Latest California Healthline Stories
President Bush Appoints U.S. Ambassador to Vatican as New Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary
President Bush on Thursday appointed Jim Nicholson, U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, to replace Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, who submitted his resignation on Nov. 16, CQ Today reports.
New Consumer Reports Web Site Compares Safety, Cost, Effectiveness of Prescription Drugs
Consumer Reports on Thursday launched its Best Buy Drugs Web site, which compares the cost, safety and effectiveness of three classes of prescription drugs: proton pump inhibitors to treat heartburn and acid reflux disease; statins to treat high cholesterol; and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications for pain relief, AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
JCAHO Denies King/Drew Medical Center Appeal of Accreditation Denial
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations on Thursday denied Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center’s appeal of a preliminary denial of accreditation following “a year of disclosures related to failures in medical care,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Releases Draft Recommendations
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission on Thursday issued a series of draft recommendations that, among other things, propose instituting a pay-for-performance system that could “bring about an historic change in the way Medicare and potentially other insurers pay for health care” in the United States, CQ HealthBeat News reports.
San Jose Medical Center Closes
San Jose Medical Center closed Thursday at 5 p.m., leaving the city without a downtown emergency department, trauma unit or hospital, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
University of California-Davis Medical Center Survey Discloses Patient Information
Private medical information for about 200 patients at the University of California-Davis Medical Center was disclosed last weekend after answers to an online survey were revealed to other respondents, the Sacramento Bee reports.
American Medical Association Issues Report to Member Physicians on Pay for Performance
The American Medical Association this week at a meeting in Atlanta issued a special report to member physicians to educate them about the trend toward pay for performance requirements as employers and health insurers “attempt to rein in health care costs,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
Nurse Staffing Regulations Increase Wages, Improve Working Conditions for Nurses, Study Finds
Working conditions and wages have improved for nurses in the state since nurse staffing rules were enacted, according to a study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Ventura County Leaders Consider Private-Public Partnership To Insure Kids
The 35,000 uninsured children in Ventura County could have coverage within two years if a coalition of public and health care industry officials and the health industry that met on Wednesday in Camarillo agree to start a Children’s Health Initiative program in the county, the Ventura County Star reports.
Lockyer Preparing Lawsuit Challenging Abortion Funding Amendment in Federal Spending Bill
Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Wednesday said he plans to file a lawsuit in federal court challenging an amendment in the fiscal year 2005 federal omnibus appropriations bill that he called a “backdoor attempt to overturn” Roe vs. Wade, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.