Latest California Healthline Stories
Diet Plans Have Similar Results, but Commitment Is Hard, Study Finds
Dieters lost similar amounts of weight on four popular diet plans that use different weight-loss methods, but just 25% of adults were able to follow the plans closely for a full year, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports.
President Bush’s Medical Malpractice Proposal Faces Several Roadblocks
As President Bush is scheduled Wednesday to “launch a major campaign” to address medical malpractice lawsuits, advocates of tort reform are saying “public opinion is cresting in their favor,” but some business interests and Republicans on Capitol Hill “warn that prospects for change are less favorable than many had assumed,” the Washington Post reports.
New DMHC Regulations Mandate HMO Coverage of Some Prescription Drugs
The Department of Managed Health Care on Tuesday issued what it described as the nation’s first regulations requiring HMOs to provide broad coverage of medically necessary prescription drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Urine Test Could Predict Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women, Study Finds
A new test that detects certain proteins in the urine of pregnant women could be used to predict which women will experience preeclampsia — a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and other symptoms that affects 200,000 U.S. women each year, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Boston Globe reports.
Supporters of Measure R, an initiative on the Nov. 2 Berkeley ballot that included provisions addressing use of marijuana for medical purposes, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Alameda County Registrar Bradley Clark for allegedly mishandling a ballot recount, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
FDA Allows Agency Safety Official To Publish Data on Vioxx-Related Deaths, Injuries
FDA on Monday told agency “whistleblower” David Graham he could publish data that indicated the COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx, which Merck in late September withdrew from the market over potential safety risks, could have resulted in as many as 139,000 heart attacks, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
USP Releases Proposed Guidelines for Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Formulary
The United States Pharmacopeial Convention, the organization hired by Medicare to develop a formulary for the prescription drug benefit, on Monday released its proposed list of prescription drug classes to be covered under the program beginning in 2006, the New York Times reports.
Consultant Report Lists Problems at King/Drew Medical Center, Includes 1,000 Recommendations
Addressing all problems at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center will take longer than one year and cost more than committed by Los Angeles County to date, county health officials said after receiving a preliminary report issued Monday by Navigant Consulting, the Los Angeles Times reports.
AP/Fresno Bee Examines Increased Popularity of ‘Enhanced Intensive Care’ Technology
The AP/Fresno Bee on Monday examined the growing popularity of “enhanced intensive care” technology, or eICU, which allows intensive care physicians and nurses to monitor multiple patients at different hospitals simultaneously.
Schwarzenegger Expected To Address Prescription Drug Costs in State of the State Speech
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Wednesday in his State of the State address will call for more budget cuts and announce his plan to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, among other proposals, according to aides familiar with the speech, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.