Latest California Healthline Stories
Group Questions Effect of Health Care Provider Ratings
Although quality ratings of health care providers can be “vitally important” to consumers, the public release of the ratings may not be conveying the message that the ratings organizations intended, a group representing organizations that developed quality ratings of health care providers found, the Stockton Record reports.
Davis Signs Bill Intended To Reduce Medi-Cal Fraud
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Wednesday signed a bill (SB 857) intended to reduce Medi-Cal fraud, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare Negotiators Reach Tentative Agreement on Dual-Eligibles
A “core group” of the negotiators charged with reconciling the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) has tentatively agreed to provide a Medicare drug benefit to beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal reports.
University of California Launches Elder Care Initiative
The University of California on Tuesday launched a $12 million effort to create six new endowed geriatric medicine faculty chairs at six different campuses, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports.
Rates of Knee Surgery Vary Among Medicare Population Vary By Race, Ethnicity, Region and Gender
Rates for total knee replacement surgery in the Medicare population vary significantly by race, ethnicity, region and gender, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Senate Committee Approves Veterans Long-Term Care Bill
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Tuesday by unanimous voice vote approved a bill (S 1156) to extend long-term care services for veterans and authorize funds for several health care facilities, according to CongressDaily Markup Reports.
Simi Valley Hospital Board Votes Not To Renew Emergency Room Physicians’ Contract
The governing board of Simi Valley Hospital last week voted 16-0 not to renew the 197-bed hospital’s relationship with nine emergency room physicians, whose contract expired in April, the Ventura County Star reports.
Employer-Sponsored Coverage Bill Would Cost Companies $11.4 Billion, Study Says
A Senate- and Assembly-approved bill (SB 2) that would require some employers in the state to provide health insurance to employees or pay into a state fund that would provide coverage would cost California companies $11.4 billion, according to a study released Wednesday by the Employment Policies Institute, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bill To Allow FDA Regulation of Tobacco Stalls in Senate
Negotiations over a Senate bill that would allow the FDA to regulate tobacco products stalled on Wednesday after Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Democrats reached an “impasse” over the level of authority that the agency should have, “dimming prospects” for the legislation, the New York Times reports.
Davis Signs Two Workers’ Compensation Bills Into Law
As expected, Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Tuesday signed into law two bills (AB 227 and SB 228) to reform the state workers’ compensation system and help reduce increased workers’ compensation insurance premiums for employers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.