Latest California Healthline Stories
NLRB Rules Some New Jersey Doctors Can Bargain Collectively
The National Labor Relations Board last Thursday ruled that doctors employed by the Occupational Health Centers of New Jersey are “employees, not supervisors” and should therefore be allowed to bargain collectively, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Daschle Schedules ‘Showdown Vote’ on Economic Stimulus Bill
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) yesterday scheduled a cloture vote on Wednesday to end debate on an economic stimulus bill, a move that could “determine the fate” of the legislation, the AP/Nando Times reports.
Bush Unveils New Scorecard to Rate Federal Agencies
President Bush yesterday unveiled a management scorecard to rate the performance of federal agencies, including HHS, in a campaign to “bring corporate efficiency to the federal bureaucracy,” the Washington Post reports.
New Los Angeles County Health Director Faces ‘Gigantic’ Effort to Save System from Collapse
Dr. Thomas Garthwaite, the new director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, must prove that the “county is serious about doing its share” to reform its “beleaguered” health care system and “persuade the federal government to do theirs,” according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Federal Judge Dismisses Minnesota HMO Suits Seeking Tobacco Damages
Lawsuits filed against tobacco companies by two Minnesota-based health plans were dismissed last Thursday by a federal district court judge who said that the HMOs failed to adequately prove they were damaged by the cigarette makers’ actions, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
WebMD Showing Signs of Life After Dot-Com Collapse, New York Times Says
WebMD is showing tentative signs of a turnaround following the dot-com industry collapse, the New York Times reports.
State Medical Board Must Fully Comply With Public Records Act, Chronicle Says
The Legislature should continue to push the state Medical Board to “liv[e] up to its promises and duty to provide more complete information” about physician disciplinary actions, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial states.
Board of Supervisors Orders Audit of San Diego County’s Six-Hospital Trauma System
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has ordered an audit of the county’s six-hospital trauma care system after a contract dispute between a group of surgeons and Palomar Medical Center forced that facility to close its trauma center last month, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Congress Should Not Override State Patients’ Rights Laws, Boston Globe Writes
Congress should pass patients’ rights legislation that does not overturn “stronger laws that states already have on their books,” according to a Boston Globe editorial.
Health Care Sector Sees Rise in Employment
The nation’s economic recession has led thousands of Americans to take jobs in the health care sector, helping to ease the shortage of workers across the industry, the Los Angeles Times reports.