Latest California Healthline Stories
Schwarzenegger Administration Officials Discuss Medi-Cal Reform Plans
Officials in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) administration on Monday for the first time discussed specific plans under consideration to reform Medi-Cal, including proposals to enroll more beneficiaries in managed care plans, require all beneficiaries to pay part of the cost of care and eliminate coverage for some optional medical services, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Sen. Bill Frist Responds to Newspaper Article About Health Disparities Bill in Letter to the Editor
Legislators should take a “comprehensive approach” to eliminating health care disparities, focusing not only on race or ethnicity, but also on geographic and socioeconomic factors, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) writes in a letter to the editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
New York Times Examines Comparative Data on Prescription Drug Prices on Medicare Web Site
The New York Times on Monday examined how new comparative data on prescription drug retail prices to be published this month on the Medicare program’s official Web site, medicare.gov, could become “immensely useful” to Medicare beneficiaries and to other consumers, private insurers and employers who provide drug coverage to employees and retirees.
Hospitals Adopt Toyota’s Management Techniques for Improved Quality, Efficiency
The Wall Street Journal on Friday looked at an increasing number of health care providers using management and productivity techniques from auto manufacturer Toyota to lower costs and increase efficiency.
Reimportation Bill Would Create 90-Day Deadline for FDA System
As expected, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday introduced a bill (S 2307) to immediately remove federal barriers to the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
90 Million U.S. Residents Have ‘Low Health Literacy,’ IOM Report Says
Ninety million people in the United States — almost half of the country’s adult population — have difficulty understanding and using health information, according to a Institute of Medicine report released Thursday, the Hartford Courant reports.
Century City Hospital Emergency Department To Be Closed for Renovations
The emergency department of Century City Hospital will be closed for renovations for at least five months, Los Angeles County health officials announced Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Lawyers See Potential in Obesity Suits Against Food Companies
The New York Times on Friday examined lawyers who are shifting from filing public health lawsuits against “big tobacco” companies to those against “big food” companies.
Draft Report Calls for Changes to NIH Conflict of Interest Policies
A draft report by NIH Blue Ribbon Committee on Conflict of Interest Policies recommends that the agency reverse several policies on conflict-of-interest standards implemented by the agency in 1995, including policies that allow NIH scientists to spend unlimited time consulting for outside employers with no ceiling on income, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Real Estate Developer Offers To Purchase, Reopen Santa Paula Memorial Hospital
A developer that has “long sought” to build multimillion-dollar housing in Adams Canyon near Santa Paula has offered $12 million to $14 million to buy and reopen Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, the Los Angeles Times reports.