Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles City Council Approves Program To Permit Sale of Syringes Without a Prescription
Los Angeles City Council members on Wednesday voted 12-0 to approve an ordinance permitting pharmacies to sell syringes to city residents age 18 and over without a prescription, in an attempt to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Appeals Court Hears Arguments About HIPAA Privacy Rules
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit on Wednesday heard testimony to determine to what extent patient information can be shared under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Kaiser Permanente Notifying Members That Some Patient Information Posted Online
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente is notifying 140 patients in Northern California that a former employee has posted medical record numbers, patient names and information about some routine lab tests on her blog, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Tenet Settles Some Class-Action Suits Related To Hospital Charges for the Uninsured
Texas-based Tenet Healthcare on Thursday agreed to settle some lawsuits alleging that the hospital chain overcharged uninsured patients, USA Today reports.
Grassley To Propose Independent Drug Safety Board for FDA
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said during a Consumer Federation of America meeting on Thursday that he is drafting legislation to create an independent FDA office to monitor the safety of drugs on the market and to warn the public of emerging risks, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Some Democratic Legislators Say Administration Videos Might Violate State Laws
In a hearing Thursday, Democratic legislators suggested that the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) might have violated state law by using taxpayer money to produce “news-like segments,” including a video addressing state nurse staffing rules, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
JCAHO Issues Preliminary Denial of Accreditation to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations on Feb. 9 issued a preliminary denial of accreditation for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, according to recently released documents, the Oakland Tribune reports.
AP/Orange County Register Examines Issues Facing Stem Cell Institute
Among the “thorniest” issues regarding the creation of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and the state’s plans to publicly finance stem cell research is “how scientists plan to gather the thousands of [human] eggs they’ll need,” the AP/Orange County Register reports.
Newspaper Examines Involvement of PhRMA in California Politics
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America “quickly emerged as one of California’s major players and one of the governor’s key supporters” after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) last year vetoed four bills addressing prescription drug costs, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Republican Senators Introduce Bill To Cap Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Spending
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Thursday introduced legislation that would cap spending on the Medicare prescription drug benefit to the original Congressional Budget Office estimate of $395 billion over 10 years, CongressDaily reports.