Latest California Healthline Stories
KPC Proposes to Consolidate All Patient Medical Records, Destroy Those Left Unclaimed
The bankrupt KPC Medical Management has proposed a plan to consolidate all of the patient records that remained “after its network of medical clinics folded last fall” and allow patients to request the information for a “modest fee” until next June, at which point all remaining records would be destroyed, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Bill Would Offer Funding to Border Hospitals for Uncompensated Care
Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) said he will introduce legislation this week aimed at providing additional funding for Arizona border hospitals and ambulance services that provide uncompensated emergency care for undocumented immigrants.
‘California CapitolWeek’ Features Discussion of Pregnancy Prevention Programs Aimed at Teen Boys
Teen pregnancy remains a “billion dollar problem” in California, with the second-highest rate nationwide, “California CapitolWeek” reported last week on its weekly television broadcast.
JAMA Editor Discusses Implications of HIPAA Privacy Regulations
In an article in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the journal’s “Health Law and Ethics” Section Editor Lawrence Gostin analyzes the HIPAA privacy regulations and discusses their implications for the health care industry, as well as noting controversial provisions and potential problems that may arise in application of the rules.
‘Angry, Confrontational’ Opening Day for Patients’ Rights Debate
The “struggle” in the Senate over patients’ rights legislation opened on an “angry, confrontational note yesterday,” with Republicans delaying debate and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) saying he might to cancel the July 4 recess to finish the measure, the Washington Post reports.
Government Info Tech Rules for Disabled Effective Tomorrow
New regulations directing all new information technology used and put forth by the federal government to be accessible to people with disabilities are scheduled take effect tomorrow, although many federal agencies may not be in compliance immediately, the Wall Street Journal reports.
State Lawmakers Begin Trimming Budget, Propose $200M Cut for Health and Human Services
State lawmakers and Gov. Gray Davis (D) have started negotiations on the “politically unpleasant task” of scaling back the budget to add more than $1 billion to the state’s reserve, and have proposed cuts in the state Health and Human Service Agency, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Thompson, Scully Lay Out CMS Improvements
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Thomas Scully told the Senate Finance Committee yesterday that they have “big plans for the agency,” including “streamlin[ing]” its bookkeeping systems, CongressDaily reports.
DOJ to Explore Settlement of Tobacco Lawsuit
Attorney General John Ashcroft has appointed three Justice Department civil attorneys to begin discussions with the tobacco industry about a possible pretrial settlement in the federal government’s multibillion dollar racketeering lawsuit against the nation’s major tobacco companies, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Law Requiring City Contractors to Offer Employees Health Coverage Clears Final Hurdle
San Francisco’s “landmark” law that requires individuals and businesses that contract with the city to offer employees health coverage “cleared its final hurdle” yesterday as the San Francisco Health Commission unanimously approved the minimum benefits that the coverage must include, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.