Latest California Healthline Stories
Governor Names Health Policy Advisers
Republican John Ramey and Democrat Herb Schultz will serve as senior health policy consultant and adviser, respectively. Office of the Governor.
More Hospitals Building ‘Eco-Friendly’ Facilities
Kaiser Permanente is one of about 12 groups that began constructing “green” hospitals several years ago, and other groups are now following their lead. Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Customs To End Seizures of Medications From Canada
Customs officials said that they will end seizures and begin testing random packages for counterfeit prescription drugs and medications with ineffective ingredients. Wall Street Journal et al.
NIH Awards Grants for Research Consortium
Two California universities are among the recipients of $100 million in NIH grants to establish a consortium that will seek to translate medical research into new treatments. AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer et al.
Medicare Beneficiaries Face Potential Changes in Drug Benefit Market
Some experts anticipate that some firms will leave the prescription drug plan market, and other experts recommend that beneficiaries re-evaluate their drug plan in light of new options. The Hill, Wall Street Journal.
Transfer of Kidney Patients Continues
About half of Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s kidney transplant patients have been completely transferred to other hospitals for treatment, according to the Department of Managed Health Care. San Francisco Business Times.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Legislative Action
Among recent legislative activity, Gov. Schwarzenegger approved a measure that requires health care facilities to report adverse events to the Department of Health Services and vetoed legislation that would have included quality information about Medicare drug plans on the state HMO report card. Office of the Governor.
Parental Notification Measure Modified
The measure on the November ballot that would require parental notification before an abortion does not include language from last year’s measure that critics said would restrict other abortion rights and stem cell research. San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle.
Proposal Calls for Transfer of King/Drew Medical Center
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center would take over administration of King/Drew under a Los Angeles County health department proposal, but some Harbor staff members say the CEO opposes the plan. Los Angeles Times et al.
Use of inpatient and outpatient hospital services and spending on physician services both increased by more in 2005 than in 2004, a study finds. AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Times.