Latest California Healthline Stories
Medical Boards Take Fewer Actions Against Physicians
Serious disciplinary actions taken against physicians by state medical boards nationwide decreased to 2,916 in 2006 from 3,255 in 2005, according to a new Public Citizen report. The decline suggests that medical boards are under-disciplining physicians and need additional resources. Virginian-Pilot et al.
IOM Urges VA To Revise Veteran Compensation System
A report by the Institute of Medicine found that parts of the system are outdated and inconsistent with medical advances. The report calls for the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that review boards have access to medical experts to help interpret evidence. Washington Post.
Doctor-Assisted Suicide Bill Pulled Before Assembly Vote
The authors of a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in California questioned whether it had enough support for passage but raised the possibility of reintroducing the measure next year. Similar legislation last year was defeated in committee. Los Angeles Daily News et al.
House Subcommittee Mulls Bill on FDA Funding, Safety
The legislation would increase the annual user fees paid to FDA by pharmaceutical companies by $87.4 million, which would let FDA improve the review process for new medications, as well as the postmarket safety system, according to the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. CQ HealthBeat, CongressDaily.