The mind-boggling frustration of a simple visit to the doctor’s office is legendary. Clinicians interrupt patients offering medical histories within an average of 15 seconds. The typical length of a visit to a primary care physician is just 15 minutes. And after leaving, patients retain only a fraction of what a doctor has told them.
“Communities of color in California are the majority in the state — they’re 60 percent of the state — but the populations that are the target focus of this strategic plan still face overwhelming disparities in mental health, both in terms of access but also in terms of outcomes.”
The health plan that serves low-income people in three California counties has been below the state’s minimum performance level for more than a year, according to quarterly assessments from the state agency that oversees the health plan.
Despite strides by the Veterans Health Administration to accommodate 400,000 women, the fastest growing population using VA hospitals and clinics, legislators and patient advocates say there are still big gaps in care.
A drop of blood can reveal every virus a person has had. A new bill would limit the amount the state can take from Medi-Cal members’ estates. A bill to provide undocumented immigrants with health coverage cleared the state Senate. Pregnancy should be an insurance-eligible life event, lawmakers say. The senate also approved a bill to curb psych meds in foster care. Statistics on