Latest California Healthline Stories
Program Targets Unnecessary Treatments, Procedures
The American College of Physicians and Consumer Reports have launched High Value Care, an education program to help patients determine whether a medical test or procedure is necessary. The program advises patients on procedures to avoid when there is insufficient proof that their benefits outweigh their risks and costs. The first two conditions that the program is focusing on back pain and Type 2 diabetes. New York Times‘ “Bucks,” MedPage Today.
Editorial Praises Breast Cancer Screening Legislation
A Santa Cruz Sentinel editorial commends Sen. Joe Simitian for reintroducing a bill that would “require doctors to alert women who have a breast cancer risk because their dense breast tissue is undetected by mammograms.” According to the editorial, “Ignorance is not bliss — it can cost a woman her life.” It concludes that Gov. Brown should sign the bill into law. Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Mad Cow Disease Found at Calif. Dairy Farm, USDA Says
On Tuesday, USDA officials said that a cow at a dairy farm in Hanford tested positive for mad cow disease. This is the first confirmed case of mad cow disease — which can cause a fatal brain disease in humans — in the U.S. since 2006. Officials said the diseased cow never entered the human food chain and does not pose a risk to human health. Los Angeles Times et al.
State Data Show Drop in Patient Deaths After Heart Bypass Surgeries
New state data show that deaths following heart bypass surgeries at California hospitals fell 34% from 2003 to 2009. Experts credit a state requirement that hospitals publicly report surgery results, as well improvements in cardiac care. San Francisco Chronicle.
Assembly Committee Will Not Act on GOP Pension Reform Bills
A letter from the chair of the Assembly pension committee says the panel will not act on GOP pension reform bills. The letter says that the bills are under the purview of a conference committee. Sacramento Bee‘s “The State Worker.”
GOP Leaders Back Off From Proposed Changes to Medicare, Medicaid
Instead of trying to push Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposed Medicaid and Medicare changes through the Democrat-controlled Senate, Republican lawmakers are promoting less controversial ideas, such as cutting funding to the federal health reform law. AP/Washington Times et al.
Lawmakers To Release Proposals To Extend FDA’s User Fee Programs
This week, leaders of a House health subcommittee and a Senate health committee are expected to release a series of proposals to reauthorize FDA’s prescription drug and medical device user fee programs. The programs are set to expire in September. Politico et al.
Senate Panel OKs Scaled Back Early-Term Abortion Bill
On Tuesday, the California Senate Public Safety Committee approved a scaled-back version of a bill, by Sen. Christine Kehoe, that would allow only a limited number of non-physicians to perform an early-term abortion procedure. Under the original bill, up to 24,000 trained nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified midwives would have been permitted to conduct aspiration abortions, but the revised version allows just 41 professionals who have been trained as part of a UC-San Francisco pilot program to perform the procedure. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
Columnist: Democrats Looking ‘Under Every Fiscal Rock’
Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters writes that “[w]ith the state budget mired in deficits,” Gov. Brown and state legislators “are searching under every fiscal rock for money to spend,” adding that one source of funding “could be several billion dollars a year in ‘cap-and-trade’ fees that industries must pay as part of the state’s anti-greenhouse gas crusade.” He notes that those funds “could be indirectly captured to offset state budget deficits by allocating them to existing state operations tied to carbon reduction, thus freeing up money for other areas facing cuts, such as health and welfare services.” Sacramento Bee.
Judge Tentatively Rules Chiang Cannot Dock Lawmakers’ Pay
A Sacramento judge has issued a tentative ruling that State Controller John Chiang cannot block lawmakers’ pay if he deems that they have passed an unbalanced budget. Lawmakers sued Chiang for withholding their pay last summer. Sacramento Bee et al.