Latest California Healthline Stories

Medicare Fraudsters Now Tap Telemedicine In Medical Equipment Scams
Scammers bent on defrauding Medicare are embracing the new technologies of remote diagnosis. Federal law enforcement is cracking down.

Analysis: Why Alexa’s Bedside Manner Is Bad For Health Care
Amazon’s personal assistant is gaining medical skills to provide coaching or transmit and monitor patient data. Besides the loss of the human touch, virtual medicine pursued in the name of business efficiency or profit bodes ill.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico answer listeners’ questions about health policy and politics.

Hoping To See Your Doctor Via Telemedicine? Here’s A Quick Guide.
All private health plans, Medicare, state Medicaid programs and the VA now cover some e-visits — albeit with restrictions.

Reducing Red Tape For Traveling Nurses
A multistate nursing agreement allows nurses to work in numerous states without the hassle and expense of obtaining licenses in each one. More than half of states have signed on to an upgraded version of the agreement — but not California.

Telemedicine Is Wide-Reaching But Doesn’t Always Replace Doctor’s Touch
Insurers increasingly cover tests and treatment overseen from afar. Still, regulators in California and elsewhere often won’t count remote providers when measuring the adequacy of physician networks.

Are Virtual Doctor Visits Really Cost-Effective? Not So Much, Study Says
Rand Corp. finds that telehealth encourages patients to seek care for minor illnesses they wouldn’t bother to make an office visit for, raising overall health costs.

With Chronic Illness, You Are Your Own Best Friend
Participants in a mostly online diabetes self-management program had lower blood sugar and were more likely to take their medicine regularly, study finds.