Latest California Healthline Stories
CalPERS To Vote on 2006 HMO Contracts by June 15
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System later this month is expected to approve its 2006 HMO contracts, which “for the first time in five years” are expected to include “no major coverage changes,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
CMS Administrator McClellan Proposes Medicare-Based Prescription Drug Monitoring System
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan has proposed using billing data and health care information collected from Medicare beneficiaries to create a more effective post-market surveillance system for prescription drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Supreme Court Rules Against Use of Marijuana for Medical Purposes
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-3 that federal authorities can prosecute people who use marijuana even if recommended by a physician, the AP/Washington Post reports.
Final Defense Witness in Tobacco Case Calls DOJ’s Proposed Remedies Flawed
A “simple court injunction” would be more effective in restraining tobacco companies’ actions than remedies proposed by four government witnesses, Dennis Carlton, a University of Chicago professor and industrial economics consultant, testified on Wednesday in the Department of Justice racketeering lawsuit against several large U.S. tobacco companies, the New York Times reports.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Assembly Action on Health-Related Measures
The Assembly on Thursday took action on several health-related measures in advance of the Friday deadline to move bills to the other legislative chamber for review, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Watts Health Foundation Files for Bankruptcy
Watts Health Foundation, which runs not-for-profit HMO UHP Healthcare, on Tuesday filed for bankruptcy protection, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kaiser Permanente Opens Health Food Store in Oakland Facility
Oakland-based HMO Kaiser Permanente has partnered with a natural food store to open a store in its Kaiser Oakland Medical Center, a venture that could be the first of its kind in the nation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Orange County Hospitals Receive Cash Rewards for Meeting Quality Measures
CalOPTIMA, which operates Orange County’s Medi-Cal program, on Wednesday announced that its nine network hospitals received a total of $1.1 million in cash awards for their participation in the agency’s quality-improvement program, the Orange County Register reports.
California Hospitals Announce Staffing, Construction Efforts
Several newspapers recently published articles on issues at hospitals across the state.
AP/Las Vegas Sun Examines Reductions in Hospital-Acquired Infections
The AP/Las Vegas Sun on Friday looked at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives Campaign, a nationwide initiative to reduce the number of complications in hospitals.