Behavioral Health

Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. said it will sell most of Value Health Inc., acquired just three weeks ago for $1.12 billion, in line with its new focus on its hospital business as the government probes its billing practices. Nashville-based Columbia will sell three of Value Health's four units, accounting for more than 80% of Avon, Conn.-based Value Health's revenue.

Warned that the merger of social and mental health services could result in the loss of millions of dollars, Ventura County supervisors voted Tuesday to put the county's top administrator in charge of the controversial reorganization. The decision marks the latest chapter in the short but tumultuous history of the Human Services Agency, which one supervisor has characterized as an exercise in empire building rather than a move to better serve the public--an accusation that others strongly rebut.

Three health clinics that were at risk of closing because of county budget cuts will be spared, thanks to money on its way from state lawmakers, Chief Administrative Officer Harry Hufford said Friday. An increase in reimbursement rates from Medi-Cal, the state's health program for the poor, means Ventura County's public hospital and its clinic system will have at least $1 million in new revenue, Hufford said.

Proficiency in organic chemistry may still be a necessary condition for getting into medical school. But starting in 2015, it will no longer be sufficient. In an effort to create a cadre of future physicians with improved bedside manners, the Assn. of American Medical Colleges has announced changes to the Medical College Admission Test ( MCATs ) that would plumb applicants' knowledge of psychology, sociology and biology, as well as their ethical and scientific reasoning skills.

Ventura County supervisors fired Behavioral Health Department Director David Gudeman on Tuesday, culminating months of growing criticism over his leadership of the mental health division of the county Health Care Agency. Board Chairman John Flynn announced the 4-0 decision after a closed session. Gudeman, 43, had led the department for three years.

Weeks after an internal investigation was launched into Ventura County's failed mental health superagency, Behavioral Health Department Director Stephen G. Kaplan--a vociferous advocate of the merged agency that could cost the county millions of dollars--has been placed on an extended leave of absence. "Effective immediately, managers who previously reported to Mr. Kaplan will report directly to me until further notice," Health Care Agency Director Pierre Durand wrote in a Jan.

Travelers Corp. said Wednesday that it intends to buy U.S. Behavioral Health of Emeryville, a provider of managed mental health and substance abuse services for employers and insurers. Travelers, a Hartford, Conn.-based insurer, said the acquisition will strengthen its ability to help customers control the cost of mental health and substance abuse benefits. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and negotiation of a definitive purchase agreement, Travelers said.

Three adult patients died unexpectedly and a teenage patient was raped after entering a Pasadena psychiatric hospital known for its association with celebrity physician Drew Pinsky, records show. The incidents occurred in the last five months at Aurora Las Encinas Hospital, which advertises itself as a "world-renowned" haven where patients with acute mental illness and substance abuse problems can recover in safety and comfort. It is a favored destination for rock musicians and actors, among others.