Valley Public Radio: For Health Care Employees, Workplace Violence Is More Common Than You Might Think
Over the course of three months in 2017, over two thousand incidents of workplace violence in health care were reported in California, which comes out to about an incident happening every other week. Some experts would say that number is probably low, because they suspect the issue is underreported, for a variety of reasons. One of the leading ones is a perception that tolerating violence is just part of the job, but this is a perspective many in California hope to change. (Tsutsui, 8/21)

The California Health Report: In Effort To Help Homeless Residents, Sacramento Hires Street Nurses
It’s a warm summer day in Sacramento and Amanda Buccina, a registered nurse, has just arrived at Johnston Park to see her second patient of the day. Brian is a 68-year-old man diagnosed with leukemia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although he worked his entire life, Brian’s health conditions caused him to lose both his job and ability to pay rent. As part of the Street Nurse program launched by WellSpace Health in March 2016 and funded by Sutter Health, Buccina and another nurse, Rennie Jemmings, provide care to the medically fragile homeless population in Sacramento. (Childers, 8/21)

The California Health Report: Still Grappling With Provider Access Issues, State Pours More Money Into Denti-Cal
In an ideal world, Jennifer Kent would like to have added 1,000 new dentists across California willing to accept enrollees in Denti-Cal, the state’s low-income dental program, over the past year. Kent, director of the California Department of Health Care Services, the agency that manages the program, has had to settle for a much more modest number. According to Kent, 73 new dentists were enticed to join Denti-Cal in 2017. “It’s not moving as fast as we would like,” she said. (Shinkman, 8/20)

Los Angeles Times: Maternal Mortality Rates In The U.S. Have Risen Steadily. Sen. Kamala Harris Has A Plan To Change That
Sen. Kamala Harris says she wants to force the medical community to address an uncomfortable reality: Black women in the United States are three to four times more likely than white women to die immediately before or after child birth. The California Democrat plans to introduce a bill Wednesday to provide $30 million in annual grants to train against racial bias and to incentivize healthcare professionals to address the disparity in maternal health outcomes. (Haberkorn, 8/22)

Palm Springs Desert Sun: Here's How California Provides Access To Birth Control Without A Doctor
A California law gives women access to birth control without a doctor’s prescription by allowing pharmacists to prescribe instead. But there’s a catch: not all pharmacies offer this service. And those that do must abide by a guideline. Access to contraceptives covers self-administered methods, which include: birth control pills, the patch, the ring and the depo shot. According to a report by the CDC, which looked at data from 1982 to 2010, the birth control pill was the most popular method of contraception with 81.9% of women preferring it over other self-administered methods. (Estevez, 8/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: Medical Pot On School Grounds: Parents, Bay Area Legislator Making The Push
[Karina] Garcia is among a growing number of parents who are using medical marijuana to treat their sick children, often after pharmaceutical remedies have failed. In recognition of this, California is considering a law that would allow parents to administer the drug at school, a move that could set up a showdown with the federal government, whose laws make it a crime to possess, buy or sell marijuana. (Young, 8/21)

Los Angeles Times: O.C., Costa Mesa And Others Seek Court Order To Prevent Needle-Exchange Program
Citing public health and safety concerns, attorneys representing Orange County, the county Flood Control District and the cities of Costa Mesa, Anaheim and Orange filed a court motion Tuesday seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent a state-approved mobile needle-exchange service. An injunction is necessary, the motion asserts, because the proposed Orange County Needle Exchange Program would “lead to tens of thousands of dirty needles throughout the county, creating a significant public nuisance with serious risk of injury to the county’s residents and water quality.” (Money, 8/21)

NPR: Poll: Most Americans Know About Opioid Antidote And Are Willing To Use It
After the surgeon general called for more people to be prepared with naloxone, we decided to ask Americans about their knowledge about the opioid antidote's availability, attitudes toward using it and experience with the medicine in the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health Health Poll. The survey queried more than 3,000 households nationwide in May. We wondered how many people know about naloxone and the fact that someone doesn't have to be a medical professional to administer it. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were aware of the antidote and that it could be given by laypeople; 41 percent said they weren't. (Hensley, 8/21)

The Washington Post: Sen. Susan Collins Says Kavanaugh Sees Roe V. Wade As ‘Settled Law’
A Republican senator whose vote could ensure the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh offered an upbeat assessment of their meeting Tuesday, highlighting the judge’s statement that the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion is “settled law.” Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), a centrist who supports abortion rights, appeared to be leaning toward backing President Trump’s nominee after a one-on-one session that lasted more than two hours. Collins said she would announce her decision after confirmation hearings next month. (Viebeck and Pogrund, 8/21)

The New York Times: Roe Is ‘Settled Law,’ Kavanaugh Tells Collins. Democrats Aren’t Moved.
Democrats immediately pounced on the “settled law” construction, saying it is a standard phrase employed to duck the real question: whether Roe was correctly decided. “Let’s be clear; this is not as simple as Judge Kavanaugh saying that Roe is settled law,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, told reporters. “Everything the Supreme Court decides is settled law until it unsettles it. Saying a case is settled law is not the same thing as saying a case was correctly decided.” (Stolberg, 8/21)

NPR: Collins Says Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh Called Roe V. Wade 'Settled Law'
That assurance, made during a Tuesday morning meeting in the Maine senator's office that lasted more than two hours, likely goes a long way toward securing a key vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Collins supports abortion rights and made sure to point out she viewed the 1973 decision as "settled law" in her initial reaction to the news that abortion rights swing vote Anthony Kennedy was retiring from the Supreme Court. (Detrow, 8/21)

The New York Times: Cost Of New E.P.A. Coal Rules: Up To 1,400 More Deaths A Year
The Trump administration has hailed its overhaul of federal pollution restrictions on coal-burning power plants as creating new jobs, eliminating burdensome government regulations and ending what President Trump has long described as a “war on coal.” The administration’s own analysis, however, revealed on Tuesday that the new rules could also lead to as many as 1,400 premature deaths annually by 2030 from heart and lung disease, up to 15,000 new cases of upper respiratory problems, a rise in the extremely fine particulate matter that can trigger bronchitis, and tens of thousands of missed school days because of to increased pollution. (Friedman, 8/21)

PBS NewsHour: How Trump’s Rules On Coal-Fired Power Plants Differ From Obama’s
The new EPA proposal, called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, would give states leeway on whether to limit emissions and by how much, and allow older power plants to operate longer. The proposal, called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, would replace Obama era regulations. Those rules aggressively pushed for accelerated closures of older coal-fired plants by setting national targets, by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and encouraging adoption of cleaner energies, such as solar and wind power. (Alcindor, 8/21)

The Associated Press: States Blast Trump Administration Coal Plan, Mull Lawsuits
States with a history of fighting air pollution generated by coal-fired power plants on Tuesday criticized a move by President Donald Trump’s administration to scale back federal restrictions on emissions, with some threatening court challenges. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan was among those who pledged to “take legal action to ensure the federal government does its job” to protect the environment and people’s health. ... New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood also vowed to sue the Environmental Protection Agency if the plan is approved. Both are Democrats. (Haigh, 8/21)

NPR: West Coast Smoke: Scientists Warn Of Longer And Harsher Season
Across California and the West, where dozens of large wildfires are burning, public health agencies are urging people to seal off their windows and doors, change filters in air conditioning units and in some places wear masks if they have to go outside for any extended period. Just as the wildfire season is getting longer and more destructive in the West due to climate change and prior forest management, scientists are warning of a lengthening — and worsening — smoke season. The fires themselves have burned hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate. But the smoke, and the unhealthy toxins blowing in with it, will directly affect hundreds of thousands more people. (Siegler, 8/21)

CNBC: FDA Extends Certain EpiPen Expiration Dates To Combat Shortage
Facing a national shortage of EpiPens, the Food and Drug Administration is extending the expiration dates of certain lots of the life-saving allergy drug by four months. The extensions apply to the 0.3 mg dose of EpiPen and its authorized generic, with current expiration dates between April and December 2018, according to a statement from Pfizer, which manufactures the EpiPen for Mylan. (Tirrell, 8/21)

USA Today: VA Wrongly Denied Hundreds Of Veteran Claims Of Military Sexual Trauma
The Department of Veterans Affairs improperly denied hundreds of military sexual trauma claims in recent years, leaving potentially thousands of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder without benefits, a VA inspector general investigation found. Last year alone, the investigation found the agency mishandled as many as 1,300 sexual trauma claims. Some 12,000 veterans file for sexual trauma-related PTSD benefits each year.  (Slack, 8/21)

Stat: The Trump Administration Can't Decide Whether To Boost PBMs Or Rein Them In
Some days, President Trump vows to eliminate them. But then, there are days when his top health lieutenants promise to empower them. There are even days when they do both. The mixed and muddled signals from the administration are over the increasingly contentious role of the pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. Those discordant signals reflect a lack of clarity from Trump and his lieutenants over how best to address one of their top priorities: how to lower prescription drug prices. (Swetlitz, 8/22)

California Healthline: Religious Conservatives’ Ties To Trump Officials Pay Off In AIDS Policies, Funding
Shepherd Smith, a strong supporter of abstinence-only sex education for AIDS, has been close to the new director of the CDC for decades. This connection is just one example of the “new in crowd” surrounding the Trump administration, where politics and religion mix. (Taylor, 8/22)

Modern Healthcare: Feds Want To Force Anthem To Comply With Medicare Billing Investigation 
Health insurer Anthem has refused to comply with the U.S. Justice Department's investigation into its Medicare Advantage billing practices, according to federal court documents filed Tuesday. So the Justice Department this week asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to force Anthem to comply with a civil investigative demand issued in March to provide testimony .... The Justice Department asked for Anthem's testimony as part of an investigation into whether Anthem unlawfully obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment payments in violation of the False Claims Act by submitting inaccurate patient diagnosis codes to the CMS. (Livingston, 8/21)

Modern Healthcare: GAO Urges Scrutiny Of Medicaid Managed-Care Organizations
The U.S. comptroller general on Tuesday urged a Senate panel to tighten oversight of Medicaid providers and managed-care plans, and criticized the Obama administration's lax auditing of Medicaid insurers as millions joined the rolls through expansion. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro and CMS Administrator Seema Verma urged lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to look at managed care in expansion states, particularly when they cover large swaths of the Medicaid population. Improper Medicaid payments soared to an estimated $37 billion in fiscal 2017, and Dodaro argued that the federal government needs to join forces with state auditors to combat the issue. (Luthi, 8/21)

Bloomberg: U.S. Hospitals Shut At 30-A-Year Pace, With No End In Sight 
Industry M&A may be no savior as the pace of hospital closures, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas, seems poised to accelerate. Hospitals have been closing at a rate of about 30 a year, according to the American Hospital Association, and patients living far from major cities may be left with even fewer hospital choices as insurers push them toward online providers like Teladoc Inc. and clinics such as CVS Health Corp’s MinuteClinic. (Flanagan, 8/21)

The Mercury News: San Jose Hospital Probing Racially Charged Social Media Post
Regional Medical Center is investigating a racially charged social media post that appears to have been written by its interim emergency department manager, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday. In the post, the author — identified as “Beth Laurine” — expresses disgust for “immigrants from other countries” who kneel when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. (Green, 8/21)

Ventura County Star: Community Memorial Gains Distinction For Stroke Care
Community Memorial Health System has again been awarded the American Heart/American Stroke Association’s “Gold Plus Achievement Award” as well as the association’s “Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Achievement Award” highlighting dedication to the highest standards in stroke care. Attending a recent awards presentation ceremony at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura were members of health system administration, the CMHS Stroke Champions, members of the CMHS Stroke Multidisciplinary Team, and American Heart/American Stroke Association Regional Director Bliss Rayo-Taranto. (8/21)

And in national hospital and insurance pricing news —

The Wall Street Journal: What Does Knee Surgery Cost? Few Know, And That’s A Problem
For nearly a decade, Gundersen Health System’s hospital in La Crosse, Wis., boosted the price of knee-replacement surgery an average of 3% a year. By 2016, the average list price was more than $50,000, including the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Yet even as administrators raised the price, they had no real idea what it cost to perform the surgery—the most common for hospitals in the U.S. outside of those related to childbirth. ... Prompted by rumblings from Medicare and private insurers over potential changes to payments, Gundersen decided to nail down the numbers. ... The actual cost? $10,550 at most, including the physicians. The list price was five times that amount. (Evans, 8/21)

Bloomberg: Priced Out Of Health Insurance, Americans Rig Their Own Safety Nets 
The number of people joining so-called health-care sharing ministries—religion-based cost-sharing plans—rose 74 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to the latest Internal Revenue Service data. An alliance for the groups said that more than 1 million people now participate in such programs. Similarly, primary-care clinics like the one Julie Gunther started in 2014 have grown to almost 900 from just a handful in the early 2000s, according to the Direct Primary Care Coalition, a trade group for the clinics. (Tozzi, 8/22)

Los Angeles Times: Once Their Rallying Cry, Obamacare Is Suddenly A Sticky Campaign Issue For Republicans
After failing to deliver on their years-long promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act and faced with the sudden popularity of Obamacare’s consumer protections, GOP candidates across the country are struggling to put together a cohesive message on healthcare. Die-hards still want to repeal the 2010 law, but a growing number of Republicans — particularly those facing tough elections — want to quietly admit defeat and move on to other issues. (Haberkorn, 8/21)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Covered CA Customers Will Face A Range Of Rate Changes In 2019 
Though the overall trajectory is up, Covered California premiums for the 116,149 Covered California policyholders in San Diego County will bounce all over the place next year, according to a new rate book recently released by the state’s health insurance exchange. After announcing in July that the statewide average premium increase for 2019 will be 8.7 percent, the plan purveyor followed up late last week with a more specific breakdown, publishing detailed information on which carriers will increase their premiums the most during open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 through Jan. 15 for the 1.4 million Californians who are currently covered. (Sisson, 8/21)

CNN: New Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations Include More Options
In the past, the recommendations for women in that age group had suggested a Pap every three years and co-testing every five years. However, for women between 21 and 30, the previous recommendation of only a Pap smear every three years remains in place. That has been a guideline since the introduction of the Pap, also called exfoliative cytology, 75 years ago. (LaMotte, 8/21)

The New York Times: If Food Is Medicine, These Are The Labs
The growth of these organizations is largely dependent on volunteer efforts and donations, but they are hoping that will change in coming years. A national coalition of “food as medicine” advocates is seeking to get medically tailored meals included in health care coverage, said Jean Terranova, the director of food and health policy at Community Servings. The coalition has pushed for more research into whether medically tailored diets can make patients feel better and reduce health care costs. State-funded research in California is evaluating the effect of these meals on the health care costs of 1,000 chronically ill people on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. (Prevost, 8/21)

The Associated Press: Herbalife Distributors Claim In $1B Suit Events Were A Sham
Patricia and Jeff Rodgers figured they did everything right to get rich beyond their wildest dreams selling Herbalife health and personal care products. They attended all of the “Circle of Success” events, brought in new recruits, met their quotas on buying Herbalife goods to sell and even set up a storefront shop. But they didn’t get rich. Instead, Patricia Rodgers estimates the couple lost over $100,000, including about $20,000 spent on attending Herbalife events. Now, the couple and others are suing the multi-level marketing company that sells its products through a network of distributors who recruit more distributors. The potential class-action case could involve more than 100,000 plaintiffs and might mean as much as $1 billion in damages. (Anderson, 8/21)