Fresno Bee: Fresno Healthcare System, Doctor Group Settle Over 'Unprecedented Neurosurgeon Walkout'
After a 2020 dispute between Fresno’s biggest healthcare system and a physicians group put in jeopardy the central San Joaquin Valley’s only Level I trauma center status, the two sides have reached a settlement following a lawsuit. (Montalvo, 6/10)

KQED: Assault On Psych Doctor Spurs Call For California Health System To Boost Safety
San Francisco supervisors are urging Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center to step up safety measures in its upcoming contract with a new union representing interns and residents, spurred by the story of a psychiatry resident who was knocked unconscious in an attack. The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution this month, and in a letter dated June 6 to CPMC executives, including CEO Hamila Kownacki, supervisors urged the hospital system to “address concerns related to safe working conditions for resident physicians and patients.” (Stark, 6/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Health System President, CEO To Retire After 25 Years
Steven Packer, MD, president and CEO of Montage Health in Monterey, Calif., has shared plans to retire next spring after 25 years in his role. (Ashley, 6/11)

Los Angeles Times: Two Pasadena Doctors Accused Of Overprescribing Narcotics
Two Pasadena doctors are facing allegations from the California Medical Board that they negligently prescribed painkillers and other potentially dangerous narcotics to patients. Officials are seeking to revoke or suspend the medical licenses of Dr. Elisa Cuellar Alvarado and Dr. Robert D. Siew, according to two separate accusations filed this year. Both doctors practice internal medicine and are permitted to see patients at Huntington Hospital, according to their bios. (Fry, 6/11)

Modern Healthcare: Google, Microsoft To Offer Cybersecurity Help To Rural Hospitals
The White House is teaming with Microsoft and Google in a bid to help hospitals strengthen their cybersecurity in the face of escalating hacks. The tech firms have agreed to offer some hospitals free or discounted services, with a focus on rural facilities, the White House said Monday. (McAuliff, 6/10)

Los Angeles Times: Doctor Behind Penile Implant Is Going On Medical Board Probation
A Beverly Hills doctor accused of “repeated negligent acts” involving patients who got penile implants must limit the number of surgeries he does weekly, under an agreement with the Medical Board of California. The medical board accused Dr. James Elist of discharging patients without a clear plan for removing their sutures; discouraging them from getting follow-up care from other medical providers; and offering money to remove negative comments they posted online, among other alleged practices that veered from the “standard of care” for such patients. (Alpert Reyes, 6/10)

Reuters: Supreme Court Will Hear Case Claiming US Underpays Hospitals Serving Needy Patients
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit by more than 200 hospitals that serve low-income populations accusing the federal government of shortchanging them on Medicare funding by about $1.5 billion per year. The hospitals, located in 32 states, are asking, opens new tab the court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholding the current method of determining funding used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (Pierson, 6/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: Hospitals See 'Too Much Risk' In CMS' Proposed TEAM Model
The American Hospital Association has pushed back against CMS' proposed Transforming Episode Accountability Model, which is part of the inpatient prospective payment system role for fiscal year 2025. "[It] is proposing to mandate a model that has significant design flaws, and as proposed, places too much risk on providers with too little opportunity for reward in the form of shared savings, especially considering the significant upfront investments required," the AHA wrote in June 10 comments to CMS. (Condon, 6/11)

Fox News: California Agrees To Repay Feds $52M In ‘Improperly Claimed’ Immigrant Medicaid Disbursements
The state of California recently agreed to repay more than $52 million in what a federal inspector general determined were "improperly claimed" Medicaid reimbursements for "noncitizens with unsatisfactory immigration status[es]." An audit, concluded in late May but first reported Monday, underlined that federal Medicaid benefits are usually limited only to citizens and "qualified" noncitizens. Examples of qualified noncitizens are refugees, people granted asylum or those lawfully admitted for permanent residence. (Creitz, 6/10)

CalMatters: Trump-Appointed Judges Revive Lawsuit Against Los Angeles Schools’ COVID Vaccine Mandate 
Even though Los Angeles Unified dropped its COVID vaccine mandate for school staff almost a year ago, a lawsuit accusing the district of violating workers’ rights can still move forward, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday. (Jones, 6/10)

Bay Area News Group: Another COVID Vaccine? Yes, And Here's Why
This fall, prepare for the latest round of COVID vaccine Whac-a-Mole.  Like the old arcade game, no matter how many shots we get, the enemy always pops back up. (Krieger, 6/11)

Reuters: Moderna COVID/Flu Combo Vaccine Superior To Separate Shots In Trial
Moderna said on Monday its combination vaccine to protect against both COVID-19 and influenza generated a stronger immune response in adults aged 50 and over when compared to separate shots against the viruses in a late-stage trial. In the study, the combination using messenger RNA technology generated greater antibodies than currently marketed traditional flu vaccines and Moderna's Spikevax mRNA COVID shot, the company said. (Wingrove, 6/10)

Politico: LA Deaths Increase In An All-EV Future — Study
A large number of electric vehicles could worsen air quality in historically disadvantaged parts of Los Angeles, even though such broad adoption would have the opposite effect in other large U.S. cities, according to a new study. The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, examined how local air quality would change if the country’s most populous cities — New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles — adopted large numbers of EVs by 2035. (Ferris, 6/10)

Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court Asks Justice Department To Weigh In On Climate Change Suits In California, Other States
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Justice Department to weigh in on whether the climate change lawsuits filed by California and two dozen other cities and states should be blocked. (Savage, 6/10)

Stat: Heat Wave Can Put Hearts Into ‘Oxygen Debt,' Lab Experiment Shows
When temperatures soar, so do heart attacks. Now, a lab experiment explains just how temperatures climbing into Fahrenheit’s three-digits can cause ischemia and potential heart attacks, all while international efforts to limit long-term warming seem like they’re running out of time. (Cooney, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Microplastics We Breathe Are Infiltrating Our Organs, Threatening Health
For years, scientists on the hunt for microplastics have found them almost everywhere. First, they spotted tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean, in the bodies of fish and mussels. ... Now researchers are discovering that microplastics are floating around us. They are suspended in the air on city streets and inside homes. One study found that people inhale or ingest on average 74,000 to 121,000 microplastic particles per year through breathing, eating and drinking. (Ducroquet and Osaka, 6/10)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Tells Group That Calls For Banning All Abortions To Stand Up For 'Innocent Life'
Donald Trump on Monday urged a staunchly anti-abortion Christian group to stand up for “innocent life,” ambiguously revisiting an issue that Democrats want to make a focus of this year’s presidential election. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee’s pre-recorded message praised the work of those attending the event hosted by The Danbury Institute, which is meeting in Indianapolis in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The newly-formed institute is an association of churches, Christians and organizations that wants to eradicate abortion in its entirety. (Price and Smith, 6/10)

KVPR: What's Next Up For The Supreme Court? Abortion Rights, Gun Laws And More
Presidential immunity, abortion, guns. The Supreme Court will be issuing major rulings on all these subjects and many more in the next month. With a docket that is unusually loaded with controversial legal questions, the justices are way behind where they usually would be at this point in the term. Normally, by the second week in June, there are somewhere between four and six really big cases that have not been decided. But this year, there are well over a dozen. And while the court almost always finishes its work by the end of June, this year even some justices are privately predicting they won’t finish until July. (Totenberg, 6/11)

Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health Shifts Focus From ACA Coverage To ICHRAs
Oscar Health is committed to the individual insurance market and in it for the long haul, executives said Friday. At the company's annual investor conference, senior leaders shared plans to shift Oscar Health's focus from traditional Affordable Care Act coverage to serving the individual market — including small and mid-sized employers — through individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements or ICHRAs. (Turner, 6/10)

Axios: What Retail Titans Might Do Next On Health Care
Major retailers are abandoning or scaling back their ambitions to become health care providers — but don't look for them to pull out of the market entirely. Retailers hoping to grab a bigger piece of the $4.5 trillion health care market are likely to lean into their core strengths: consumer products, alongside some health services that don't require major investments, experts said. (Reed, 6/11)

Axios: Senate May Have The Votes To Scrap Biden's Nursing Home Staffing Mandate
A resolution aimed at overturning President Biden's controversial nursing home staffing minimums has a chance of passing the Senate. The vote would show the resistance to the first-of-its-kind standard and reveal a rift among Democrats, even though Biden would almost certainly veto the measure. (Knight and Sullivan, 6/11)

AP: Alzheimer's Drug That Can Slow Disease Gets Backing From FDA Advisers
A closely watched Alzheimer’s drug from Eli Lilly won the backing of federal health advisers on Monday, setting the stage for the treatment’s expected approval for people with mild dementia caused by the brain-robbing disease. Food and Drug Administration advisers voted unanimously that the drug’s ability to slow the disease outweighs its risks, including side effects like brain swelling and bleeding that will have to be monitored. (Perrone, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Pharmacists Cite Highest Number Of Drug Shortages Since 2001
In the first three months of 2024, there were 323 active drug shortages, the highest number since 2001, according to research by the University of Utah Drug Information Service. The drug shortage data, collected quarterly, is generated from reports from health-care professionals, most of them pharmacists at hospitals and health systems, said Erin Fox, the lead researcher and the Drug Information Service’s director. (McMahan, 6/10)

Stat: Statins May Not Be Needed By Millions Of People, Study Suggests
It’s a familiar scene for patients during a routine primary care visit. The doctor scans blood test results, notes high cholesterol flagged by a standard calculator to assess risk of heart attack or stroke, then decides — and ideally discusses — whether to recommend taking a statin to cut the risk over time. (Cooney, 6/10)

Reuters: Added Health Benefits Of Wegovy, Zepbound Could Attract More Men, Doctors Say
Evidence that weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can cut heart disease risk, treat sleep apnea and address other health issues may help convince more men to use them, five doctors who prescribe the medicines regularly told Reuters. Men prefer to shed extra pounds with diet and exercise changes before reaching for drugs, if they address their weight at all, doctors and three healthcare industry analysts said in interviews. (Satija and Roy, 6/10)

Axios: Gun Suicides Account For Most Firearm-Related Deaths In U.S.
Gun suicides consistently outstrip gun homicides in the U.S., despite drawing less attention than other forms of gun violence. Suicide rates have increased in the U.S. over the past few decades and become a leading cause of death among young and middle-aged Americans. (Saric, 6/10)

Bay Area Reporter: LGBTQ Agenda: Some Companies Lift Restrictions On HIV-Positive People In Clinical Trials
A nonprofit organization is working on getting health care companies to drop restrictions preventing people who are HIV-positive or who are on PrEP from participating in some clinical trials, such as studies that focus on treating cancer. Garo Kiledjian, a gay man, is the founder of the Miami-based SGM Alliance (which stands for sexual and gender minorities) and has been its CEO since March 2023. Kiledjian touted that Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca are among the pharmaceutical companies that have already joined in the effort. (Ferrannini, 6/11)

Los Angeles Blade: New Poll: 60% Oppose Laws Banning Youth Gender-Affirming Care
A new Gallup poll out this week found that six in 10 U.S. adults oppose laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. The poll also found that a steady 51% of Americans think changing one’s gender is morally wrong, while 44% say it is morally acceptable. (6/10)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento CA’s Black Homeless Population Rises, Report Says
The percentage of Black people in Sacramento’s homeless population, already vastly overrepresented, has again increased. Although only 9% of Sacramento’s general population is Black, Black residents now comprises a whopping 35% of Sacramento’s homeless population, the report found. That number jumped from 31% in 2022, the last time the federally-mandated homeless census count was performed. (Clift and Smith, 6/11)

KQED: Will Budget Shortfall Mean Less Money To Reduce Homelessness?
It’s crunch time in Sacramento as the state faces a $45 billion shortfall — the result of declining tax revenue and some big misses in recent budget projections. After spending billions to reduce the state’s unhoused population during his time in office, Governor Gavin Newsom is not setting aside a new round of funding for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program. Guy is joined by Chione Lucina Munoz Flegal, the executive director of the advocacy group Housing California. (Marzorati, 6/10)

Newsweek: Flavored Vape Bans Led To Increase In Teen Smoking: Study
Bans on flavored e-cigarettes —also known as vapes—may lead to an unintended increase in tobacco cigarette use, particularly among young adults, according to a recent analysis. Public health experts have long debated whether the availability of flavors such as fruit, candy, and mint significantly attract young people to vape products. Over the last decade, the immense popularity of vaping brands like Juul has led to piecemeal restrictions on flavored varieties. (The FDA banned Juul outright in 2022, but recently reversed course.) (Mesa, 6/10)

Reuters: U.S. Unveils New Task Force Aimed At Cracking Down On Illicit E-Cigarettes
The U.S. Justice Department and the Food and Drug Administration on Monday launched a new task force that will take aim at the sale and distribution of illicit e-cigarettes, in a move to protect youth from illegal vaping products. The new enforcement effort comes after the FDA issued more than 1,100 warning letters to manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers for illegally selling or distributing unauthorized new tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. (Lynch, 6/10)

Associated Press: Cancer Patients Often Do Better With Less Intensive Treatment, New Research Finds 
Scaling back treatment for three kinds of cancer can make life easier for patients without compromising outcomes, doctors reported at the world’s largest cancer conference. (Johnson, 6/11)

CNN: Plant-Based Ultraprocessed Foods Linked To Heart Disease, Early Death, Study Says
Want to reduce your risk of developing chronic disease and live longer while also helping the planet? Eat a plant-based diet, experts say. Does that mean you can fill your plate with boxed macaroni and cheese, deep-dish frozen veggie pizza or fast-food French fries and have a doughnut or three for dessert? While all of those ultraprocessed choices may be meat-free, they are not without risk, said Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, United Kingdom. (LaMotte, 6/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Why Is Sunscreen Ingredient Titanium Dioxide In My Frozen Pizza And Candy?
If you have heard of titanium dioxide at all, you probably know it as an ingredient in sunscreen. But it is also used in lots of foods, from pizza and salsa to frosting and candy—and now, there is growing concern about the potential health risks of eating it. The ingredient helps block the sun’s rays when we slather it on our skin at the beach. Food makers use it to brighten up colors. ... Some research, mainly in animals, has suggested that eating it might be linked to immune system problems, inflammation and DNA damage that could lead to cancer. (Petersen, 6/10)