Latest California Healthline Stories
Nursing Home Malpractice Insurance Costs Appear To Stabilize Nationwide, Study Finds
Increases in the cost of malpractice insurance and litigation for nursing homes appear to have stabilized in the past year as more states with large nursing home populations have enacted tort reform laws, according to a study released on Wednesday by the American Health Care Association, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Two Senators Introduce Bill To Establish New FDA Prescription Drug Safety Office
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would establish an FDA prescription drug safety office with more authority to regulate medications after they reach the market, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate Committee Approves Prescription Access Measure
The Senate Health Committee on Wednesday approved a bill (SB 644) that would require pharmacists who refuse to dispense medication — including emergency contraception — on ethical, moral or religious grounds to refer consumers to another pharmacy to fill the prescription, the Los Angeles Times reports.
UnitedHealth Group To Launch Prescription Drug Safety Registry This Summer
UnitedHealth Group this summer plans to launch a registry that will provide “nearly real-time information” on potential prescription drug safety problems, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Livermore Veterans Affairs Facilities Likely to Be Relocated, Nursing Home Officials Say
The Veterans Affairs nursing home in Livermore likely will be relocated, possibly to the Central Valley, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Rite Aid To Launch New Pharmacy Benefit Manager
Rite Aid, one of the largest U.S. retail pharmacy chains, on Friday announced formal plans to launch a new pharmacy benefit manager “in a bid to fight growing competition” from mail-order pharmacies, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Fresno County Mental Health Services Face Budget Deficits
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday was expected to address cost-savings strategies for two county agencies that provide services to people with mental illnesses to help prevent the agencies from beginning fiscal year 2005-2006 with a budget deficit, the Fresno Bee reports.
Prescriptions More Likely When Patients Mention Specific Drugs From Advertisements, Study Finds
Actors who posed as patients with symptoms of stress and fatigue were five times as likely to be given a prescription for an antidepressant if they mentioned television ads about GlaxoSmithKline’s antidepressant Paxil, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Washington Post reports.
Legislation Addressing Skin Cancer Risks Introduced
Sen. Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) has proposed three bills intended to raise awareness of skin cancer, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Assembly Committee Rejects Bill Mandating Individual Health Care Coverage
The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday rejected a bill (AB 1670) that would have required all California residents to maintain health insurance coverage, the Sacramento Bee reports.