also pulls together the latest thinking by experts on workplace trends, such as the growth of the home health aide occupation.
  1. David Harlow: HealthBlawg
    Healthcare lawyer and consultant David Harlow tackles legal questions that arise when HIPAA and state privacy laws intersect with the burgeoning field of digital health. In clear, painstaking prose, Harlow explains changes in Meaningful Use  and other regulations and their impact on patients. He is not afraid to voice his opinion: in light of the rash of electronic medical record security breaches, for example, Harlow proposes solutions based on his deep knowledge of digital health data.
  1. David Williams: Health Business Blog
    In Health Business Blog his blog, consultant David Williams reports on the impact of current and proposed healthcare policies, questions common wisdom, and evaluates health-related advances and practices. Williams’s progressive perspective is evident throughout the blog, such as his post in praise of demographic shifts that he believes benefit health reform. The blog also keeps readers abreast of innovative healthcare tools that show promise.
  1. Alison Bass
    Alison Bass is the award-winning author of “Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial,” the account of two women who exposed the deceptive practices used to market an antidepressant prescribed to millions. In her eponymous blog, the former science and medical reporter for the Boston Globe speaks out on the impact of laws regulating the sex trade and confronts media misconceptions about sex trafficking. In earlier posts, she also asks difficult questions of Big Pharma.
  1. Rick Ungar: The Policy Page
    The “Token Lefty” at Forbes, Rick Ungar doesn’t follow the party line whether writing about the ACA or tax policy, and sheds light on hypocrisy of any political stripe. He speaks out about politics and policy as it relates to healthcare and scores of other topics. Ungar’s posts on the ACA are some of his most popular.

Other Blogs of Note

  1. ACO Watch
    ACO Watch keeps accountable care insiders abreast of the latest industry news, innovations and compensation strategies. Self-professed “health policy junkie” Gregg A. Masters and a handful of other bloggers offer their views on the business and political dimensions of ACOs. The blog calls attention to influential white papers and research findings and keeps track of ACO twists and turns. Masters often adds a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor to his critiques of ACA naysayers.
  1. The Business of Health Care
    The Business of Health Care gets into the thick of the ACA debate, new approaches to preventive health, quality of care and other big issues. The blog goes beneath the numbers to challenge accepted models in posts such as this: “Rethinking our Thinking about Diagnostic Tests: There is Nothing Positive or Negative about a Test Result.”  National tragedies, such as the San Bernardino shooting, are seized upon to examine their societal root causes and to question the nation’s often chaotic healthcare system.
  1. Covering Health
    Geared toward healthcare journalists, Covering Health unravels the complexities of policy debates, stays on top of industry trends and offers ample ideas for stories to pursue. The blog provides posts that help reporters navigate confusing research findings and other knotty subject matter. The blog also provides primers on complicated subjects like end-of-life care.
  1. Disruptive Women in Health Care
    This blog aims for policy fixes that address the many factors that determine women’s health, including research funding trends, reproductive health policies, social inequalities and provider sexism. Because it is written from the perspective of women who are healthcare specialists, the blog often raises questions that might not get traction elsewhere, such why tanning beds, more widely used by women than men, don’t merit the same public health attention as tobacco. Another priority for the blog is reporting on women’s role in the healthcare industry.
  1. Global Health Policy Blog
    The Center for Global Development’s blog considers the effect of public health policies, programs and research on populations in the developing world. Insightful blog posts look at public health initiatives in individual countries and global trends. Readers are invited to respond to CGD’s recommendations for global health reform and an array of related public health matters. The blog tackles big questions about healthcare delivery systems, treating mental health, aid misalignment, policy modifications and a slew of other areas.
  1. Health 2.0
    Health 2.0 is more like a newsletter than a blog. It offers expert opinions on the burgeoning digital health industry, the incentives that spur its growth, and what products bring value to healthcare. The blog also seizes opportunities to interview thought leaders and takes note of radically new healthcare technologies.
  1. The Health Care Blog
    A distinguished cast of bloggers distill the elements of pressing healthcare issues such as patient safety, ICD-10, electronic health records, insurance, telehealth and geriatrics. Penetrating posts question the rigorous demands of medical school and examine the very nature of healthcare. The blog also welcomes questions, posts and story tips.
  1. Health Care Economist
    Health economist Jason Shafrin’s blog is a collection of fascinating studies on topics such as end-of-life care, risk, health disparities and using music to heal people with schizophrenia. Shafrin combines probing intellectual curiosity with pragmatic concern in his wide-ranging posts. He leaps on opportunities to examine the ethical implications of fields such as anti-aging research.
  1. The Health Care IT Guy
    Shahid Shad points out the possibilities and potential pitfalls of digital healthcare and countless IT innovations. His piece on risk management and cybersecurity was widely circulated. Shad gets into the nitty-gritty of digital systems designed to harmonize workflow and other medical processes. He is also a trend spotter with a big picture view of the future of digital health.
  1. Health Care Renewal
    Health Care Renewal is a muckraking blog that calls attention to “the abuse of power in healthcare” in the medical device industry, hospital management and Big Pharma. Painstakingly thorough posts dissect unrealistic expectations for electronic health records. Healthcare corruption is also subjected to the blog’s scrutiny.
  1. Health News Review: Health News Watchdog Blog
    Using standardized criteria to measure the accuracy of health news appearing in major media outlets and in news releases, this blog helps consumers form knowledgeable opinions about healthcare interventions. The Health News Review also serves as a media watchdog. It asks questions overlooked in media coverage of high-profile studies, calling attention to concerns overlooked in health-related issues reported in magazines, on television, online and by way of other news outlets. The blog looks at the serious side of seemingly frivolous online stories that go viral and spark public conversations.
  1. Health Wonk Review
    This blog features selected posts from more than two dozen bloggers in the fields of health policy, infrastructure, insurance, technology and managed care. Essentially, the Review is an aggregation of noteworthy posts across the healthcare blogosphere and links to others (with diverting photos added.) Contributing wonks write with humor and display an admirable command of institutional history.
  1. INSUREBLOG
    This conservative-leaning blog brims with insurance-related patient and provider anecdotes, ACA critiques, industry news and legal matters. Insurance insiders who frequent this blog get an exhaustive overview of the countless ways in which the ACA is affecting healthcare on the state and national level. INSUREBLOG also addresses the consequences of proposed policy changes.
  1. MobiHealthNewsThis blog keeps tabs on the digital health industry, research studies, new applications and effectiveness. Abundant information on startups, medical devices and intriguing technological mashups can be found in this blog. Although MobiHealthNews exhibits the exuberant spirit of the digital natives who contribute to it, the blog is quick to question whether all health apps are created equal.
  1. The Pump Handle
    Dubbing itself “a watercooler for the public health crowd,” The Pump Handle features posts by experts such as Celeste Monforton of GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. The blog covers clinical concerns, research findings, insurance debates, and occupational health, among dozens of issues. Readers will find recommendations for the future of public health and practice and past responses to health crises such as Hurricane Sandy. This blog also takes federal agencies to task for what they consider to be faulty regulatory agendas.
  1. KevinMD
    KevinMD features more than 2,000 healthcare professionals and patients who contribute to the blog to create a kaleidoscopic view of the American healthcare system. The blog’s founder, internist Kevin Pho, is a nationally-known healthcare commentator and co-author of “Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.” On KevinMD, Pho metes out advice to physicians on important topics such as resisting the pressure to prescribe antibiotic prescriptions in order to raise patient satisfaction scores.
  1. Upstream Downstream
    Hosted by the Interdisciplinary Health Communication (IHC) program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the student-generated Upstream Downstream blog tracks the rapidly evolving field of health communication. The blog gets to the heart of successful health communication campaigns. It also provides cautionary accounts of misleading health communication.
  1. WEGO Health Blog
    This blog is by the people and for the people. Health activists diagnosed with depression, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other disabling ailments offer advice and pep talks. The blog’s first-person accounts personalize debilitating health conditions and offer advice to those who are also suffering. The WEGO blog also archives Twitter chats about topics such as epilepsy and depression.

Bookmark this list and share with your colleagues for an informed, influential and fruitful new year! You may want to check some of these blogs for updates regularly, according to your healthcare interests and specialties. Many offer more timeless content and are great reads no matter what your field. As a whole, this roster reflects the incredible dynamism of the healthcare industry and the abundant opportunities for those considering a career in health administration or public health.