KINGMAN, Ariz.—Kingman Regional Medical Center is the second hospital to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a formal collaboration that connects hospitals to the Rochester, Minn., clinic's physicians and best practices. Hospitals in the network pay a fee in order to be publicly affiliated with Mayo and receive access to Mayo's internal knowledge base, although the fee structure was not disclosed when the network was announced last month. The affiliation also allows member hospitals to consult with Mayo physicians for specific patients. The network is similar to an affiliation program the Cleveland Clinic has operated for years. Kingman Regional has collaborated with Mayo's telestroke and grand rounds programs for about four years, said Brian Turney, Kingman Regional's CEO, according to the release. Mayo Clinic operates a hospital in Phoenix and an outpatient center and medical office building in Scottsdale, Ariz.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Telemedicine and eHealth Center praised California Gov. Jerry Brown's signing of the Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011. The act, signed Oct. 7 by Brown, loosens requirements about who can provide care using telehealth—expanding eligibility to all licensed healthcare professionals—and makes it easier to provide such care through the state's Medicaid program and under certain circumstances for patients who have private insurance. Hospital credentialing for telehealth also was made easier, according to a CTEC news release. The law drops the term “telemedicine” in favor of “telehealth.” The legislation passed with no opposition in the legislature and was supported by CTEC as well as the California State Rural Health Association, the Center for Connected Health Policy and the California Telehealth Network, all based in Sacramento.