Northwest News

About one out of five Medicare patients returns to the hospital within a month after being discharged. Those readmissions are often preventable. As Ruby de Luna reports, starting in October, Medicare will penalize hospitals with high readmission rates.

The new policy is part of the national health care law to reduce hospital readmissions. The goal is to reduce cost and improve patient care.

Dr. Nancy Fisher is Chief Medical Officer with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for Region 10. She says three-quarters of these readmissions are preventable.

The nation’s largest water bottling plant could go up in Anacortes, Washington. The Anacortes City Council voted Monday on a key provision in the process towards bringing in some sort of new manufacturing facility. KUOW’s Sara Lerner reports.

Washington wildlife officials killed three more grey wolves near the Canadian border Wednesday . That brings the total kill to five this week. The state’s decision to take out an entire wolf pack is causing blowback for state wildlife managers, and for one environmental organization that supported the action.

Toastmasters International is a public speaking club. But one of the most active Northwest chapters is in a place where its members can’t actually go out in public. We’re talking about the chapter based at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. The inmates who participate get the chance to practice their communications skills with a university debate team. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman went behind the walls of the maximum security prison for this report.

Research in the Northwest is finding new evidence that a chemical used to harden plastics can damage female reproductive systems.