Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
How To Find And Use New Federal Ratings For Rehab Services At Nursing Homes
For the first time, the federal government is measuring the quality of rehab services in nursing homes for the millions of older adults who need post-hospitalization care. (Judith Graham, )
Good morning! Want to find how hospitals nears you ranked in new safety and quality ratings from Leapfrog Group? USA Today has a tool for you to search your area health systems. More on that below, but first here are some of your top California health stories for the day.
California Leaders, Politicians Decry Alabama Bill Banning Abortions: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation on Wednesday that effectively bans abortion and criminalizes the procedure, making it the strictest measure in the country. California leaders were quick to speak out against the bill. “The same party that refuses to regulate assault weapons will champion the regulation of women’s bodies and take away reproductive freedom. Be outraged,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted. Newsom was joined in his condemnation by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, as well as Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. “I remember what it was like before Roe v. Wade,” Feinstein tweeted. “Women were forced to go to extraordinary measures when their health and lives were at risk.” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
While the legislation was designed to directly challenge Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court-watchers wonder if it will actually make it there. The Roberts Court is known for incrementalism, not for overturning historic precedent. The justices could simply refuse to take up the case. Read more about the possible outcome from the Los Angeles Times.
And major California companies that film in Georgia, the “Hollywood of the South” have remained largely mum about the state’s restrictive heartbeat bill. The muted reaction is in striking contrast to what happened just three years ago when Netflix and Disney threatened to pull productions if a law allowing faith-based refusal of services to LGBTQ persons was passed. Read more from The Associated Press.
California Investigation Blames PG&E Equipment For Igniting Deadliest Wildfire: State investigators on Wednesday reported that electrical transmission lines owned and operated by utility giant PG&E caused last fall's Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. PG&E in February acknowledged that “the company believes it is probable that its equipment will be determined to be an ignition point of the 2018 Camp fire.” PG&E’s new chief executive, Bill Johnson, has pledged that the company would demonstrate a higher commitment to safety under his watch. But not everyone was impressed by the promises. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday asked a bankruptcy-court judge to cap the amount of time PG&E has to file a restructuring plan. “Despite repeated assurances from PG&E’s management, PG&E has not demonstrated that it understands the gravity and urgency of the situation,” lawyers for Mr. Newsom said. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
USC-Sponsored Plastic Surgeon Used Patient’s Insurer As ‘Personal ATM,’ Lawsuit Says
A popular plastic surgeon who practices in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach and leads a USC-sponsored fellowship is being accused of unnecessarily operating on a patient for profit, according to a recently filed lawsuit. Natalie West, a former patient, says Dr. Jay Calvert made up false diagnoses in order to perform 12 unnecessary surgeries on her over four years. In addition, Calvert fraudulently billed West’s insurance company for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though she paid out of pocket, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday. (Reyes-Velarde, 5/15)
Capital Public Radio:
Cannabis Tax Revenue In California Could Be Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Below Projections
In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget forecast $355 million and $514 million in excise tax revenues for fiscal years 2019 and 2020, respectively. The revised budget released last week reduced those projections to $288 million in 2019 and $359 million in 2020 — more than $200 million combined. (Rodd, 5/15)
USA Today:
Hospital Ratings: D And F Hospitals Have Twice Death Risk From Error
Patients' risk of dying from medical mistakes, deadly infections and safety lapses have gotten much worse at the lowest ranked U.S. hospitals, underscoring Americans' need to check ratings of their local hospitals, new research released Wednesday shows. The new analysis is based on data gleaned from about 2,600 U.S. hospitals since 2016. What the findings reveal is that some of the nation's most dangerous medical centers have become even riskier for patients. (O'Donnell, 5/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Union Workers Strike Thursday, Say UCD Cuts Them Out Of Jobs
By partnering with a private-sector company to build a new rehabilitation hospital, UC Davis Health is subverting labor contracts with its employees and partnering with a company that has a record of suppressing the wages of health care workers, two unions allege in complaints to a California labor board. Roughly 39,000 employees of Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Local 9119 of the University Professional and Technical Employees will stage a one-day walkout on Thursday at the University of California’s 10 campuses and five medical centers. (Anderson, 5/15)
KQED:
$13 Million Settlement Reached After Worker Injury At Tesla's Fremont Factory
A woman who claimed she suffered debilitating injuries while working as a janitor at Tesla's Fremont plant will get $13 million in a settlement. The case had been set for trial in Alameda County. The agreement was reached Friday after a jury was selected but before opening statements began, according to Khail Parris, attorney for the plaintiff. (Jeong Perry, 5/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Study On Marijuana Legalization Finds Uptick In Drug Abuse, Decrease In Chronic Pain Reports
Hospital visits due to car accidents, alcohol abuse and drug overdoses increased in Colorado in the two years after the state legalized cannabis, but overall health care costs did not rise and visits for chronic pain fell, according to a new study led by UCSF researchers. (Allday, 5/15)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno State Has Few Mental Health Counselors For Students
Advocates at Fresno State are asking for more resources to hire additional mental health counselors in order to reduce long wait times and high staff-to-student ratios that they say pose a danger to students in crisis. The university has eight licensed counselors for its 24,000-strong student body, or one counselor for every 3,000 students. (Appleton, 5/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Fentanyl Ruled Out In South Placer Jail Exposure Incident
Fentanyl was ruled out as the agent in Monday’s substance-exposure incident at Roseville’s South Placer Jail. As of Tuesday afternoon, the booking area of the jail remained closed after the release of an unknown substance hospitalized four inmates, eight jail staffers and a K-9, according to a news release issued by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. (Moleski, 5/14)
Wired:
The Trump Admin Is Scrubbing Obamacare From Government Sites
According to a new report, the Trump administration has been systematically wiping crucial information about the ACA from government websites over the past two years. Unlike changes to funding, these modifications often happen with little fanfare or government oversight, but they can still have a dramatic impact on Americans' access to health care resources. The report was published Wednesday by the Sunlight Foundation, an open government group whose Web Integrity Project monitors some 30,000 government pages for updates and alterations. Looking at sites administered by the Department for Health and Human Services, it documents 26 instances in which information related to the Affordable Care Act was substantially altered or removed. Some of the changes were subtle. Others, including the disappearance of an 85-page website devoted to the ACA, were sweeping. Taken together, the researchers argue, the modifications are tantamount to government censorship and point to an increasing need for oversight of government websites. (Lapowsky, 5/15)
Stat:
Even Democrats Lament Partisan Approach To Drug-Pricing Legislation
Two top Democratic lawmakers are questioning Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strategy to couple legislation to lower prescription drug costs with far more contentious Obamacare bills, saying the tactic nixes potential for a bipartisan win. Democratic leadership plans to hold a floor vote Thursday on the combined package of health care bills — effectively rebuking the Trump administration for its attempts to roll back the Affordable Care Act and simultaneously daring Republicans to vote against drug pricing reforms that are increasingly popular. (Facher, 5/16)
The Hill:
Work On Surprise Medical Bills Goes Into Overdrive
Days after President Trump called for action last week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) on Tuesday released a draft bill to tackle the problem, a sign of momentum on the issue. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), plan to release their own legislation this week. (Sullivan, 5/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Wants Patients To Know Health-Care Prices Up Front
The Trump administration has been working behind the scenes for months on a strategy to force greater price disclosure across much of the $3.5 trillion health-care industry. The push relies on existing administrative tools, according to people familiar with the discussions. Those include Labor Department powers under the law that sets minimum standards for private-industry health plans and current hospital-payment rules under Medicare. (Armour, 5/15)
The Washington Post:
The Costliest Drug On The Planet: New Treatment For Spinal Muscular Atrophy Sparks Rivalry
Until three years ago, infants diagnosed with a rare disease known as spinal muscular atrophy were doomed to death or heartbreaking disability. If babies survived, many parents were forced to build virtual ICUs in their homes. Then gene science brought a drug to market in 2016 that gave afflicted children a strong chance at life, maybe even freedom from a wheelchair. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is poised to approve a second gene treatment for infants with SMA, and with a price tag of $1.5 million to $5 million, it will be the most expensive drug on the planet. (Rowland, 5/15)
NPR:
Vaccines For Adults: What You Should Know
Amid one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in recent history, vaccines are on the minds of many Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that the number of measles cases this year has climbed to 839 in 23 states, affecting mostly unvaccinated people. Most people in the U.S. are vaccinated against measles when they're children as part of the routine immunizations they get in primary care. (Gordon, 5/15)
The New York Times:
A Rival To Botox Invites Doctors To Party In Cancun, With Fireworks, Confetti And Social Media Posts
Top plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun one weekend this month to learn about a wrinkle-smoothing injection, Jeuveau, that goes on sale this week. Jeuveau’s manufacturer, Evolus, billed the event as an advisory board meeting. But it also appeared to double as a lavish launch party for Jeuveau, which the company is hoping will compete against Botox in a crowded market that also includes two other products. (Thomas, 5/15)
The Associated Press:
Judge Orders FDA To Speed Up Review Of E-Cigarettes
A federal judge is siding with public health groups suing the Food and Drug Administration to begin reviewing thousands of e-cigarettes on the U.S. market. The ruling handed down Wednesday in district court states that the agency shirked its legal duty when it postponed reviewing all U.S. vaping products by several years. (5/15)
The Washington Post:
Juul Lawsuit: North Carolina Ties To Ban Most Sales And Marketing In The State
The suit, filed in state court, alleges that Juul caused addiction in consumers by “deceptively downplaying the potency and danger of the nicotine” and employed advertising campaigns that targeted people under the legal smoking age. Several of the state’s requests overlap with existing Food and Drug Administration policies, including prohibiting the sale of Juul and other e-cigarette products to minors. But the state’s complaint goes further: FDA guidelines restrict the sale of fruit or candy flavors in stores, allowing menthol, tobacco and mint to be sold. North Carolina’s request would bring mint off the market in that state, in addition to the popular flavors like mango and cucumber. (Paul, 5/15)