In Remote Idaho, A Tiny Facility Lights The Way For Stressed Rural Hospitals
In a region where bears outnumber people, a small medical facility sets a modern example for rural hospitals on life support.
‘Pre-Hospice’ Saves Money By Keeping People At Home Near The End Of Life
A San Diego program helps chronically ill people avoid the hospital by teaching them how to better manage their diseases and telling them what to expect in their final years. Other health providers and insurers around the country are trying similar approaches.
Los Angeles County Scores An E-Success In Managing Specialist Care
An electronic consulting and referral system adopted by the county’s safety net public health system in 2012 has reduced waiting times for appointments with specialists and eliminated the need for such appointments in a significant number of cases, according to a new study in the journal Health Affairs.
State Fires Contractor After Problems Put California HIV Patients At Risk
The company tasked with enrolling eligible patients in an HIV assistance program failed to keep an online enrollment portal working effectively and violated other contract terms, the public health agency said.
Spike In Syphilis Among Newborns Driven By Broader Epidemic
Sexually transmitted diseases are at an all-time high across the United States. Syphilis among women and babies is a particularly serious problem in Louisiana, California and Georgia.
A Safety-Net Medical Center Wrestles With Specter Of ‘Repeal’
San Mateo Medical Center is among hundreds of safety-net hospitals in California and across the country that stand to lose big if the federal government slashes support for Medicaid and insurance exchanges.
ER Visits Linked To Falls Spike Among California Seniors
State data show a rise of nearly 40 percent in fall-related visits from 2010 to 2015, a period in which the elderly population grew about 21 percent.
Fight Is On To Protect Health Care In California, Says Foundation Head
The thought of losing California’s Obamacare gains is “somewhere between nauseating and mind blowing,” says Robert K. Ross, CEO of the California Endowment.
Crucial California HIV Program In Disarray After Contract Switch
Patients who depend on the state-run AIDS Drug Assistance Program are having trouble getting medical appointments and life-saving medications.
Meals On Wheels Wants To Be The ‘Eyes and Ears’ For Hospitals, Doctors
By checking up on the health and safety of meal recipients, volunteers for the nonprofit network can provide valuable information to medical providers and help ensure better care.
Keeping Lonely Seniors Company Can Help Keep Them Healthy
Little Brothers, which operates in San Francisco and several other cities, sends volunteers to brighten the lives of isolated elderly people, helping to reduce the risk of serious illness.
Early Alzheimer’s Gene Spells Tragedy For Patients, Opportunity For Science
Researchers are studying families from the U.S. and Mexico for clues to how Alzheimer’s develops in young patients, with the hope of finding treatments and even cures for the more common form of the disease.
California Hopes $3 Billion Experiment Will Improve Health Of Neediest
Pilot projects are being launched in 18 counties to reduce ER visits among Medi-Cal’s most costly patients.
California Tests Electronic Database For End-Of-Life Wishes
San Diego and Contra Costa counties are piloting a registry so emergency responders can know quickly how much treatment patients want.
Free Clinics Aim To Fill VA’s Shortfalls In Mental Health
A billionaire hedge fund manager, whose son served in Afghanistan, has opened a chain of clinics to tend to the psychological needs of veterans
In California, Planned Parenthood Girds For Potentially Grim Future Under Trump
The CEO of the group’s state organization, Kathy Kneer, says private donations can’t cover the potential loss of federal money for reproductive health services.
California Braces For Medi-Cal’s Future Under Trump And The GOP
California officials jumped at the chance to cover millions more low-income people by expanding its Medicaid program. Now, health policymakers and advocates fear the Trump administration and a Republican-ruled Congress will roll back the state’s progress.
Children’s Hospital Partnership Boosts Care For Sick Kids
An innovative partnership in which a children’s hospital shares revenue and costs with a community hospital helps improve access to specialized care.
Staying Out Of The Closet In Old Age
Many aging gays and lesbians who have lived openly for decades are finding that the world of assisted living and nursing homes can be decidedly less accommodating.
Can We Conquer All Diseases By The End Of The Century?
According to the neurobiologist heading a much-publicized effort funded by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, putting scientists and engineers under one roof will be key.
