Latest California Healthline Stories
LA’s Good Samaritan Hospital, Accused Of ‘Patient Dumping,’ Agrees To Pay $450K Settlement
The agreement comes as part of a crackdown on the hospitals that are suspected of improperly discharging patients. Good Samaritan is the fourth hospital in less than three years to settle a lawsuit over the problem.
13th Death Confirmed In Fentanyl-Related Overdose Outbreak
John Martin, a Sacramento Drug Enforcement Administration agent, says the powerful synthetic drug is largely being made in China. The area has had 53 reported cases since the spree started.
Companies To Pay $78M To Clean Up Groundwater Tainted With Toxic Chemicals
The companies will install a new system to extract and treat the contaminated groundwater outside of the Superfund site.
At The Heart Of An Outbreak: How Parents And Doctors In Brazil Are Coping With Zika
A Los Angeles Times reporter takes readers to the frontline of the outbreak.
Veterans Who Experience Military Sexual Trauma More Likely To Be Homeless, Report Finds
According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 11.8 percent of men who reported military sexual trauma had experienced homelessness over the 5-year period of the study. For women, that number was slightly less at 8.9 percent.
Google Files Patent Application For Biometric Technology
The technology would allow the company to collect information such as pupil dilation, heartbeat and body temperature to determine the user satisfaction with search results.
Aetna Wins $37.4M Civil Judgement Over South Bay Surgical Company
The doctor-owned Bay Area Surgical Management is accused of fraudulently billing millions of dollars. In other court news, Irvine-based Edwards Lifesciences is being sued over heart valve devices and Sunnyvale-based Intuitive Surgical settled a lawsuit over a botched surgery.
Drug Transparency Bills: ‘First Step’ In Right Direction Or ‘Feel Good Legislation’?
Experts weigh in on the bills moving through the legislature.
Medi-Cal Moves Closer To Expanding Coverage To Undocumented Low-Income Kids
California’s expansion of the program will start in May. The move is estimated to cost $40 million the first year and about $132 million annually in the future.
Officials Hopeful Cluster Of Unexplained Cardiomyopathy Cases Has Played Out
The 17 cases that were grouped into the cluster due to how quickly they emerged without apparent cause are still shrouded in mystery, but health officials say they are investigating any connection. Meanwhile, no new cases have been reported in the past two weeks.