Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Subcommittee Considers Bill To Ban Obesity-Related Lawsuits
Obesity-related lawsuits cost companies millions of dollars in legal fees and do not address the obesity issue in the United States, physicians and tort reform supporters said Thursday at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts hearing on a bill that would prohibit such lawsuits, the Washington Times reports.
USA Today Examines Misinterpretation of HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule
USA Today on Friday looked at how the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act medical privacy rule has been misinterpreted by some in the health care industry since it was implemented in April, which has led some lawmakers to “wonder whether their quest to protect patients’ privacy went too far.”
Budget Constraints Force State To Decrease Number of Flu Vaccine Doses Purchased
Budgetary constraints have forced the Department of Health Services this year to reduce the number of flu vaccine doses it sends to county health departments, which may force counties to cut back on their vaccination campaigns, the Fresno Bee reports.
Negotiations between the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital board and Ventura County about bringing the hospital into the county’s heath care system recently have stalled because of disagreements over provisions of a 10-year lease and the hospital’s failure to provide prompt disclosure of its debts and operating costs, according to documents the Los Angeles Times obtained Thursday under the California Public Records Act.
Economist Looks at Implications of Employer-Sponsored Benefit Law
The Economist in its Oct. 11 issue looks at the implications of a recently enacted law (SB 2) that requires some employers in the state to pay 80% of the cost of employees’ health insurance premiums or pay into a state fund that would provide coverage.
Riverside County Health System Plans Expansion, New Facility
Southwest Health Care System officials plan to expand two medical centers in southwestern Riverside County and build a new hospital in Temecula, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Santa Paula Hospital Considering Deal With Community Memorial Hospital
Officials at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital on Wednesday indicated that the hospital may affiliate with private Community Memorial Hospital to prevent it from closing after negotiations for a similar arrangement with Ventura County have become “troubled,” the Ventura County Star reports.
Cedars-Sinai To Pay Workers Withheld Overtime Wages
Officials for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday announced that the hospital would pay employees $875,000 in overtime wages after an internal audit found that some employee timecards had been improperly altered by hospital officials, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Promote Health Care Plans at Iowa Forum
Six Democratic presidential candidates on Wednesday discussed Medicare, access to health care, prescription drug costs and other issues in a two-hour forum in Des Moines, Iowa, sponsored by AARP, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA Panel Votes in Favor of Market Reentry of Silicone Breast Implants
An independent FDA advisory committee on Wednesday voted 9-6 to recommend approval of market reentry of silicone breast implants for general use, USA Today reports.