Latest California Healthline Stories
El Camino Hospital CEO Reveals Salary, Bonus Compensation
El Camino Hospital CEO Lee Domanico on Wednesday in a “surprise public announcement” said he was paid a $441,000 base salary last year and $174,000 in bonuses, after for several months declining to disclose the information, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Department of Managed Health Care Investigating Some Discount Card Companies
More than 150 people have filed complaints with state regulators about health discount cards that did not deliver promised savings, and state Department of Managed Health Care Director Cindy Ehnes said there are probably far more who have not contacted officials, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Policies for Guarding, Treating Prisoners Raising State Health Care Costs
The San Jose Mercury News on Thursday examined “soaring medical expenses” in the state’s 32 prisons and the Department of Corrections’ “costly insistence on round-the-clock guarding of comatose inmates.”
Chiron Resumes Production of Flu Vaccine, Does Not Predict Manufacturing Capabilities
Chiron this year likely will produce less flu vaccine than the 46 million to 48 million doses it manufactured but did not ship last year, despite making extensive improvements to its Liverpool, England, facility, Chiron CEO Howard Pien said in a news conference Thursday, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Top FDA Official Testifies That Agency Requires No New Authority
FDA requires no new authority from Congress to ensure prescription drug safety, Janet Woodcock, acting deputy commissioner for operations at the agency, testified at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Thursday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Bush Medicaid Proposal Would Save Less Than Projected, Congressional Budget Office Says
The Bush administration has estimated that the president’s Medicaid plan would reduce spending by $13 billion through 2010, but a preliminary projection from the Congressional Budget Office says the proposal would reduce costs by about $8.5 billion, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Changes Not ‘Off the Table,’ Legislators Say
Some House Republicans “are expressing a growing interest” in amending the Medicare prescription drug benefit, as they work on Social Security, despite earlier comments by President Bush that he would reject any changes, The Hill reports.
FDA Suspends Gene Therapy Experiments After Cancers Reported
FDA has “temporarily suspended” three gene therapy experiments for a severe immune system disorder following news that a third child in a similar French study has developed leukemia, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Most Santa Clara Children Have Health, Dental Insurance, but Problems Remain, Report Finds
The 2005 Santa Clara County Children’s Report indicates that the “physical health and emotional well-being” of children “in one of the wealthiest areas of the country” are “poorer than advocates would like,” the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Fee-For-Service Hospitals File Suit Contesting Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rate Freeze
As expected, 30 hospitals on Thursday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Sacramento against the Department of Health Services, alleging that the state illegally adjusted Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for some hospitals in the fiscal year 2004-2005 state budget, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.