The California Medical Association, in response to Michael Morales being spared death, has proposed legislation to bar the Department of Corrections from utilizing physician in executions. Once introduced, however, bills become the property of the Legislature, hostage to the legislative process as it were, and are sometimes twisted and turned against their sponsors. There is great risk for us, given the passions generated by death penalty debates.

The "Medical Board of California vs. Gregory House, MD" article, which was featured in the November MBC newsletter, arrived at the Ventura County Star editorial desk before I received my copy in the mail. The medical board had e-mailed it to newspapers all around the state to stir discussion. A Star reporter wanted my reaction, but he had to wait until I accessed the MBC Web site to have a look.

In a recent survey, 96 percent of physicians agreed that significantly impaired or incompetent colleagues should be reported to authorities.

Zagat is going to the doctor this year. The 30-year-old Zagat Survey guide has signed up with Blue Cross of California to rate physicians.

It's a no-brainer: Who wants to pay for non-performance?
But wait. Who's to say what's performance? Therein lies the rub.

The Access Coverage Enrollment Program of Ventura provides a medical home in the Ventura County Medical Center medical system and reduced-cost healthcare for low-income, uninsured adults.

The news came unbidden, unwelcome and-so far-unfunded. The court-appointed receiver operating state prison healthcare plans to build a 1,500-bed prison hospital at the site of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo.