The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
201-220 of 227 results
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.
An Obama administration veteran will take the helm of Cal INDEX as it combines with the Inland Empire Health Information Exchange, creating a database covering nearly 17 million patients.
The state’s five-year-plan — focused on prevention and ensuring rapid and equal access to treatment — is nothing if not ambitious.
Officials at the state exchange say they have fixed their computer system to stop switching some low-income pregnant women into Medi-Cal without their approval.
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.
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.
Some hospitals and other medical providers are experimenting with ride-hailing services to help patients without access to cars get to their appointments.
A study published in Health Affairs concludes that the idea of coordinating prescription refill timelines for people with multiple chronic conditions could improve their medication adherence and health outcomes.
California is the first state to begin building an up-to-date database to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
A small group of advocates and entrepreneurs is using mobile phones and digital scales to make a difference in the health of poor people, too.
Hospitals share patient records of “super-users” to save money and avoid duplicating medical treatment.
Employers and insurers are installing sophisticated kiosks in more workplaces so that workers can quickly consult a doctor offsite when they take ill at work.
Electronic health records increasingly include automated alert systems pegged to patients’ health information. In some cases, though, the sheer volume of these messages has become unmanageable.
The Food and Drug Administration has introduced a simplified form that doctors will use to seek FDA approval to treat seriously ill patients with experimental drugs after other options run out.
The problem won’t be fixed until September, though the state’s congressional delegation calls for quick action.
A survey conducted by the Leapfrog Group finds that though many hospitals have computer-based medication systems in place to protect against errors, many still fall short in highlighting possible problems.
As medicine moves to a patient-centered model, doctors and other health providers are slowly adding patients’ self-reports to the other tests and exams they use to determine care.
Some experts say this opportunity has not been realized, but advocates and policymakers are focusing on fixes that would make the digital versions of end-of-life planning documents easy for health professionals to locate.
A market is emerging for products that enlist data and technology to identify patients who might be at risk for hospitalization or readmission.
As hospitals adopt electronic health record systems, some emergency rooms are experiencing new patterns of medical errors.
© 2026 KFF