Latest California Healthline Stories
A program at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center for people who donate at least $1,500 annually to the hospital’s cardiology department has drawn criticism from some people who say that the program has created “a two-tier system of care” and is “inappropriate at a state-sponsored institution,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Institute of Medicine Panel Hears Testimony on Potential Vaccine Link to Autism
Researchers on Monday addressed a possible link between vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, and autism during an Institute of Medicine panel hearing in Washington, D.C., the New York Times reports.
Los Angeles City Council Member Calls for City Program To Reimport Prescription Drugs
Los Angeles City Council member Dennis Zine on Monday said that he plans to introduce a measure under which the city would establish a program to reimport prescription drugs from Canada, the Los Angeles Times reports.
House Panel Requests Information From Three Physicians About Online Prescribing Activities
In an expansion of its probe into Internet pharmacies, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has sent letters to three physicians requesting information about prescriptions they wrote through online pharmacies, subcommittee Chair Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.) said Monday, CongressDaily reports.
Newspapers Examine Rep. Billy Tauzin’s Potential Move To Head PhRMA
Two newspapers recently published articles that examined Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), who last week announced that he will resign as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee effective Feb. 16 and will not seek re-election in November.
Critics Say Opening of Wal-Mart Stores in Contra Costa County Could Affect Health Care System
Wal-Mart “faces a critical showdown” in Contra Costa County next month when voters decide on a referendum to repeal a ban on construction of the chain’s supercenters, which opponents say could “drain” county health care resources because the company does not offer adequate health benefits, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Elderly Often Prescribed Improper Medications, CDC Study Finds
Elderly U.S. patients are prescribed improper medications in about one out of every 12 physician visits, according to a CDC study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
A Sacramento Superior Court on Friday ruled that the Department of Managed Health Care “overstepped its authority” when it ordered Blue Shield of California to purchase the weight-loss drug Xenical for a patient whose insurance policy excluded such drugs, the Sacramento Bee reports.
San Luis Obispo County is losing about $55,000 a month in Medicare reimbursements because the Department of Health Services has not performed a surprise inspection required to certify a county psychiatric facility to participate in the program, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.
Tenet Names New Chief Operating Officer
Less than two weeks after announcing plans to sell more than one-quarter of its hospitals, Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare on Monday named Reynold Jennings the company’s new chief operating officer, effective immediately, the Los Angeles Times reports.