Latest California Healthline Stories
As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.
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.
Skip The Rocking Chairs For These Rock Stars Of Aging
Two women, 80 and 91, from opposite poles, agree on the art of aging.
Treating Domestic Violence As A Medical Problem
Health care professionals increasingly collaborate with anti-abuse advocates to identify victims and ensure they get the help they need. One women’s center is opening a shelter on the campus of a large public hospital in Los Angeles.
Hospitals’ Best-Laid Plans Upended By Disaster
An onslaught of fires, shootings and storms across the country last year tested hospital readiness. Now, leaders are using their experiences to address shortcomings that surfaced amid the chaos.
High Praise: Pot Churches Proliferate As States Ease Access To Marijuana
Churches that offer marijuana as a sacrament are popping up across California and the U.S., vexing state and local officials who say they’re simply pot shops in disguise.
Pharmacists Slow To Dispense Lifesaving Overdose Drug
Laws in California and most other states allow pharmacists to provide naloxone to patients or their friends without a doctor’s prescription. But many don’t do so, citing lack of demand and awareness among patients, their own fears of insufficient compensation and the challenges of treating opioid users.
The Ratcheting Price Of The Pneumococcal Vaccine: What Gives?
The price for Pfizer’s Prevnar 13 has increased 5 to 6 percent each year since its 2010 approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
Heated And Deep-Pocketed Battle Erupts Over 340B Drug Discount Program
Drugmakers, hospitals and lawmakers are taking sides in a showdown over a discount program that covers drug purchases at some hospitals.
Shingles: Don’t Let It Get You The Way It Got Me
The painful condition caused by the chickenpox virus will strike 1 in 3 Americans during their lifetimes — most between ages 60 and 70, but those in their 50s have reason to arm themselves.