Andy Marso
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City, MO, United States
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Past articles by Andy:
KC homicide detective investigating why veteran died after VA police confrontation
A homicide detective with the Kansas City Police Department will investigate the case of Dale Farhner. The veteran died after an altercation with Veterans Affairs police in the VA Medical Center parking lot. → Read More
Kansas patients can finally win big in doctor malpractice suits. But at what cost?
Doctors say a Kansas court ruling will lead to high-dollar lawsuits that will drive up the cost of care. But patients and attorneys say doctors previously avoided responsibility for causing serious suffering. → Read More
Johnson County wellness spa doctor who sued Kansas medical board has license revoked
Michael Simmons’ Kansas doctor’s license was suspended in 2002 after the medical board determined he had sexual relationships with two patients and a nurse. Now he has agreed to give up the license. → Read More
‘Queen of cover-ups’: Head of Kansas City VA hospital has history of withholding info
Leader of Kansas City VA Medical Center is under fire for withholding information about a patient’s death, allegedly caused by Veterans Affairs Police. She was also accused of cover-ups at her post in Florida. → Read More
KC pharmacist sentenced for health care fraud after co-worker blows whistle on him
Kansas City pharmacist Steven Baraban was sentenced on health care fraud charges in federal court Tuesday after a woman who worked for him for five months blew the whistle on a $9.5 million billing scheme. → Read More
Jackson County leads Missouri in applications to grow, sell medical marijuana
Hundreds of hopefuls gathered at the KCI Expo Center the same day the state released new data showing that Jackson County leads all of Missouri in business applications to grow, manufacture and sell cannabis. → Read More
This tool can help state medical boards spot problem doctors. Why do so few use it?
The National Practitioner Data Bank database has information about doctors’ professional history across all states. But many state medical licensing boards don’t use it and experts say that puts patients at risk. → Read More
JoCo man says doctor in opioid kickback lawsuits turned him into a ‘heroin junkie’
A Lenexa man in Johnson County, Kansas, suing over a pharmaceutical company’s scheme to sell more Subsys fentanyl spray, is worried prosecutors won’t go after doctors now that they’ve secured Insys convictions. → Read More
Court filing reveals inspection at heart of fight over Missouri’s last abortion clinic
The report focuses on several patients who had failed abortions at the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis, including two that were hospitalized. The facility performed more than 2,500 abortions in 2018. → Read More
Man impersonated nurse to work in Missouri nursing homes; had fake IDs in six states
Benjamin David Danneman, already serving time in Illinois for identity theft, was sentenced to almost five years in federal prison Wednesday for posing as a nurse to work in three Missouri nursing homes in the St. Louis area. He used other people’s ID in six states. → Read More
As abortion debate rages on, Missouri still one of most deadly places to be pregnant
Missouri has one of the worst rates of maternal mortality in the nation. Some Democrats worry that the state’s new abortion restrictions could make that rate worse. Republicans say they’re addressing the issue. → Read More
Mo. lab records show evidence of failed abortion with ‘re-aspiration’ a month later
State officials, in a fight with Planned Parenthood over the facility’s license, have cited the lab report as one reason they want to interview physicians who worked at the clinic. Planned Parenthood calls it fearmongering. → Read More
Most doctors won’t OK Missouri medical marijuana requests. But these KC clinics will
As Missouri prepares to release forms for patients to apply for medical marijuana cards, cannabis clinics are popping up here like in other states that legalized it. Most physicians groups are against the drug. → Read More
Feds’ secret list of troubled nursing homes includes eight in KC area
The list, released Monday by the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging, includes more than 400 facilities nationwide that are drawing extra scrutiny from the federal government for persistently poor health inspections. → Read More
JoCo mental health experts say they can’t meet demand till private insurance pays more
Mental health experts in Johnson County told U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids that one of the keys to meeting the county’s growing mental health needs is getting private insurers to pay more for treatment. → Read More
Kansas is on ‘crusade against chiropractors,’ says owner of JoCo vitamin IV business
The co-owner of an Overland Park vitamin IV business says she believes she was sanctioned by the Kansas medical board not because the business had unsafe practices but because the board is biased against chiropractors. → Read More
Planned Parenthood says Missouri is about to shut down state’s last abortion provider
Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis location is the last place in the state offering legal abortion, after a series of restrictive laws were passed. Now the organization says that facility will soon have to stop. → Read More
‘Miracle baby’: Missouri woman gets pregnant after having fallopian tubes removed
Elizabeth Kough, a retired Marine from Kearney, says she got pregnant naturally after having both of her fallopian tubes removed — a procedure that medical professionals had assured her would make it all but impossible for her to conceive. → Read More
JoCo sees hospital building boom while underserved areas of Kansas City are ignored
Two new AdventHealth hospitals are the latest expansions in a rush to claim Johnson County. Meanwhile, large sections of Wyandotte and Jackson counties remain “medically underserved” health care deserts. → Read More
A $79 MRI? $29 teeth cleaning? Discount medical shopping site launches in Kansas City
A new website aims to help consumers buy medical care the same way they might buy flights and hotel rooms: online, with upfront pricing. Brooklyn-based start-up Sesame is testing the idea first in Kansas City. → Read More