Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place.
It costs more to get a colonoscopy or a CT scan in Alexandria than it does in Fairfax County, but it costs less for mammograms and MRIs. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. These regional differences have been in the news lately: As the Washington Post wrote earlier this month, "One hospital charges $8,000 - another $38,000." Using the same data as the Post, The New York Times listed out the prices of a series of procedures in hospitals across the country. In the DC metro area a colonoscopy can run anywhere from $1,950 to $7,300, depending on where you go. The averages are taken from a variety of hospitals, doctor's offices and medical practices…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The magazine's 2013 rankings came out Monday, and several area high schools are on the list.
On mobile? You can see the interactive map here. Both Falls Church High School and George Mason High School are included on the list of the 2,000 best high schools from Newsweek based on how well those schools prepare students for college. In the national rankings, George Mason High School ranked No. 64 and Falls Church High School ranked No. 1,202. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. James Madison High School in Vienna ranked 146th. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Techonology ranked the highest of Virginia's high…
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Check out today's pollen forecast for Falls Church and other parts of Northern Virginia.
Springtime has arrived and pollen is in the air. Thanks to the effects of climate change, experts say the pollen count this season will be higher than ever before. In the Northern Virginia area, maple, cedar, juniper, birch, alder and ash trees are in bloom and contributing most of the pollen flying around this spring, according to Pollen.com. See: Now you can check the daily allergy forecast as easily as the weather forecast. (You may want to bookmark this page and check daily!) The Allergy Alert tool from Pollen.com above shows which pollen allergens are high in Falls Church right now.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Across Patch's network of 900 sites, people felt the effect of the bombing at the Boston Marathon.
On mobile? You can see a scrollable, full-screen view of the map here. The impact Monday's terror attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon could be felt across the country, touching communities in Virginia and all across the country. The Boston Marathon is a national and international event, drawing participants and spectators from far away. When the bombs went off, they reverberated among families, friends and people who joined vigils honoring the victims. To illustrate the reach of this story, we've created this interactive map which displays Patch sites that wrote stories about local people touched by the attack. Each marker on the map is clickable and includes the name of the local person connected to the story and a link to …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A federal study of hospitals shows Inova Fairfax Hospital is better than the national average at effective pneumonia care, and slightly better than average at timely and effective surgical care.
If you go to the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital with a broken bone, how long will it take before you get pain medicine? The federal government says 50 minutes on average—that’s faster than the national average of 62 minutes, according to hospital comparison statistics available through Medicare.gov. If you go to Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, that same wait could be just 40 minutes. At Inova Mount Vernon, the wait could be 73 minutes, and at Inova Alexandria the wait could be 56 minutes. That’s just one new key measure of ER efficiency that has been posted online from hospitals taking part in this data initiative,according to a report by former Union-Tribune writer Cheryl Clark, now senior quality editor for …
Monday, January 21, 2013
Photos from the Virginia Inaugural Ball on Sunday in Arlington.
This year's Virginia Inaugural Ball was Sunday night at the Westin Arlington Gateway. U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe and an estimated 1,100 others attended. [Full story: Virginia Inaugural Ball: 'You Can't Help But Feel Optimistic'] The Democratic Party of Virginia and the Arlington County Democratic Committee hosted the event.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
See photos from President Obama's 2013 Inaugural Parade here. If you're attending the inaugural parade, upload your photos to this page!
Upload your photos from the Inauguration Day parade and they will be featured in this photo gallery. Just click "Upload Photos & Videos" and add a caption.
See photos from other local residents attending the 2013 presidential inauguration Monday. Are you going to be in downtown D.C.? Upload your photos here, too!
Upload your photos from Inauguration Day and they will be featured in this post. Just click "Upload Photos & Videos" and add a caption. Also, tell us about your inauguration experience in the comments section below!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Your visual guide to District disruptions on Inauguration Day: blocked streets, including the parade route, and closed metro stations, plus live traffic incidents as they happen. Also find out where to park your bike, and watch the Inaugural Ceremonies.
Map by Martin Burch. Data from the U.S. Secret Service, WMATA and MapQuest.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
How to get around Washington on Inauguration Day, including Metro rail, bus, driving, biking and walking.
Click on each transportation mode above to reveal more information and links to resources about each. For additional District and Maryland transportation information, click here.
