California Health Care Foundation

California’s emergency departments (EDs) provide a critical source of health care to people with acute medical conditions or who have experienced trauma or injury. EDs are expected to treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay. California Emergency Departments: A Critical Source of Care looks at the most recent data on supply, visits, and wait times, as well as trends from 2009 to 2019.

This Almanac report presents data on the providers and programs that compose California’s system for providing health care to people with low incomes.

Although the number of active physicians increased by 21% between 2006 and 2018, and exceeded the 10% population growth, many areas in California face substantial shortages of primary care providers and specialists. This Almanac report describes the state's landscape for physician services.

Nursing is the single largest health profession in the state. These quick reference guides look at supply, demographics, education, distribution, and pay for registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses.

California's health care industry employed more than 1.7 million people in 2019. Six Almanac quick reference guides provide data on wages, education, and workplaces for selected health professions.

This Almanac report describes the state’s supply and use of long-term care services, Medicare and Medi-Cal spending on services, and quality of care.

California’s general acute care (GAC) hospitals discharged 3.8 million patients and had 45 million outpatient visits in 2017. This quick reference guide provides an overview of the state’s GAC hospitals, including number of beds, use of services, and selected financial measures.

According to data from physician surveys, California's medical doctors are unevenly distributed across the state, and new doctors aren't being trained in great enough numbers to address this imbalance.

Many surgeries are performed in freestanding, or “same-day,” ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), whose numbers have increased dramatically over the past 11 years. However, due to a legal decision that removed reporting requirements for ASCs in the state, little is known about the volume of procedures, type of procedures, and financial operation of the vast majority of these facilities. This report looks at the most recent data on the supply, use, quality, and finances of freestanding ASCs in California.

The state's FQHCs, which are a key source of care for residents with low incomes, have expanded their capacity after implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Learn about California's FQHCs and their patient population, payer mix, and growth.

With the aging of the baby boomers and gains in life expectancy, California's senior population is expected to more than double by 2040. Will the state's health care infrastructure be sufficient? This Almanac report looks at 2012 and 2013 data as well as projections for the future.

Community clinics, which serve Californians with the greatest needs, are growing in revenue, patients served, and staff. This CHCF Almanac report provides a checkup on clinics' financial health.