Latest California Healthline Stories
Public Health Officials Struggle To Identify Sepsis Before It Becomes Deadly
Consumer campaigns, hospital rules and some new state laws seek to increase awareness about the lethal disease.
Gas Relief Drops, Often Added To Medical Scopes, May Pose Danger
In a small study, Minnesota researchers found that the infant drops used to increase visibility during procedures may create a “perfect habitat” for bacteria and make scopes harder to clean.
Geriatric ERs Reduce Stress, Medical Risks For Elderly Patients
Overcrowding and chaos in traditional emergency rooms can harm seniors’ health. That’s prompting some hospitals to open ERs designed specifically for the elderly.
This Patient Advocate Has No Quarrel With Big Pharma
Liz Helms of the California Chronic Care Coalition takes some surprising positions on prescription drug costs.
Sen. Hernandez Pulls Bill On Drug Price Transparency
The legislation would have required drug companies to notify the state and insurers about expensive new treatments or price hikes.
Elderly Patients In The Hospital Need To Keep Moving
Spending too much time in their hospital beds can leave older patients sicker than when they were first admitted.
Licensing Logjam For California Nurses
A big backlog of applications at the state’s licensing board is holding up hiring by hospitals and making it difficult for recent nurse graduates — and experienced nurses from out of state — to work.
Can Drug Price Transparency Keep Costs Down?
California is among a number of states considering new laws to control the rising cost of prescription medications.
California Doctors And Hospitals Tussle Over Role Of Nurse-Midwives
Legislation that would allow nurse-midwives to practice independently is mired in a dispute about whether hospitals should be allowed to hire them.
Medicare’s Readmission Penalties Hit New High
Medicare will withhold an estimated $528 million in 2017 from more than 2,500 hospitals — including 225 in California — that have too many patients returning within 30 days.