01/05/2009
Fingerprint scans were not used in criminal background checks for close to one-third of California's licensed health care workers, according to recent state estimates. Regulators are working to expedite new fingerprinting regulations. Los Angeles Times.
01/05/2009
Emergency medical experts are voicing concerns that 911 ambulance personnel in San Francisco are not trained adequately and do not maintain patient charts that indicate what specific medical treatment they have provided. Meanwhile, emergency response times in the city have improved after San Francisco's 911 Call Center adopted new protocols. San Francisco Chronicle.
01/05/2009
On Jan. 1, various health care-related laws took effect in California. For example, new laws aim to establish a new state privacy office and require physicians to provide terminally ill patients with information about end-of-life care options. Los Angeles Times et al.
01/05/2009
On Thursday, Service Employees International Union's executive board will consider a proposal to move all California long-term-care workers into a single local. Proponents of the proposal argue that unions must organize on a scale that lets them compete with employers. However, opponents of the move argue that it will weaken workers' power. San Francisco Chronicle.
01/05/2009
California has sent letters to physicians and other service providers over the past six months informing them that they may owe the state use tax for products purchased out of state. The use tax is the same as the sales tax, and ranges from 7.25% to 9.25% depending on where in California the buyer lives. Los Angeles Times.
12/23/2008
Registered nurses at five UC medical centers voted overwhelmingly in support of authorizing a strike to protest what they call unsafe staffing practices. A strike date has not been set. State law requires nurses to give hospitals 10 days' notice before beginning a strike. San Francisco Business Times.
12/22/2008
Young Californians, who don't have a particularly rosy image of the employment situation in California, rank health care as the best place to look for a career, according to a survey commissioned by the California Wellness Foundation. by George Lauer
12/22/2008
San Joaquin County officials are considering creating a health enterprise zone that would use tax credits and other financial incentives to encourage physicians and other health care professionals to work in rural areas. The proposal, designed to alleviate severe physician shortages in the area, faces several hurdles. Stockton Record.
12/19/2008
Two reports from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimate that plans offered by President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats to reduce health care costs would yield moderate savings. CBO evaluated more than 100 plans for the reports. Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer et al.
12/19/2008
A new report from the California Workers' Compensation Institute found that physician networks are providing a growing share of medical care for California workers who are injured on the job. Sacramento Business Journal.
12/19/2008
As expected, the Bush administration has issued rules that expand protections for health care workers who decline to participate in medical procedures that they find morally objectionable, sparking concerns from advocates about access to reproductive health services. AP/Denver Post et al.
12/17/2008
Insurers are urging employees and satisfied health plan members to participate in community meetings and house parties focused on health care reform. The transition team of President-elect Barack Obama is using the forums to collect feedback on the health care system. New York Times.
12/17/2008
The transition team for President-elect Barack Obama is studying ways to reverse a Bush administration rule that would let health care personnel refuse to participate in abortions or other medical procedures that they object to on moral grounds. The Bush administration is expected to finalize the rule this week. Wall Street Journal.
12/17/2008
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors is evaluating the program as it studies options for dealing with the hospital's ongoing financial problems. A hospital administrator says the program improves efficiency at the hospital, but a report notes that the program is not self sustaining. Stockton Record.
12/16/2008
Six California communities are reacting in different ways to proposals by federal Prison Healthcare Receiver J. Clark Kelso to build 1,500-bed hospitals for prison inmates. For example, opposition in Camarillo has led to the creation of two citizen committees to fight the plan, while the Stockton sheriff is concerned about competition for workers at his new jail. Ventura County Star.