Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Home Health Workers’ Wage Claim

The Supreme Court ruled that Congress would have to act to extend federal minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers. Homecare providers in California said the ruling would help ensure that home-based services remain affordable, although it will have different implications depending on states’ minimum wage laws. AP/Lincoln Journal Star et al.

Long-Term Prospects for Consumer-Driven Plans Under Question

Benefits and compensation experts are questioning whether the plans are succeeding in reducing health care costs. Analysts say that member surveys have found low satisfaction rates and concerns that such plans make it more difficult to access health care services. Wall Street Journal.

Federal Handling of Los Angeles County Hospital Draws Fire

CMS’ acting chief defends the agency’s decision to maintain funding for King-Harbor Hospital after patient safety violations were found, but some experts argue that CMS’ course of action could lead hospital and county officials to underestimate the possibility of losing funding. Los Angeles Times.

Pharmacy Chain Targets Underserved Hispanics

Farmacia Remedios aims to open 25 stores throughout California in the next five years, with the chain’s owner saying that California’s Hispanic community “is not being served the way it’s supposed to be.” Some stores also feature retail clinics. San Jose Mercury News.

Some See Cancer Care as Case Study for Cost Control Initiatives

After Medicare payments were cut for some cancer treatments, some doctors shifted to services with higher reimbursement levels. The move has some doctors questioning whether compensation formulas based on time spent with patients — rather than treatments provided — would be better. New York Times.

Drug Industry Had Large Role in User Fee Bill

The Senate has approved the bill, and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists now are focusing their efforts on lawmakers in the House as committees begin hearings on the legislation this week. USA Today.

Wisconsin Tops U.S. List for Health Care Quality Rankings

The report by the federal Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research found that states are making quality improvements but that no state is performing well in all categories. This is the first year that AHRQ has released overall quality-of-care scores for each state. Orlando Sentinel et al.

San Francisco Committee OKs Pay Hike for Nurses

San Francisco officials say the 19% pay raise for registered nurses will help the city compete for nurses with neighboring counties and private employers. The city needs more nurses at its public hospitals to meet patient demand. San Francisco Chronicle.

California Seeks More U.S. Nurses To Combat Personnel Shortage

The immigration debate in Congress is one of the factors deterring hospitals from continuing to seek nurses from other countries to fill staff vacancies. However, some experts say foreign nurses will be needed to supply U.S. demand for health care workers. Los Angeles Times.