Latest California Healthline Stories
GOP Members of Debt Panel Call for Medicare Reforms, Tax Revenue
Republican members of the debt panel have unveiled a plan to cut the deficit by about $1.5 trillion over 10 years by allowing tax revenue increases and raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. The proposal also would raise Medicare premiums. AP/Washington Post et al.
Supervisor Targets Benefits for Part-Time Elected Officials
Last week, Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy filed with the California Office of the Attorney General a proposed statewide ballot initiative that would prohibit local governments from providing health insurance, pensions or “any other benefit” beyond a salary to part-time elected officials. The proposal would affect members of city councils, special districts and school boards. The measure also would require that local governments disclose on the state controller’s and local government websites compensation paid to elected officials. Ventura County Star.
IOM Proposes New Agency To Investigate Health IT
The Institute of Medicine is recommending that the federal government create a new agency to investigate the safety of health information technology systems rather than give such authority to FDA. Currently, no federal agency investigates the safety of health IT systems, and no individuals or entities are required to report health IT-related safety issues. An IOM report — scheduled to be publicly released on Thursday — states that FDA lacks the funds, investigative capabilities and human resources to evaluate health IT tools. IOM recommends that HHS create and fund a new, independent watchdog agency to conduct investigations of health IT safety issues and develop recommendations for health care organizations, health IT vendors and government officials. The agency would not have enforcement power. iWatch News, Modern Healthcare.
Judge Blocks FDA From Requiring New Graphic Warnings for Cigarettes
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction blocking FDA from requiring new graphic warning labels to be displayed on cigarette packs. Leon ruled that the mandatory warning labels “unconstitutionally compel speech.” New York Times et al.
Agriculture Businesses Sponsor Health Clinics for Their Field Workers
Agricultural business owners in California are running company-sponsored medical clinics for field laborers, the majority of whom are undocumented residents. The clinics offer low-cost preventive and basic health care and can dispense prescriptions. HealthyCal.
Physicians File Lawsuit Challenging Peer Review Process of Discipline
Two physicians have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a process that California hospitals use to review complaints against physicians. The lawsuit alleges the process is in violation of federal law and consequently infringes on physicians’ civil rights. Modesto Bee.
Bundling Payments for Medicare Might Be Slow, Ineffective, Studies Say
Two new studies published in the journal Health Affairs find that bundling payments for Medicare beneficiaries receiving certain procedures might be an ineffective way to lower costs, improve care and standardize treatments. National Journal, Wall Street Journal‘s “Health Blog.”
Medical Marijuana Advocates Sue Over Federal Crackdown
Medical marijuana advocates on Friday and Monday filed lawsuits in California’s four federal judicial districts seeking court orders to halt U.S. attorneys from shutting down dispensaries in the state. Last month, U.S. attorneys sent letters to landlords and owners of medical marijuana dispensaries in California asking them to shut down, noting that although medical marijuana is legal under a 1996 state law, the dispensaries are in violation of federal drug laws. Two weeks ago, the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access filed a similar federal lawsuit arguing that the federal crackdown subverts state and local medical marijuana statutes. The latest lawsuits argue that the federal government’s actions violate an agreement between federal prosecutors and a medical marijuana collective in Santa Cruz in which the Department of Justice said it would not use federal resources to target medical marijuana patients who comply with state law. San Diego Union-Tribune et al.
UCSC Researchers Nab $10K Health Care Innovation Prize
Last month, a three-member team from UC-Santa Cruz clinched a $10,000 prize from Deloitte and the California Institute for Quantitative Sciences for its research into possible treatments for cholera and other forms of bacteria. In a paper published in January in the journal Molecular BioSystems, the team explained how some bacteria have the ability to form biofilm, a protective layer that shields it from immune system responses or antibiotics. The team plans to continue its research for the development of drugs that would inhibit the development of biofilm. Santa Cruz Sentinel.
New Kaiser Elk Grove Facility To Meld Sports and Medicine
Kaiser Permanente is preparing to open a $38 million, 67,000 square-foot medical office building in Elk Grove that features a 4,000 square-foot sports center. The facility is designed to promote the message that regular exercise is essential to better health. The facility primarily will serve Kaiser members, but some of its services will be offered to the general public on a fee-for-service basis. The building, which will include space for more than 40 health care providers, is scheduled to open on Nov. 11. Sacramento Business Journal.