CDPH alerts health care providers to surge in deadly Death Cap mushroom poisonings

The California Department of Public Health is alerting health care providers to a significant and ongoing outbreak of amatoxin poisoning associated with accidental consumption of Death Cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides), following an unprecedented rise in severe cases across Northern California and the Central Coast.

As of Jan. 6, 2026, the California Poison Control System has identified 35 hospitalized cases—far exceeding the typical annual total. Typically, there are reports of fewer than five cases of mushroom poisonings a year. More...

Honoring the professionals behind high-quality continuing medical education

Tomorrow, January 23, 2026, is Healthcare Continuing Education Professionals Day, a national day of recognition celebrating the continuing medical education (CME) professionals who ensure physicians and care teams stay informed, skilled and prepared to deliver high-quality patient care.



From program planning and accreditation to curriculum design and evaluation, CME professionals play a vital behind-the-scenes role in advancing lifelong learning and strengthening health care delivery. Their work supports physicians in meeting licensure, certification and credentialing requirements while helping translate new evidence and best practices into improved patient outcomes. More...

Congress advances health care package—but leaves coverage affordability behind

This week, the House Appropriations Committee released the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which would fund Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies through September 30, 2026. The bill includes $116.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.



Congress has also reached agreement on a separate health care package that advances Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reforms, extends Medicare telehealth flexibilities and continues several key public health programs. More...

DMHC issues guidance in response to CMA concerns on COVID-19 cost shifting

In response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address, California Medical Association (CMA) President René Bravo, M.D., issued the following statement:

Governor Newsom’s State of the State missed a critical opportunity to address health care at the moment Californians need leadership most. As a pediatrician and president of the California Medical Association, I was concerned not only by the cursory mention of health care, but by the absence of any plan for how California will respond to looming federal cuts that threaten to drive up costs and strip coverage from families across our state..." More...

Free CME Webinar: Words matter—Reducing bias in clinical communication

The words clinicians use every day—in conversations with patients and in the medical record—have a powerful impact. Language that casts doubt on patient experiences, implies blame, or defines individuals by their conditions can unintentionally increase shame, reinforce bias and undermine treatment engagement.

On January 29, 2026, at 12 p.m., the California Medical Association (CMA) is hosting a live webinar “Words Matter: Removing Biased and Stigmatizing Language from Clinical Communication,” that will examine how stigmatizing language disproportionately affects patients with diabetes, obesity, substance use disorders, and chronic pain, and how these patterns can influence provider perceptions and patient outcomes. More...

AMA statement on ACIP chair's comments on polio, routine vaccinations

“The American Medical Association is deeply alarmed by efforts to weaken long-standing evidence-based vaccine recommendations, including suggestions that polio vaccination should seemingly not be routinely recommended to patients. 

“This is not a theoretical debate—it is a dangerous step backward.

“Vaccines have saved millions of lives and virtually eliminated devastating diseases like polio in the United States. There is no cure for polio. When vaccination rates fall, paralysis, lifelong disability, and death return. The science on this is settled. More...

How the AMA fights for patients, doctors on prior authorization

Delegates to the 2025 AMA Interim Meeting took several actions that will strengthen the AMA’s efforts to fix prior authorization by challenging insurance companies to eliminate care delays, patient harms and practice hassles.

Prior authorization originally emerged as a way to restrain excess medical costs, but it’s increasingly been used on pharmaceutical and procedural medical care that have nominal costs, according to a resolution adopted at the Interim Meeting. More...

Which specialties are more likely to have locum tenens physicians?

Health care employers increasingly are using locum tenens to fill physician jobs while they continue seeking the right candidate for a permanent hire. For some physician specialties, though, employers rely on locum tenens as a stopgap measure more often than they do in others.

As physician residents and fellows begin their job searches, those who want to explore a temporary role before settling into a long-term position can use data amassed from thousands of physician searches to learn more about the landscape of locum tenens physician jobs. More...

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