Latest News On California

Latest KFF Health News Stories

For-Profit Companies Open Psychiatric Hospitals in Areas Clamoring for Care

KFF Health News Original

State institutions and community hospitals have closed inpatient mental health units, often citing staffing and financial challenges. Now, for-profit companies are opening psychiatric hospitals to fill the void.

As AI Eye Exams Prove Their Worth, Lessons for Future Tech Emerge

KFF Health News Original

With artificial intelligence in health care on the rise, eye screenings for diabetic retinopathy are emerging as one of the first proven use cases of AI-based diagnostics in a clinical setting.

A medida que más estados desautorizan el diagnóstico de “delirio excitado”, grupos policiales retroceden

KFF Health News Original

La nueva ola de propuestas estatales, impulsada por familias que perdieron familiares después de enfrentamientos con la policía, marca un paso importante para desterrar un término que los críticos dicen que incita a la policía a usar fuerza letal en exceso.

As More States Target Disavowed ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis, Police Groups Push Back

KFF Health News Original

After California passed the first law in the nation to limit the disavowed term “excited delirium,” bills in other states are being introduced to help end use of the diagnosis. But momentum is being met with resistance from law enforcement and first responder groups, who cite free speech.

Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack

KFF Health News Original

The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division is the worst on the health care industry in U.S. history, hospitals say. Providers struggling to get paid for care say the response by the insurer and the Biden administration has been inadequate.

How a Friend’s Death Turned Colorado Teens Into Anti-Overdose Activists

KFF Health News Original

High school students in Colorado are pushing for a change they say is necessary to combat fentanyl poisoning: ensuring students can’t get in trouble for carrying the overdose reversal drug naloxone wherever they go, including at school.

Toxic Gas That Sterilizes Medical Devices Prompts Safety Rule Update

KFF Health News Original

The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening regulation of ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic gas used to sterilize medical devices. The agency is trying to balance the interests of the health care industry supply chain with those of communities where the gas creates airborne health risks.

Lawsuits Claim South Carolina Kids Underwent Unnecessary Genital Exams During Abuse Investigations

KFF Health News Original

Lawsuits allege that several children under 18 in South Carolina have undergone examinations of their private parts during child abuse investigations — even when there were no allegations of sexual abuse. There’s a growing consensus in medicine that genital exams can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, and even traumatic.

Health Care Workers Push for Their Own Confidential Mental Health Treatment

KFF Health News Original

Montana may join about a dozen other states in creating “safe havens” that keep health care professionals from facing scrutiny from licensure boards for seeking mental health or addiction treatment.

Cities Know That the Way Police Respond to Mental Crisis Calls Must Change. But How?

KFF Health News Original

Cities are experimenting with new ways to meet the rapidly increasing demand for behavioral health crisis intervention, at a time when incidents of police shooting and killing people in mental health crisis have become painfully familiar.

Colorado Legal Settlement Would Up Care and Housing Standards for Trans Women Inmates

KFF Health News Original

A soon-to-be-finalized legal settlement would offer transgender women in Colorado prisons new housing options, including a pipeline to the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. The change comes amid a growing number of lawsuits across the country aimed at improving health care access and safety for incarcerated trans people.

Rising Suicide Rate Among Hispanics Worries Community Leaders

KFF Health News Original

The suicide rate for Hispanics in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. The reasons are varied, say community leaders and mental health experts, citing factors such as language barriers, poverty, and a lack of bilingual mental health professionals.