Lawmaker Seeks Stronger Inquiry of Prime Healthcare

Assembly member Bill Monning (D-Carmel) is calling on state Department of Public Health Director Ron Chapman to intensify the agency's investigation of Prime Healthcare Services. Officials are working to determine whether the hospital chain has engaged in improper Medicare billing for a blood infection called septicemia and a form of malnutrition called kwashiorkor. According to Monning, the health department's probe thus far "appears to raise as many questions as it answers, and the disturbing findings at Prime Healthcare necessitate a thorough investigation."

• "Lawmaker Steps Up Call for Prime Healthcare Probe" (Williams, California Watch, 7/12).