Latest California Healthline Stories
British Regulatory Officials Lift Flu Vaccine Manufacturing Suspension Imposed on Chiron
Officials for the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on Wednesday lifted a five-month manufacturing suspension imposed on California-based Chiron’s Liverpool, England, plant — “clearing the way” for the company to manufacture flu vaccine for the U.S. market next season if FDA gives approval, USA Today reports.
Opposition Among NIH Scientists to New Agency Confict-of-Interest Guidelines Continues
New conflict-of-interest guidelines for NIH employees have continued to cause an “uproar” at the agency, “with some senior scientists predicting long-term damage to the organization’s recruiting and employee-retention goals,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Hospitals File Suit Contesting Medi-Cal Reimbursement Provision in 2004-2005 State Budget
Attorneys for more than 30 hospital systems in California have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that state officials illegally adjusted Medi-Cal reimbursement rates in the fiscal year 2004-2005 state budget, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist (R) on Wednesday filed a civil racketeering lawsuit on behalf of hospitals in the state over allegations that Tenet Healthcare, the second-largest U.S. hospital chain, received about $1 billion in improper Medicare reimbursements, USA Today reports.
Contra Costa County To Review Referral Policy for People With Mental Illnesses
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to review procedures for referring people with mental illnesses to service providers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Alameda County Awards $4.5 Million to Two Hospitals
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday announced that Children’s Hospital Oakland and St. Rose Hospital in Hayward will receive $4.5 million in county sales tax revenue from Measure A, “leaving other private hospitals in the county out of the mix” this year, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Preventing Hospitalizations for Diabetes Could Save United States $2.5 Billion Annually, AHRQ Says
The United States could save almost $2.5 billion annually by preventing diabetes-related hospitalizations, according to a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Survey Evaluates Health Needs of American Indians Living in Fresno
About two-thirds of American Indians in Fresno are overweight and one-third have diabetes, according to a survey released Saturday by the Fresno Native American Health Center, the Fresno Bee reports.
Committee Votes To Hire Hall as Interim President of Stem Cell Research Institute
The Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine on Tuesday voted 29-0 to hire neuroscientist Zach Hall as interim president of the institute, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Six Counties Announce Plan To Offer Health Insurance to Children, Teens
Officials from Colusa, El Dorado, Sacramento, Sutter, Tolo and Yuba counties on Tuesday announced that they will partner to provide medical, dental and vision benefits to 66,000 uninsured children by January 2006, the Sacramento Bee reports.