Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser Permanente-Founded Vocational School Helps Address Staff Shortages
The Contra Costa Times on Sunday examined Kaiser Permanente’s investment in a recruitment and training institution to address a shortage of qualified health care support staff throughout the Kaiser system.
Sonoma County Sheriffs Support Legislation Changing Contract System for Inmate Medical Care
Law enforcement officials in Sonoma County are supporting state legislation (SB 159) that would encourage sheriff’s departments to negotiate contracts for inmate medical care with hospitals, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rates Decrease by 27% Over Two Years
Workers’ compensation insurers have reduced baseline rates in California by an average of about 27% during the past two years, according to a Department of Insurance report on how rates have been affected by three workers’ compensation reform bills enacted since 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Suspended CMS Official Sean Tunis Continues To Receive Pay
Sean Tunis, chief medical officer and director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, continues to receive pay from the federal government more than two months after the Maryland Board of Physicians suspended his medical license for falsification of documents, the Washington Post reports.
Modesto Bee Examines Impact of Proposition 63 Funding in Stanislaus County
Health agencies in Stanislaus County are expected to receive $2 million in Proposition 63 funding for mental health services this fiscal year and as much as $4 million annually beginning in fiscal year 2007, the Modesto Bee reports.
Medicare Launches Health Coaches Program for Chronically Ill
CMS this month launched Medicare Health Support, a new program that will provide Medicare beneficiaries with access to health coaches to advise beneficiaries with chronic illnesses about medical choices, preventive care and other issues, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Cost of Canadian Generic Prescription Drugs
The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday examined the prices of generic prescription drugs in Canada and the U.S.
U.S. To Order Millions of Doses of New Avian Flu Vaccine
The federal government plans to purchase millions of doses of an experimental avian flu vaccine developed by Sanofi Pasteur that appeared effective in clinical trials, U.S. health officials announced on Monday, Long Island Newsday reports.
Newspaper Articles Examine New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Two newspapers on Sunday examined the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Whooping Cough Rates Up in San Joaquin Valley
Whooping cough rates this year have increased in the central San Joaquin Valley, leading public health officials to ask residents to be conscious of persistent coughs — a characteristic of the disease — this summer, the Fresno Bee reports.