Latest California Healthline Stories
California voters on Tuesday defeated Proposition 54 by a wide margin, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Medical Injuries Led to 32,600 Deaths, Cost $9.3 Billion in 2000, Study Finds
Medical injuries in U.S. hospitals in 2000 led to about 32,600 deaths, at least 2.4 million extra days of patient hospitalization and additional costs of up to $9.3 billion, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Medical Marijuana Case
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday heard arguments in a case over whether the federal government has the authority to deny home-grown marijuana to two California women who use the drug for medical purposes, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Opponents Expected To Challenge Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits Bill
Opponents of a bill (SB 2) signed Sunday by Gov. Gray Davis (D) that would require some state employers to offer employees health insurance or pay into a state fund that would provide such coverage plan to legally challenge the law, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
San Joaquin County Hospitals Face Pressure for Facility Improvements
The eight hospitals in San Joaquin County are “struggling” to meet expected facility improvement demands stemming from a growing and aging population and mandatory seismic retrofits, the Stockton Record reports.
Connerly Says He Will Rewrite Proposition 54 Medical Exemption If Measure Is Defeated
Ward Connerly, author of Proposition 54, said that if the ballot initiative is defeated on Tuesday, he will work with some of its current opponents to rewrite “flawed” and confusing language regarding the measure’s medical research exemption, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
More U.S. Teens Receive Bariatric Surgery for Obesity, Wall Street Journal Reports
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examines the increased number of obese U.S. teenagers who receive bariatric surgery.
Supreme Court Overturns $79.5 Billion Verdict Against Philip Morris
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday overturned a $79.5 million punitive damage verdict against tobacco company Philip Morris USA and ordered lower courts in Oregon to re-evaluate the size of the award, the Washington Post reports.
New Orleans Affiliate of Tenet Healthcare Receives Subpoena for Records
New Orleans-based People’s Health Network, an affiliate of Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare, has received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney’s office for records that date from 1999 to the present, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Burlingame Healthcare Center Employees Protest Potential Job Losses at San Mateo County Offices
A number of employees at the 281-bed Burlingame Healthcare Center on Wednesday protested outside San Mateo County offices a decision by the county, which will assume control of the nursing home by the end of October, to require them to take a civil service examination to retain their jobs at Burlingame, the San Jose Mercury Newsreports.