Latest California Healthline Stories
Shortage of Allied Health Workers Strains California Clinics
A survey released this month shows more than 80% of California’s community clinics reported difficulties in keeping allied health positions filled with qualified, trained personnel. The problem is expected to grow in the short- and long-term.
Financial Times May Get Harder for California Providers
California’s hospitals, nursing homes and clinics are reeling from a powerful one-two punch of the nation’s economic recession and the state’s difficulties in passing a budget.
New Laws in California Set Sights on Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections
State Sen. Elaine Alquist and Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director of the state Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Care Quality, talked with California Healthline about two new laws aimed at curbing hospital-acquired infections.
Health Care Jobs Rank High With Young Californians
Young Californians, who don’t have a particularly rosy image of the employment situation in California, rank health care as the best place to look for a career, according to a survey commissioned by the California Wellness Foundation.
Physician Organizations Have Mixed Reactions To Decision Upholding Ban on Balance Billing
Don Crane of the California Association of Physician Groups, Elena Lopez-Gusman of the American College of Emergency Physicians and Lynne Randolph from the state Department of Managed Health Care discussed the ruling.
Lack of Insurance Hazardous to Health, Hospital Report Shows
Uninsured Californians and Medi-Cal beneficiaries are more likely to die in California hospitals than patients with private insurance, according to a new state report. The California Hospital Association traces the disparity to limited access to primary care services.
Privacy Breaches at UCLA Highlight Need for Action on Privacy Throughout UC System
Kathleen Billingsley of the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Healthcare Quality, Roxanne Moster of UCLA and Patrick Schlesinger of the University of California discussed security breaches with California Healthline.
Financial Meltdown Taking California Budget From Bad to Worse
California’s health care system, already reeling from Medi-Cal cutbacks, faces new risks if the receding economy pushes health insurance out of reach for more people, as many predict it will.
Effort To Standardize U.S. Hospitals’ Use of Color-Coded Wristbands on Patients Underway
Jan Emerson of the California Hospital Association, Beth Feldpush of the American Hospital Association and Niraj Sehgal of UC-San Francisco spoke with California Healthline about the pros and cons of the project.
Economy a Hurdle for Children’s Hospital Bond Measure
Proposition 3 seeks $980 million in bond funds to expand children’s hospitals in California. Voters like the idea but worry about adding financial burden to already troubled state finances.