Latest California Healthline Stories
Increase in Costs To Rebuild Laguna Honda Hospital Attributed to Rising Steel Prices
Preliminary estimates of the cost to rebuild city-owned Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco are increasing primarily because of rising steel prices, project manager Michael Lane told the city’s Health Commission last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Hospital Efforts To Collect Old Debts From the Uninsured
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined efforts by some hospitals in New York state to collect old debts from uninsured and low-income patients.
The Washington Post on Saturday profiled presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry’s (Mass.) proposed health care plan to address catastrophic medical claims.
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Bill To Remove Drug Abuse Treatment Limit
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote a bill (S 1887) to remove a limit on the number of drug treatment patients that physician groups can medicate with controlled substances, CQ Today reports.
Move by House Republicans Could Derail FDA Tobacco Regulation Legislation
House Republican leaders on Friday attached a tobacco grower buyout bill to separate tax legislation, a move that “threatens to derail” a bipartisan bill that would allow broad FDA control over tobacco products, the Washington Post reports.
Google, Yahoo! Ban Ads From Unlicensed Pharmacies
Online search portals Google and Yahoo! will prohibit advertisements from unlicensed online pharmacies that sell medications without prescriptions, although they will continue to accept ads from Canadian online pharmacies, the Wall Street Journal Online reports.
Officials for the State Compensation Insurance Fund on Friday announced that they would reduce workers’ compensation insurance premium rates by 7%, a decision that came as a “major disappointment” to small business owners and many Democratic leaders, the Sacramento Bee reports.
King/Drew Medical Center Could Lose Federal Funding Over Use of Tasers on Some Psychiatric Patients
CMS inspectors said Thursday that Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center could lose federal funding if it does not develop within 23 days new policies to subdue aggressive psychiatric patients that reduce the use of Taser stun guns, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Wait Times for Physician Visits Longest in Boston, Survey Finds
Patients in Boston have the longest waits for physician appointments while patients in Washington, D.C., have the shortest, according to a survey conducted by consulting firm Merritt, Hawkins & Associates of 1,062 physician specialists’ offices in 15 major cities, the Boston Globe reports.
Assembly Committee Hearing Addresses Possible Regulation of Adult Film Industry
The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on Friday held a hearing to discuss possible regulations for the Southern California-based adult film industry, following a recent HIV outbreak among adult film actors, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.