By Julie Small for KQED’s The California Report Medi-Cal — the public health insurance program for low-income Californians — is growing faster under federal health care reform than the state expected. Twelve million residents — nearly a third of the state’s population — now rely on Medi-Cal, and that’s increased pressure to find more doctors willing… Continue reading More Pressure on Providers in Face of Medi-Cal Expansion

By Julie Appleby for The Washington Post Starting immediately, the federal government is making it harder for nursing homes to get top grades on a public report card, in part by increasing scrutiny of the facilities’ use of anti-psychotic drugs and raising the bar on an array of quality measures. The grades — in the form… Continue reading Government Raising Bar on Ratings Of Nursing Homes

Originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit national health policy news service. By Julie Appleby After Pam Durocher was diagnosed with breast cancer, she searched her insurer’s website for a participating surgeon to do the reconstructive surgery. Having done her homework, she was stunned to get a $10,000 bill from the… Continue reading Even Insured Consumers Get Hit With Unexpectedly Large Medical Bills

Eating healthy incorporates a lot of great, natural food choices out there to keep you healthy and feeling well.

By California Healthline California has more highly rated hospitals than any other state, based on performance metrics for various common conditions and procedures, according to Healthgrades’ annual list of the top 100 hospitals released Tuesday, FierceHealthcare reports (Budryk,FierceHealthcare, 2/24). Details of List To be eligible for consideration, hospitals had to have sufficient data to assess… Continue reading California Hospitals Dominate Healthgrades’ List of Top Facilities

When using a male external catheter, it is important to use the correct size and to practice proper preparation to prevent leaking and skin damage.