Latest California Healthline Stories
Former UCI Fertility Doctor to be Extradited for Trial
Fugitive fertility doctor Jose Balmaceda was captured last week in a Buenos Aires, Argentina, airport and arrested in connection with the 1994 UC-Irvine fertility clinic “scandal,” but it might take one year to extradite him, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Doctors ‘Doing Little’ for Addicted Patients, Study Finds
Many primary care physicians are “doing little” to help their patients with drug problems overcome their addictions, according to a new study in this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
HealthCast LLC and HosplTech Solutions Enter Agreement
HealthCast LLC and HosplTech Solutions have entered into an agreement to offer “HIPAA-friendly” Web-based services for both companies’ health care provider clients.
Lawmakers to Address Problems in Prison Medical Care
In response to a “rash” of deaths in a women’s prison, state lawmakers are set to propose legislation that would allocate “tens of millions” of dollars for better treatment and monitoring of inmates’ medical conditions, the Associated Press reports.
Judge Declares Mistrial in Class Action Suit Against Tobacco Companies
A West Virginia class-action lawsuit seeking to force five tobacco companies to pay for medical tests for healthy smokers has ended in a mistrial, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports.
Palomar Medical Center Considers Leaving Trauma System
To cut costs, Escondido-based Palomar Medical Center is considering exiting the trauma system, a move that could create difficulty for other area hospitals, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
DOJ, FBI Produce Record Fraud Case Load
From 1992 to 1999, federal attorneys more than quadrupled the number of convictions for criminal health care fraud, some of the most “expensive and difficult” cases to pursue, the New York Times reports.
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Great-West Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal from California employee-benefit plans seeking to collect medical benefits paid to an employee who later recovered those same expenses from a third party, Dow Jones Business News reports.
President Bush Blocks Clinton Regulations
After being sworn in as the 43rd president, George W. Bush revisited “themes and issues that he invoked during his campaign” — such as reforming Medicare and cutting taxes — in his 14-minute inaugural address, the Washington Post reports.
CHA Asks Davis to Exempt Hospitals from Rolling Blackout
The California Healthcare Association has sent a letter urging Gov. Gray Davis (D) to issue an executive order exempting all hospitals from the state’s rolling blackouts, AHA News Now reports.