Latest California Healthline Stories
Democrats, Advocates Criticize Davis’ Proposed Medi-Cal Reductions in Assembly Subcommittee Hearing
Advocates for health care, welfare and people with disabilities yesterday criticized Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) proposed reductions to Medi-Cal, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Inmate Who Received State-Funded Heart Transplant Dies; Debate Over Prison Health Care Renewed
A 32-year-old California prison inmate whose heart transplant early this year “caused a wave of outrage” over state-funded prison health care died on Monday of heart failure because his body rejected the organ, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Two Hospitals Refuse To Provide Smallpox Vaccine to Workers
Officials at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., yesterday said they would not adhere to President Bush’s request to vaccinate front-line medical workers against smallpox, saying the risks associated with the vaccine outweigh the “remote threat” of a biological attack with the virus, the Washington Post reports.
Majority of Consumers Predict Information Technology Will Improve Health Care Quality, Survey Finds
A majority of U.S. consumers agree that information technology will increase the quality of health care, but more than half remain concerned about problems related to expanded IT use, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey.
Justice Department Sues 27 Hospitals over Medicare Billing Practices
The Justice Department has joined a whistleblower lawsuit against 27 hospitals alleging the facilities billed Medicare for tens of millions of dollars for procedures that were not eligible for reimbursement, the Chicago Tribune reports.
CalPERS To Expand Investigation Into Tenet Billing Practices, Asks Blue Shield for More Information
CalPERS officials yesterday announced plans to expand an investigation into the billing practices of Tenet Healthcare, the state’s largest for-profit hospital chain, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
California Blood Products Company Settles Antitrust Lawsuit Filed Against American Red Cross
Officials at HemaCare, a Woodland Hills-based company that provides blood products and services to medical facilities, said yesterday that the company settled a lawsuit that accused the American Red Cross of anticompetitive practices, the Los Angeles Times reports.
HHS Announces New Rules Expanding Department’s Authority To Request J-1 Visa Waivers for Foreign MDs
In an effort to expand health care access in rural areas experiencing a physician shortage, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday announced new rules that will allow HHS to request waivers of return-home requirements for foreign doctors who trained in the United States under J-1 Visas.
Physicians ‘Biggest Obstacle’ to Medical Error Reforms, New York Times Says
Physicians “may be the biggest obstacle” to reforms proposed to reduce medical errors, which kill “tens of thousands” of patients each year and injure “countless more,” a New York Times editorial states.
HCA Reportedly Reaches Deal With Justice Department on Fraud Settlement
HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, has reached an agreement “in principle” with the Justice Department to pay more than $880 million to settle the government’s inquiry into accusations of health care fraud, the New York Times reports.