Latest California Healthline Stories
Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa Sues Sonoma County Over Psychiatric Treatment for Inmates
Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa is suing Sonoma County, claiming that the county owes $2.2 million for mental health services provided to county jail inmates over the past two years at Sutter’s residential psychiatric facility, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.
Sacramento Bee Looks at Debate Over Mexican Doctors Bill
The Sacramento Bee this week examines the debate surrounding a bill (AB 1045) that is designed to bring “culturally competent,” Spanish-speaking physicians from Mexico to work in clinics in underserved areas throughout the state.
Bush Works with Norwood on Patients’ Rights Compromise
Looking to broker a compromise on patients’ rights, President Bush yesterday “applied direct pressure” on House lawmakers, making a “rare” lobbying visit to Capitol Hill and negotiating privately with Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), a sponsor of a bill that Bush has threatened to veto if it passes in its current form, the Washington Post reports.
Meeting state-mandated nurse staffing requirements could increase hospital expenses by millions of dollars, a study by the Public Policy Institute of California has found, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Lawmakers Mark ADA Anniversary by Offering Medicare Medical Technology Bill
Marking the 11th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) said yesterday at the Assistive Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C., that he plans to introduce legislation that would improve access to medical and assistive technologies for the disabled under Medicare.
St. John’s Regional Medical Center Testing Telephone Interpretation Service
To help staff better communicate with patients speaking foreign languages, St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard is testing DiaLingual, an interpretation service that provides hospital staff with access to more than 150 languages through the telephone, the Ventura County Star reports.
Northern Virginia Hospitals Implement Internet-Based Emergency Room Status Tracking System
Hoping to provide faster emergency care, officials from 10 Northern Virginia hospitals are expected to announce today that they have implemented a computer system that can track the status of often-crowded local emergency rooms, the Washington Post reports.
Lawmakers Introduce Pharmacy Discount Card Bill for Medicare Beneficiaries
Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would provide discounts on prescription drugs and limit out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs for seniors, the Lincoln Journal-Star reports
Thompson Asks House Committee for Action on Medicare Reform
Speaking before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday called on lawmakers to “move quickly on Medicare modernization,” CongressDaily/AM reports.
Congress Must ‘Move Quickly’ to Draft Bill Covering Uninsured, Post Says
By focusing on the patients’ rights debate — a “peripheral issue” that may “slightly” improve “the lot of the already insured” — Congress appears to be addressing the “national health care problem,” a Washington Post editorial states.