Latest California Healthline Stories
CDC Director Gerberding Announces Structural Changes to Agency
At an “all hands” meeting Monday that was broadcast to CDC’s nationwide offices, Director Julie Gerberding announced that the agency “will adopt the most conservative of the three strategic redesigns the agency has been considering,” a move which could “quell employee fears” of an altered mission and shape, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Bill To Ban Discrimination Based on Genetic Testing Stalled in House
A House version of a bill (S 1053) that would ban discrimination against individuals by employers and insurers based on their genetic information remains stalled in a “textbook case of obstruction by inertia,” CongressDaily reports.
Patient Care Ward Reopened at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services officials have reopened a 22-bed unit at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center after it was closed last year following three patient deaths “under questionable circumstances,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare HMOs Improve Overall Value Ratings, Decline on Drug Coverage Ratings, Survey Finds
California Medicare HMOs have improved their overall value ratings, but their drug coverage ratings have declined, according to a California HealthCare Foundation and Consumers Union survey released Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hercules City Council Endorses Parcel Tax Measure To Fund Doctors Medical Center San Pablo
The Hercules City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to endorse a measure for the June 8 ballot that would assess single-family homeowners a $52-per-year tax to fund Doctors Medical Center San Pablo, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Legislature Passes Bill To Reform State Workers’ Compensation Insurance System
As expected, on Friday the Assembly voted 77-3 and the Senate voted 33-3 to approve a bill (SB 899) that would reform the state’s workers’ compensation system, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
More Than One Million Signatures Submitted for Ballot Measure To Fund Stem Cell Research
Supporters of a bond measure that would raise about $3 billion for stem cell research on Friday submitted more than one million signatures to qualify the measure for the Nov. 2 statewide ballot, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Assembly Health Committee Votes To Approve Bill To Create Prescription Drug Report Card
The Assembly Health Committee on Thursday voted to approve a bill (AB 2326) that would require the Department of Managed Health Care to create a report card to rate prescription drugs’ safety and effectiveness, the Oakland Tribune reports.
A new CMS Web site that later this month will allow Medicare beneficiaries to compare prescription drug discount cards approved by HHS will not completely resolve confusion from beneficiaries, according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Tenet Healthcare Agrees To Sell Redding Medical Center to North Carolina-Based Health Partners
Officials for Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare, the nation’s second largest for-profit hospital chain, on Friday announced that the company has agreed to sell its Redding Medical Center to North Carolina-based Hospital Partners of America for about $60 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.