Court records claim Dr. Nathan Starke was performing surgery on a patient when he first “showed signs of impairment.” He was suspended a month later and a month after that, he tested positive for cocaine and kratom.

Unexpected, unexplained fees are driving up the cost of doctor visits for families across Houston. We are talking hundreds of dollars in charges above your co-pay. They’re called “facility fees,” and patients are told days or weeks after their appointments they have to pay up. KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis is looking into these facility fees and getting answers for people who are worried about their own bills.

Faith has a deep-rooted presence at the Minnesota State Fair, from the decades-old Lutheran and Methodist dining halls to an evangelical chapel handing out thousands of free Bibles to a booth seeking to combat misinformation about Islam.

As 100-degree-plus days have become normal for summer 2023, Houston Methodist hospitals said they are seeing an uptick in emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses.

A northwest Houston shopping, dining and entertainment destination will be bathed in brilliant pink lights throughout October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A group is protesting Friday over the mask mandate at Houston Independent School District.

Here are things to know for Thursday, Dec. 16:

Houston Methodist has identified eight cases of the omicron variant through its comprehensive virus genome sequencing surveillance project, a spokesperson for the hospital said.

The Astros and Houston Methodist are partnering to provide Houstonians the chance to get the COVID vaccine. No appointment is necessary.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist held a COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall on Friday at 10 a.m. The town hall was designed to help people understand the COVID-19 vaccine and its rollout, particularly to help educate communities of color about the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Houston Methodist. Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, Dr. Victor Narcisse, associate division head of Hospital Medicine and Arianne Dowdell, vice president, chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer at Houston Methodist answered questions during the event. KPRC 2 broadcast a live stream of the 10 a.m. event. Watch it, in full, in the video player below.

HOUSTON – Texas Senator Borris Miles, who is the highest-ranking Democratic member of the State Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, responded to a KPRC investigation into foreign nationals traveling to Houston to get vaccinated. The vaccines should go to the people of the State of Texas,” Miles said. Governor Dan Patrick told KPRC 2 Thursday the system isn’t perfect. Florida is already shutting down what’s been called “vaccine tourism.”“It’s not for people that are just visiting,” said Gov. An approach State Senator Miles is in agreement with.

HOUSTON – Oren Murphy is a former minesweeper for the U.S. Navy and 60 years later, he is navigating the deadly challenge of COVID-19. KPRC 2 Investigates discovered foreign nationals who have traveled to Houston and elsewhere are getting vaccinated. Dr. Joseph Varon of United Memorial Medical Center says he first heard of foreign nationals receiving vaccines intended for Texans here in Houston at the end of last month. Following a roundtable meeting with public officials on Tuesday, we asked Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom about foreign nationals out of the county on hospital databases who are receiving vaccines. Back home in Houston, Boom told KPRC 2 Investigates, “There have been 60,000 people vaccinated.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist is holding a clinic this weekend. Registration for the clinic was open to the public and publicized on a state website, hospital officials said. “We get it,” said Dr. Marc Boom, CEO of Houston Methodist. “We were selected by the state as a hub because we’ve gotten vaccines into arms so fast.”According to Boom, Methodist has administered 44,000 first doses and 13,000 second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Boom said he is optimistic that there will be a faster acceleration of the vaccine’s arrival in a couple of weeks.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist Hospital was organizing a vaccination event on Saturday and said it worked with state officials to find those who need it most. “We’ve already vaccinated over 41,000 Houstonians and so we’re proud of that,” said Cathy Easter, Senior Vice President of Community Development at Methodist Hospital. Methodist Hospital plans to vaccinate 4,000 more people on Saturday. Memorial Hermann opening vaccine clinic at NRG ParkMemorial Hermann is set to open a coronavirus vaccine clinic at NRG Park this week and opened registration for appointments to the public. On Wednesday evening, officials said all available appointments for Memorial Hermann’s vaccine clinic at NRG Park are full.

HOUSTON – Houston area hospitals and clinics that offer COVID-19 vaccinations are currently evaluating how to prioritize patients who qualify to receive a vaccine under Phase 1B of the state’s rollout. “Phase 1B can be interpreted differently by different people. Houston Methodist said Thursday certain patients will soon start getting notifications to schedule appointments for their coronavirus shot. Officials said they will soon start notifying patients via a text message in the following order:Patients who are 75 or older. On Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services said vaccine providers can begin administering the vaccine to people in Phase 1B.

“I don’t think there’s anyone studying this carefully that does not think that’s going to happen. We are absolutely going to have a rise, we are without question going to see a significant increase in hospitalizations. “The outcomes from hospitalizations have improved and we’ve gotten better at taking care of patients,” said pulmonologist Dr. Howard Huang. We have learned a great deal throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that informs our preparation for the next potential surge. These plans, which are continuously reviewed and adjusted as needed, include accommodating more critical care patients in our facility and providing additional staff as needed.

Here are things you need to know for Monday, August 10:1. TABC warns it will revoke licenses, shut down bars that defy Gov. Freestone says going back to school as the number of COVID-19 cases continues is not safe. She says virtual learning was great when the pandemic started and it should continue to be that way. 3 things to shareWORD OF THE DAYWharfinger [hwawr-fin-jer, wawr-] (noun) a person who owns or has charge of a wharf.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked a promising drug to treat COVID-19 patients and it is in trial at Houston Methodist Hospital. The drug is called RLF-100 and is also known as aviptadil. It has been approved by the FDA for emergency use at multiple clinical sites in patients who are too ill to enter the FDA’s Phase 2/3 trials. According to a press release from the drug maker NeuroRX, independent researchers have reported that aviptadil blocked replication of the SARS coronavirus in human lung cells and monocytes. The drug has been successful in reducing lung inflammation and so the FDA now says any doctor at any hospital can request this treatment to help severely ill COVID-19 patients.

Here are things you need to know for Wednesday, August 5:1. The Department of State Health Services on Tuesday reported 245 confirmed new deaths from the virus that has taken a particularly grim toll along the Texas border. Many Americans have resisted wearing masks and social distancing, calling such precautions an overreaction or an infringement on their liberty. Houston Methodist reports rapid recovery of critically ill COVID-19 patients with new drugHouston Methodist Hospital is making national headlines after doctors used a new drug to help treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. Stacey Nagy of Jefferson, Texas posted the obituary for her husband 79-year-old husband David on Facebook after she had it printed in their hometown newspaper.

Lawrence Barris told KPRC 2 reporter Rose-Ann Aragon he started to experience “sweats, shivers ... a lot of weakness,” and shortly after his symptoms started, Sharlene Barris also became ill. After their recovery, the couple said they were contacted by Houston Methodist about an opportunity to donate plasma to help future recovery. Sharlene Barris. "They've capped the number of people that can get the plasma," Sharlene Barris explained. “Keep moving forward on allowing that number [to rise].”The Barris family said they are still working on ways to advocate for patients in need.

Here are things you need to know for Thursday, June 18:1. Google slated to open new Houston office by 2021Google Inc. is opening its first local sales office in Houston, according to the Houston Business Journal. Houston Methodist and UnitedHealthcare back in-network after finalizing an agreementHouston Methodist and UnitedHealthcare finalized an agreement that will ensure UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare Advantage plans will continue to receive care at Houston Methodist hospitals and its physicians. The new agreement is effective June 1, meaning UnitedHealthcare members are currently in-network with all Houston Methodist hospitals and facilities. The distribution site is at St. Johns Downtown Houston every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is also offering free COVID-19 testing.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist and UnitedHealthcare finalized an agreement that will ensure UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare Advantage plans will continue to receive care at Houston Methodist hospitals and its physicians. The new agreement is effective June 1, meaning UnitedHealthcare members are currently in-network with all Houston Methodist hospitals and facilities. BACKGROUND: 100,000 patients could lose access to doctors at Houston Methodist hospitals due to insurance company’s contract dispute“Our top priority throughout this process was ensuring the more than 1 million members we’re honored to serve in Houston have access to quality, affordable health care, and this new agreement accomplishes that goal. We appreciate Houston Methodist’s collaboration in helping achieve this outcome,” UnitedHealthcare wrote on its website. “We are honored to continue supporting the more than 3.9 million people throughout Texas who depend on us for access to quality and affordable health care.”The previous contract expired on Jan. 1 and hundreds of thousands of people were left scrambling to find new doctors as a result of the dispute between the insurance company and the hospital system.

But now, the Highly Infectious Disease Unit at Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital in Katy will be used to treat coronavirus patients. Inside this state-of-the-art, isolation unit, huge air pumping machines are used to constantly pump virus-contaminated-air out of each room and away from the hospital and other patients and staff. How many coronavirus patients are they treating right now? In all, Houston Methodist says it is currently treating 16 coronavirus patients — 12 presumptive positive patients and four confirmed coronavirus patients. Houston Methodist is also working in partnership with city and county officials to open three different mobile-testing centers for coronavirus patients.

HOUSTON – A hundred-thousand people insured by UnitedHealthcare are scrambling to find new doctors and hospitals after the insurance company and Houston Methodist Hospital could not come to terms over reimbursement rates. The contract expired at midnight, meaning the seven Houston Methodist hospitals and its outpatient clinics are no longer in-network as of Jan. 1, 2020. "90%, probably more than that, of the doctors (in Baytown) are Methodist doctors," Thompson said. UnitedHealthcare released the following statement:“Care at Houston Methodist Hospital is significantly more expensive than care at other top-ranked hospitals in Texas as well as some of the most prestigious hospitals in the entire country. United’s unfortunate decision – and disruption to their members’ in-network access to Houston Methodist -- is forcing employers and consumers to pick different health care options for this year.