Latest California Healthline Stories
U.S. House Falls Short in Vote To Override Vetoed Spending Bill
Democratic leaders in Congress will omit funding for domestic programs, such as children’s health insurance, from a supplemental spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan until an agreement is reached with the White House on the wars. AP/Houston Chronicle et al.
Pay-for-Performance Effort Boosts Health IT in Bay Area
Seven physician groups have qualified for more than $500,000 in bonus payments by installing health information technology features in their practices as part of an effort to elevate the quality of care. Healthcare IT News.
New Hampshire Law on Use of Rx Data Overturned
A federal judge found unconstitutional a New Hampshire law that sought to bar drug makers from using information on prescription patterns in sales visits to doctors. A dozen other states have considered similar laws. Philadelphia Inquirer et al.
Improved Treatments Reduce Heart Attack Deaths, Study Finds
The percentage of cardiac patients having subsequent heart attacks fell by about half from 1999 to 2004, new research shows. Death rates and the incidence of heart failure also declined, trends researchers attribute to growing use of treatment guidelines. Los Angeles Times et al.
Red Cross Workers Strike Over Staffing Disagreement
The union representing nurses and medical technicians wants the organization to add a second registered nurse to oversee blood drives. The union and the Red Cross are optimistic that they can resolve the dispute by the end of the week. Los Angeles Times.
Physicians Who Owe Back Taxes Could Lose Medicare Payments
A federal bill slated to be introduced in the Senate this week comes in response to an investigation estimating that 21,000 physicians and other health care providers in 2005 owed more than $1 billion in back taxes but continued receiving Medicare payments. AP/Chicago Tribune.
Bush Warns Against Amendment on Drug Reimportation in Bill
A Republican and Democratic senator are considering attaching a provision to legalize reimportation of medications to a bill that would reauthorize a program that directs fees from drug makers to FDA. The move has sparked President Bush to threaten a veto. CongressDaily et al.
Columnist, Senator Call for Expanding Health Insurance
County-based efforts in California offer one model of reducing the number of uninsured children, Ron Brownstein writes, while Sen. John Kerry advocates a dialogue between employers and government to increase health insurance coverage. Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe.
Report Faults Nurse Training at Orange County Jail
The Orange County Grand Jury questioned whether nurses at the county jail’s infirmary have adequate training for cardiac emergencies. County officials are reviewing the report. Los Angeles Times.
Medical Privacy Laws Could Hamper Bill on Gun Sales
Medical privacy laws in most states restrict the release of mental health records, a situation that translates to only 22 states disclosing such information to a federal database used for background checks for gun purchases. New York Times.