Latest California Healthline Stories
New Guidelines Recommend Statins for Many Diabetes Patients
Most patients with type 2 diabetes should take statins “as a preventive measure against heart disease, whether or not they have high cholesterol levels,” according to new guidelines from the American College of Physicians published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the New York Times reports.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has appointed a committee to draft a “comprehensive reorganization of state government larger than any attempted in California history,” including the creation of a new public health department, the Orange County Register reports.
A bill (SB 1509) under which hospital chains could not require health plans to contract with all of their hospitals could “substantially weaken the bargaining power” of the hospital industry in contract negotiations with health plans, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
One in Five Diabetes Patients Not Using Medication, PhRMA Study Finds
Nearly 20% of insured patients with the most common form of diabetes are not taking medication to control the condition, leading to more hospital and doctor visits and higher health care costs, according to a study commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and released Wednesday, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services this week filed a complaint with the Division of Occupational Health and Safety’s Cal/OSHA program requesting a formal investigation of the use of condoms in the adult entertainment industry, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Some Patients Receiving Diagnostic Tests Stopped by Homeland Security Devices
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined the difficulties that Homeland Security officials face when devices designed to detect radioactive “dirty bombs” instead pick up traces of radioactive substances in patients who have recently undergone cardiac-stress tests or other diagnostic procedures that use medical isotopes.
Officials for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) administration plan to announce at a Senate budget hearing Thursday that the governor will “back off” from a proposal included in his fiscal year 2004-2005 budget to eliminate funding for a program that provides home care workers for low-income residents, a Health and Human Services Agency official said Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lockyer Releases 10-Point Plan for Reducing Fraud, Abuse in Medi-Cal
As expected, Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Wednesday released a 10-point plan for addressing fraud and abuse problems in Medi-Cal, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Mendocino County Mental Health Department Reduces Service Offerings To Address Deficit
In an effort to save $140,000 this year, the Mendocino County Mental Health Department has eliminated overnight stays and reduced the operating hours at its mental health crisis center in Ukiah, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) has partnered with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on an “ambitious program to bring American medicine into the Internet Age,” the Providence Journal reports.