Latest California Healthline Stories
Assembly Rejects Republican Budget Plan Including Cuts to Health Services
The Assembly on Sunday voted 45-27 along party lines against a Republican budget proposal that would have cut all state funding for abortions and reduced funding for other health services, the Los Angeles Times reports.
New Approach Needed To Address National Health Care Crisis, Opinion Piece States
Competing strategies to address a “lack of adequate health insurance among growing numbers of Americans” and an “unsustainabl[e]” rise in health care costs have resulted in a “political standoff that has blocked an honest evaluation of any major approach and has left everyone frustrated,” Henry Aaron, a Brookings Institution senior fellow in economic studies, and Stuart Butler, vice president for domestic policy studies at the Heritage Foundation, write in a Washington Post opinion piece.
Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona Fined $25,000 Following Patient Death
State health regulators on Wednesday issued a $25,000 AA citation — the most severe allowed under state law — against the Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona for not sufficiently protecting a developmentally disabled resident who was beaten to death last August, the AP/Fresno Bee reports.
American Hospital Association Issues Alert on Billing Practices for the Uninsured
The Wall Street Journal today looks at an “Alert” the American Hospital Association issued last month urging hospitals to evaluate their billing, charity care and debt collection practices in the wake of increased media attention to, and government scrutiny of, their billing practices for uninsured patients.
Palomar Pomerado Health District’s Technical, Service Workers Ratify Contract
Nearly 1,400 unionized technical and service workers at Palomar Pomerado Health District last week ratified a contract that would implement a 20% raise over three years, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
San Diego Union-Tribune Examines Impact of Proposed Medi-Cal Reimbursement Reductions
The San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday examined the potential effects of proposed reductions in reimbursements to physicians who treat Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
New York Times Examines Use of Digital Cameras To Screen Retinas
The New York Times today examines the increased use of digital cameras to screen retinas, a procedure that costs less and is more accurate than traditional retinal examinations.
Medical Board Suspends Redding Medical Center Physician’s License Pending Investigation
The Medical Board of California will suspend the medical license of Redding Medical Center cardiologist Dr. Chae Hyun Moon pending a federal investigation into whether he performed unnecessary medical procedures to boost his income, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Guidant Signs Agreement as Last Step of Justice Department Settlement on Faulty Stent-Grafts
Officials at medical device manufacturer Guidant have announced that the company has signed a “corporate integrity agreement” as the last step of a $92.4 million settlement with the Justice Department, the Wall Street Journal reports.
FDA Approves New Gilead Antiretroviral Drug Emtriva for HIV Treatment in Adults
The FDA yesterday approved Foster City-based Gilead Sciences’ experimental drug Emtriva for use in combination with other antiretroviral medications for the treatment of HIV in adults, the New York Times reports.