Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Judge Dismisses Case Alleging HIPAA Privacy Regulations Violate Constitutional Rights
A federal judge last Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and three patients charging that privacy regulations under HIPAA “violate constitutional rights by requiring physicians to allow government access to records without patient consent,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
Nurses Expected to Vote on ‘Landmark’ Contract with University of California Health System
About 8,000 members of the California Nurses Association tomorrow are expected to vote on a “landmark” contract reached with the University of California Health System that helped avert a nurses strike last month, the Sacramento Bee reports.
House Ways and Means Committee Passes GOP Medicare Reform Plan
The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday voted along party lines to pass a Republican-backed Medicare reform package, which in part would provide Medicare beneficiaries a prescription drug benefit, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Tenet Agrees To Pay $56M to Settle Medicare Fraud Charges
Tenet Healthcare Corp., the nation’s second-largest hospital chain, announced yesterday that it has agreed to pay $55.8 million to settle several allegations of Medicare fraud, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The fact that the United States spends more money on health care than any other nation worldwide but does not “substantially benefit” from the increased spending indicates underlying “inefficiencies” with the U.S. health care system, according to a UCLA Anderson Forecast study released today, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Northern California Medical Software Company to Lay Off 85 Employees to Help Reduce Losses
Officials at VantageMed Corp., a medical software company based in Rancho Cordova, this week announced plans to lay off 85 employees and eliminate 15 offices nationwide as part of an effort to restructure the company, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Obesity Affects Minorities More Quickly than Whites, New Study Shows
African-American and Hispanic women in their 20s and early 30s become obese faster than white women, and Hispanic men in the same age group become obese faster than white and
African-American men, according to a study published in today’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Malpractice Premiums Reach ‘Crisis’ Levels in 12 States, AMA Report Finds
The cost of medical malpractice insurance has reached “crisis proportions” in 12 states and is approaching such levels in 30 additional states, “forcing” many OB/GYNs and other physicians to abandon their practices, according to a report released yesterday by the American Medical Association.
Arizona Launches Online Enrollment for Public Health Insurance Programs
Arizona yesterday launched a pilot test of an online enrollment system for public health insurance programs. The program, called Health-e-Arizona, is designed to improve access to programs such as Medicaid and to speed eligibility determination and enrollment.
House Republicans Finalize $350B Prescription Drug Benefit Plan
House Republicans yesterday unveiled a final version of their Medicare reform package, which in part would provide Medicare beneficiaries a prescription drug benefit through private health insurers, the New York Times reports.