Proposed Bill Aims To Track Deaths Linked To Hospital-Acquired ‘Superbugs’
California is currently among the states that do not require reporting of superbug-related deaths.
Los Angeles Times:
Superbug Infections Must Be Listed On Death Certificate Under Proposed Bill
State Sen. Jerry Hill introduced a bill Monday that would require doctors to record antibiotic-resistant infections on death certificates if they played a role in the death. Currently many deaths from infections acquired in hospitals and nursing homes are not publicly recorded, leaving health officials to guess at their toll. “Today we have to estimate the number of deaths from infections and we have no idea if that is accurate,” said Hill (D-San Mateo). “We’re shooting in the dark.” (Petersen, 12/5)
In other news —
Orange County Register:
Prop. 64: Legalized Marijuana In California May Generate Less Tax Than Planned
Many medical marijuana patients were worried that a ballot measure legalizing cannabis for recreational use in California would make the price of their medicine go up. Instead, for some of them, pot just got cheaper, though maybe not for long. The Board of Equalization recently sent notice that anyone who has both a doctor’s recommendation for marijuana and a county-issued ID card identifying them as a patient no longer has to pay state sales tax thanks to Proposition 64. (Edwards Staggs, 12/5)