Latest California Healthline Stories
Patients, Health Care Workers Protest Rancho Los Amigos Closure
Although more than 100 patients, physicians, health care workers and advocates for the disabled yesterday urged the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to reconsider plans to close Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, board members appear unlikely to reverse their decision, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Catholic Hospitals Play ‘Important Role’ in U.S. Safety Net, Study Says
Catholic hospitals play an “important role” in the nation’s health care safety net in their provision of care to people who are uninsured or underinsured, according to a new study from the Catholic Health Association, Bloomberg/Detroit News reports.
Sutter Roseville Service Workers File Unfair Labor Practice Complaint
About 400 service and technical workers locked out of Sutter Roseville Medical Center after a one-day strike on Monday filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the facility, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The Sebastopol City Council on Tuesday voted 3-1 to pass a resolution that requires the city police department not to inform the Drug Enforcement Administration about medical marijuana cases, “affirming the council’s support of the use of medical marijuana by authorized patients,” the AP/Fresno Bee reports.
Former HHS Officials Criticize Health Care System as ‘Costly, Inefficient, Unfair’
The nation’s health care system is “too costly, inefficient [and] unfair,” and it needs “an overhaul,” according to several former HHS officials, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Justice Department Delays $250M Settlement in HCA Medicare Fraud Case
The Justice Department has delayed for eight months a proposed settlement in a Medicare fraud case against HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, over concerns that the agreement “may be too favorable” for the company and could “damage the government’s civil fraud case against it,” the New York Times reports.
Patients in California Have ‘Solid’ Rights, Zingale Says
In light of recent allegations that two physicians at Redding Medical Center performed unnecessary surgeries, patients should be aware that they have “solid rights they can exercise to prevent abuse,” Daniel Zingale, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, writes in a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece.
The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear an appeal from the Medical Board of California in a case that could determine whether state agencies are protected from lawsuits filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Homeland Security Provision To Make CDC Lead Bioterrorism Agency Cut from Bill
House, Senate and White House negotiators last week stripped a provision from the homeland security legislation that would have established the CDC as the “lead agency in fighting bioterrorism,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Rural Dentistry Training Program Eliminated After Ownership of Clinic Transferred
A rural dental training program will be eliminated Dec. 1, when Community Medical Centers turns over to United Health Centers operation of the clinic that hosts the program, the Fresno Bee reports.