Latest California Healthline Stories
Consolidation of Food Safety Agencies Improved Regulation in Other Nations, GAO Report Finds
Food safety regulation became more consistent and efficient in seven countries that consolidated multiple food safety regulatory agencies, according to a Government Accountability Office draft report released to Congress on Monday, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Increased Use of Online Surveys To Compare Patient Experiences
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined the efforts of health insurance providers and health groups to increase “the use of online survey tools to help consumers judge whether their care meets the best standards set by medical experts.”
U.S. District Judge Schedules Retrial of Tenet Kickback Case
U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz on Tuesday announced that he has March 29 as the date for a possible retrial of a federal criminal case against Tenet HealthSystem Hospitals — a Tenet Healthcare subsidiary — Alvarado Hospital Medical Center and a former Alvarado administrator that alleges the defendants paid illegal kickbacks to physician groups to increase patient referrals and revenue, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
CDC Launches Campaign To Raise Awareness of Autism Among Physicians, Parents
CDC officials on Monday launched a campaign to raise awareness among physicians and parents about the need for early diagnosis of autism, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
A “detailed NIH review” has found that the agency improperly implicated more than half and possibly as many as 80% of about 100 scientists alleged to have violated conflict-of-interest guidelines as part of a previous internal investigation that prompted NIH Director Elias Zerhouni last month to implement new “severe restrictions” on agency employees, the Washington Post reports.
State revenue likely will increase by about $2.4 billion in fiscal year 2005-2006 because of increased business growth and higher returns from the stock market, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill said, adding that legislators should allocate the projected revenue increase to eliminate some of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) proposed borrowing, rather than on restoring proposed cuts to state programs, rather than restoring proposed cuts to state programs, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hill’s recommendation “brought little solace” to some Democratic legislators who are opposing proposed cuts to health care and some other programs included in Schwarzenegger’s state budget proposal, according to the Times.
University of California Begins Audit of UCSF School of Medicine, Kessler
The University of California has begun an audit of UCSF School of Medicine and Dean David Kessler after an anonymous complaint was filed regarding Kessler’s financial practices at the university, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hiltzik Examines Confidential Contracts Between Group Purchasing Organizations, Hospitals
In a follow-up to his column from last Thursday, Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik examined the confidentiality clauses that govern contracts between hospitals such as those in the University of California system and medical supply purchasers such as Cardinal Health and Novation.
Racial, Socioeconomic Disparities Continue in U.S. Health Care System, Reports Find
Disparities relating to race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status persist in the quality of and access to health care services despite improvements in areas including diabetes treatment, mammogram usage and medication errors, according to two reports released Tuesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Managed Health Care Director Orders Blue Cross To Reinstate Coverage at Pomona Valley Hospital
Department of Managed Health Care Director Cindy Ehnes last week “took the unusual step” of ordering WellPoint’s Blue Cross of California health plan to reinstate coverage at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, which had allowed its contract with the insurer to lapse on Tuesday following a “long-running dispute over unpaid claims that the hospital values at $4.2 million,” the Los Angeles Times reports.