Latest News On Patient Safety

Latest California Healthline Stories

Time For That Colonoscopy? Probe Your Doc First On How The Scopes Are Cleaned

Millions of Americans undergo procedures each year requiring medical scopes, but there’s growing concern about the risk of infection from dirty devices. Be prepared to ask questions — and bail if you’re not satisfied with the answers.

Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients

Nationally, one in five Medicare patients who leave the hospital for a nursing home end up back in the hospital. In California, one-fifth of the more than 1,200 nursing homes send at least 24 percent of their Medicare patients back to the hospital. To discourage this trend, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon give bonuses and penalties to facilities based on their rehospitalization rates.

Safety Violations Compound Pain Of Painkiller Shortages

California and federal officials have cracked down on a major compounding pharmacy they say posed a threat to public safety, but their actions are worsening shortages of medications that doctors rely on to keep their patients out of pain.