Latest California Healthline Stories
Central Valley Project To Improve Health Costs, Outcomes Appears To Be Paying Off
A collaboration among the Fresno Unified School District, a primary care physician group and the California Academy of Family Physicians is producing healthier employees and big savings, according to first-year tallies.
New Stewardship Responsibilities, Costs Proposed for Drug, Needle Manufacturers
Dealing with medical waste — unused drugs and used needles and syringes — is generating new policy questions in California: Whose responsibility is it and who pays?
Los Angeles, Orange Counties Grapple With Shortage of Nursing Instructors
Attracting faculty at nursing schools is a challenge for some schools in Southern California, according to stakeholders. With nursing faculty members in short supply, experts worry that the number of new nurses will not be enough to meet growing demand.
When Health Plans Drop Your Doctor: Are Narrow Networks a Bad Idea?
Many health plans on Covered California and other insurance exchanges exclude some prominent doctors and hospitals. The trade-off — less access for lower prices — has raised concerns and even spurred lawsuits, but experts say it’s the likely direction for the nation’s health system.
Stanislaus County ACO Shows Remarkable Results in Four Key Benchmark Metrics
From emergency department visits to length of hospital stays, a number of higher-quality, lower-cost metrics have borne fruit in a new patient-centered accountable care program in the Central Valley.
Supreme Court Decision on Insulin Injection Shapes the State’s Use of School Nurses
The dramatic decline in the number of school nurses in California over the past two decades contributed to last week’s California Supreme Court ruling that school personnel can give kids insulin shots. Advocates worry the decision might lead to fewer school nurses.
More Doctors Are Quitting Medicare. Is Obamacare Really To Blame?
A recent Wall Street Journal cover story noted that the number of physicians opting out of Medicare has nearly tripled since 2009. Some critics of the Affordable Care Act are blaming their favorite scapegoat, but there’s more to the story.
California Businesses Welcome ACA Delay
California’s business community welcomed a one-year delay for an Affordable Care Act provision requiring large employers to provide health insurance for workers.
Sorting Out Dozens of Health Care Bills — Some Passed, Some Pending
Like detritus carried down a swollen river after a big rainstorm, hundreds of bills were floated in Sacramento during the last session — including many dozens of health care-related bills. Here are some of the bigger ones that made it to dry land and a number of others that sunk.
Retail Clinic Growth Sparks New Partnership in San Diego
As full implementation of the Affordable Care Act fast approaches and concerns over primary care shortages grow, a new partnership in San Diego illustrates California’s growing reliance on retail clinics to increase access to health care.