Date: 6/23/2010  From California Department of Public Health SACRAMENTO  Urging Californians to get vaccinated now, Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), warned today that the state is on pace to suffer the most illnesses and deaths due to pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in 50 years. “Whooping cough [...]

  Taking an active role in your health care can help you get the best care possible from your doctor. One way to do this is to improve your relationship with your doctor. The following are some tips to help you and your doctor improve your health care together. Talk to your doctor Be sure [...]

Medical errors are one of the nation’s leading causes of death and injury. A report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of medical errors. Government agencies, purchasers of group health care, physicians and other health care providers are working together [...]

What is an advance directive? An advance directive tells your doctor what kind of care you would like to have if you become unable to make medical decisions (if you are in a coma, for example). A good advance directive describes the kind of treatment you would want depending on how sick you are. For [...]

Getting a prescription filled is usually easy. But because of the high cost of prescription medicines, most insurance companies and employers are trying to control drug costs. Some of the things they are doing make getting a prescription more complicated for you and your doctor, and some of the terms they use can be confusing. [...]