Latest California Healthline Stories
Prison Health System Reports Critical of Physicians, Quality of Care
The incompetence of some physicians employed by the state prison health system has led to “serious deficiencies in health care for inmates,” according to reports released Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
State Inspectors Find Nurse Staffing Ratio Violations at Three Sharp Hospitals
Inspectors from the Department of Health Services have found that three Sharp HealthCare hospitals in San Diego did not comply with nurse-to-patient staffing ratios during nurses’ breaks or lunches, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Impact of Recent Legal Victories on Counterfeit Prescription Drugs Examined
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined the impact of recent legal victories against Web sites that sell counterfeit medications.
More Assisted-Living Facilities Opening in Sonoma County
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat on Saturday looked at Sonoma County’s “surge in senior assisted-living facilities,” with two new facilities expected to open soon to accommodate the “increasing numbers of elderly” moving to the county.
Schwarzenegger Questions Ballot Measure To Fund Stem Cell Research
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday “voiced skepticism” about, but declined to take a position on, Proposition 71, a bond measure scheduled to appear on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot that would provide funds for stem cell research, the Los Angeles Times reports.
New FDA Rules Increase Restrictions on Outside Consulting
FDA has implemented new rules that require employees to obtain approval before they can begin paid or unpaid outside activities with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Senate Candidates Boxer, Jones Address Stem Cell Research in Debate
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and rival former California Secretary of State Bill Jones (R) on Tuesday in their first and only scheduled debate discussed their “pronounced disagreements” on stem cell research and other issues in an hour-long televised event sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Many Beneficiaries View New Medicare Law Unfavorably, Survey Finds
Nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries have an “unfavorable” view of the new Medicare law, but a majority would prefer that Congress make changes to the law rather than repeal it, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, the Boston Globe reports.
Kerry Addresses Prescription Drug Costs in Effort to Recruit Senior Voters
Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) on Wednesday will begin to try “funnel[ing] seniors’ anxiety about rising prescription drug prices” into votes by launching an effort to identify, register and mobilize seniors to cast ballots, the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports.
New York Times Examines Washington Disease Management Program
The New York Times on Wednesday examined an “innovative” program in Whatcom County, Wash., that uses electronic health records and assigns special nurses to patients with diabetes and congestive heart failure to help them better manage their diseases.