Immunity from criminal prosecution for parents who withhold medically necessary treatment from children on religious grounds.

Because child endangerment laws and their judicial interpretation are different in each state, healthcare providers should familiarize themselves with the law in their particular jurisdiction. In situations in which parents refuse on religious grounds to consent to medical treatment for their children, health care providers should consult local counsel as to the legal options available.

The Delta Dental case: "Fair procedure" comes to managed care. Delta Dental Plan of California v. Banasky.

All providers contemplating managed care contracts, both individual and institutional, should carefully review the health plans' internal administrative review and dispute resolution procedures before making their decisions, especially if the contracts will represent significant income for the provider. While there may be judicial recourse in California and in other states that adopt the holding in Delta Dental, in other states providers may well be held to the health plans' internal administrative decisions as a matter of contractual agreement. Health plans should also review their own policies and procedures for adequacy under applicable state law. The health care community will not know the full extent of Delta Dental's implications until later cases area decided, but for now it seems certain that another wave of change in this area is just beginning.