Latest California Healthline Stories
Records Seized from Tenet’s Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in Kickback Investigation
Federal agents yesterday raided the executive offices of Tenet Healthcare-owned Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, seizing “voluminous records” as part of a probe into alleged violations of antikickback statutes, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Cigna Plans To Appeal Florida Judge’s Injunction on Illinois Settlement with Physicians
Health insurer Cigna yesterday announced that it will appeal a ruling by a federal judge in Miami last week that granted an injunction against the insurer’s settlement of class-action litigation in Illinois with physicians over payment practices, the Hartford Courant reports.
Riverside Press-Enterprise Examines Union Trusts’ Cross-Border Pharmaceutical Coverage Plan
The Riverside Press-Enterprise yesterday reported on how two trust funds that provide health coverage to about 3,500 Inland Empire union members are covering the cost of medications bought at a pharmacy in Tijuana, where the drugs cost about 40% less than they do through U.S. discounted drug plans.
Santa Clara County public health officials today will present a smallpox vaccination plan to the county Board of Supervisors that calls for the vaccination of hundreds of health care workers as early as February, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
January NEJM Dedicated Smallpox, Bush Administration Vaccination Plan
The Jan. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine will be entirely devoted to smallpox and the Bush administration’s vaccination plans.
Contra Costa County To Launch Pilot Program To Promote Exercise, Nutrition Among Children
The Contra Costa County Health Services Department, the Los Medanos Community Health Care District and the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA plan to launch a pilot program next year to promote exercise and nutrition to East Contra Costa County children and their families, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Canadian Group Offers Home Delivery of Medical Marijuana on New Web Site
A Canadian group yesterday launched a Web site that offers home delivery of medicinal marijuana to Canadian residents as part of an effort to improve access to the treatment, Reuters reports.
Medicare Provider ‘Giveback’ Bill Not Likely in January, Congressional Aides Predict
Congress next month will not likely take “quick action” to increase reimbursements for Medicare providers, a bipartisan panel of congressional staff members said yesterday at a briefing sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform, CongressDaily reports.
State Launches Investigation of Juvenile Home for Denial of Care to 14-Year-Old Boy
California officials this week launched an investigation to determine whether the state should revoke the license of a group home for juvenile offenders for denying care to a 14-year-old boy who lost sight in one eye, the Sacramento Bee reports.
New Implantable Defibrillator Devices More Dangerous Than Old, Study Finds
Newer and “more sophisticated” implanted cardiac defibrillators known as dual-chamber devices, which stimulate both the heart’s right atrial chamber and its right ventricle, may be more likely to lead to heart failure or death in patients than older, more simple devices that stimulate the ventricle only, according to an early release of a study to be published in next week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.