Two recent actions announced by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), one civil and one criminal, along with a recent speech by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell, illustrate the current climate of government enforcement related to mental health services (i.e., intensive outpatient psychotherapy (IOP) and partial hospitalization program (PHP) services).

Of 50 U.S. hospitals identified as having the highest price markups for uninsured patients, half are owned by the health system that plans to merge with Metro Health. Community Health Systems Inc., a for-profit system based in Franklin, Tenn., operates 25 of the hospitals on the list, according to an article in The Washington Post.

San Diego congressional representatives Susan Davis and Scott Peters remain undecided about pending international trade measures that will have tremendous impacts on San Diego.

Even the astronomical price markups that consumers regularly pay for, say, wine in restaurants pale beside those in some U.S. hospitals: The price for procedures is often 10 times the cost, according to a study published on Monday in the journal Health Affairs.

Part of a big Georgia hospital kickback case will be settled for nearly $1 million, while a related criminal investigation into a major national hospital company continues.

Unionized nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center voted Thursday to authorize a strike if the hospital fails to better address their patient safety concerns, including “unsafe staffing.”