Latest California Healthline Stories
At Some California Hospitals, Fewer Than Half Of Workers Get The Flu Shot
Vaccinations rates have climbed significantly among hospital workers in recent years, to 83 percent. But that rate masks wide variation among facilities and types of workers. Nationally, the rules are far from uniform or ironclad.
When A Medicare Drug Plan Formulary Changes, You Can Appeal For An Exception
Beneficiaries seeking to continue a prescription medication that has been removed from the plan’s list of approved drugs needs to get a doctor to make the case to the insurer.
Rhymes Of Their Times: Young Poets Riff On Type 2
A Bay Area public health campaign harnesses the power of poetry to confront the root causes of a diabetes epidemic that is disproportionately hitting minority youth and those from low-income homes.
Evaluations Of Medicaid Experiments By States, CMS Are Weak, GAO Says
States often get federal approval to test new approaches to improve Medicaid services or expand coverage. But the GAO study found that too often these efforts are not adequately evaluated or the results are not available in a timely manner.
Ten ERs In Colorado Tried To Curtail Opioids And Did Better Than Expected
The collaboration known as ALTO, Alternatives to Opioids, set out to reduce opioid doses in the emergency room by 15 percent. It managed a 36 percent reduction instead.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The Long Wait Ends For Short-Term Plan Rules
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the Trump administration’s proposed regulation that would allow the expansion of short-term health insurance policies that do not comply with all the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The panelists also talk about federal funding (or not) of public health research around guns.
After Shooting, ‘Honor How Kids Want To Deal With Their Feelings’
Christine Sylvest, a child psychologist who now works in Maryland, for three years attended the Parkland, Fla., high school where a shooting attack left 17 people dead last week. She says the tragedy affects the entire community.
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.
Anthem Calls On Eye Surgeons To Monitor Anesthesia During Cataract Surgery
The insurer says it is not usually medically necessary to have an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist on hand during the common surgery. Many opthalmologists and anesthesiologists disagree. In California, the state’s doctor lobby has complained to regulators about the new Anthem policy.
Trump Administration Proposes Rule To Loosen Curbs On Short-Term Health Plans
The policy change is likely to entice younger and healthier people from the general insurance pool by allowing a range of lower-cost options that don’t include all the benefits required by the federal health law.