Latest California Healthline Stories
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to eliminate 162 jobs, including 12 full-time employees who will be laid off April 16, at at San Joaquin General Hospital to help offset the more than $1 million the facility loses each month, the Stockton Record reports.
American Academy of Family Physicians Report Recommends U.S. Health Care System Reforms
The Unites Stated should establish a universal health coverage system and a central database of recommended clinical practices, according to a report released on Tuesday by the American Academy of Family Physicians, USA Today reports.
Eli Lilly Requires Canadian Online Pharmacies To Report Orders in Effort To Combat Reimportation
Officials for Eli Lilly on March 22 informed a number of Canadian online pharmacies that they must have the company approve purchase orders for Lilly products before they submit them to Canadian prescription drug wholesalers as part of an effort to block the sale of the medications to U.S. residents, the AP/Newport News Daily Press reports.
Officials for Orange County Medi-Cal Billing System Address Problems During Meeting With Supervisors
A computer billing system for Orange County to submit Medi-Cal claims to the state should be working by December, officials at Missouri-based software company Cerner told the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Field Poll Finds Most Californians Think Childhood Obesity a Serious Problem
Ninety-two percent of Californians believe childhood obesity is a serious problem and as big a health concern as illicit drug use, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Second Ways and Means Hearing on Medicare Cost Estimates Scheduled
Some Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee have “persuaded” committee Chair Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) to hold another hearing — scheduled for Thursday — regarding CMS chief actuary Richard Foster’s allegations that the Bush administration was aware of his analysis that the Medicare legislation would exceed its target spending goal and sought to withhold the estimates, the Washington Post reports.
Health Claims Increasingly Being Audited by Employers
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined the growing trend of large employers conducting regular audits on employees’ health plans and claims.
Editorial Calls for Legislation To Address Privacy Issues Related to Medical Records Sent Abroad
California residents “enjoy some of the nation’s strongest privacy protections on their medical and financial records,” but enforcement of those protections “becomes much dicier — if not impossible — when U.S. companies ship sensitive personal data overseas for processing,” a San Francisco Chronicle editorial states.
GAO Proposes Unified Agency for Food Safety
The General Accounting Office on Tuesday issued a report calling for a single, independent food safety agency during a hearing of the House Government Reform Civil Service and Agency Organization Subcommittee, CQ Today reports.
Treasury Department Issues New Coverage Guidelines for Health Savings Accounts
The Treasury Department on Tuesday issued new guidelines for health savings accounts that would allow consumers to use them to cover the cost of some preventive care services and prescription drugs, USA Today reports.