Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS Extends Information Technology Services Contract with El Segundo-Based Company
Officials at El Segundo-based Computer Sciences Corporation yesterday announced that CMS has exercised a one-year extension in an information technology services contract with the company.
Federal Health Officials Propose $150 Million Bailout for Los Angeles County Health System
Federal health officials have proposed a $150 million bailout to help the “ailing” Los Angeles County health system, but county officials said that the amount “falls far short” of the $1.4 billion required to “avert massive cuts,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
California Appeals Court Decision on Medical Marijuana Upholds Several Rights, Advocate Says
The decision by a California appeals court to prevent efforts by the federal government to revoke licenses of physicians who recommend medical marijuana to their patients “upholds the right” of physicians to offer medical advice, Daniel Abrahamson, director of legal affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, writes in a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece.
Los Angeles Times Examines National Shortage of Medicare Physicians
The Los Angeles Times today examines the increased number of physicians who will not accept new Medicare patients because of increased health care costs, reductions in reimbursements and problems with Medicare HMOs.
Registered Nurses at Doctors Medical Center To Begin ‘Open-Ended’ Strike Today
About 450 registered nurses at Doctors Medical Center, which has facilities in San Pablo and Pinole, planned to strike today at 7:30 a.m. after negotiations on a contract agreement failed, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Redding Residents To Vote on Water Fluoridation Ban
Redding residents tomorrow will vote on the “emotionally charged” Measure A, which would ban the addition of certain chemical compounds, including fluoride, to the water supply, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Tenet Officials Introduce Plan To ‘Reassure’ Investors after Hospital Search
Seeking to address concerns over its responsibility for two surgeons accused of performing “unnecessary” surgeries at one of its hospitals and questions about its overall Medicare reimbursements, Tenet Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chains, on Friday outlined a plan to “reassure investors,” the New York Times reports.
State Supreme Court Returns Smoker Lawsuit Against Philip Morris to Appeals Court for Review
The state Supreme Court last week returned a lawsuit filed by a former California smoker against Philip Morris to an appeals court for review, Reuters/Los Angeles Times reports.
HHS Awards $85 Million in Grants To Eliminate Racial, Ethnic Health Disparities
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Friday announced $85 million in grants to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities among minority communities “highly affected” by several diseases, including HIV/AIDS, cancer and diabetes.
New Freedom Commission’s Interim Report on Mental Health Finds ‘System in Disarray’
The U.S. mental health system “is in disarray” and is not “oriented to the single most important goal of the people it serves — the hope of recovery,” according to an interim report released Friday by the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.