Latest California Healthline Stories
FDA Advisory Committee Chair Calls Vote on Silicone Breast Implants ‘Misguided’
The chair of the FDA advisory committee that voted 9-6 last month to recommend allowing silicone breast implants back on the market sent a “highly unusual” letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan and five members of Congress on Friday urging the rejection of the panel’s decision, calling it “misguided” and possibly dangerous to women, the Boston Globe reports.
The Department of Health Services in cooperation with Spanish-language media company Univision on Monday launched a statewide public education campaign encouraging Latina women older than age 50 to get flu shots, the Stockton Record reports.
Senate Democrats Criticize Negotiations on Final Medicare Bill
Some Senate Democrats on Tuesday warned that disagreements over several key issues, including the House-passed competition provision, “threate[n] to block a compromise” on the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1), the Washington Post reports.
Health Net Reports $2.4 Million Loss for Third Quarter
Woodland Hills-based health insurer Health Net reported a third-quarter net loss of $2.4 million, or two cents per share, down from net income of $69 million one year ago, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Blue Cross of California May Eliminate Contract With Doctors Medical Center in Modesto
Blue Cross of California, the state’s largest health insurer, may end its contract with Doctors Medical Center in Modesto on Nov. 30 over allegations that the Tenet Healthcare-owned hospital billed it for “numerous improper, medically unnecessary” coronary bypass procedures, a Tenet filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission stated, Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Profiles Transfer of Undocumented, Uninsured Immigrants to Mexican Hospitals
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday profiled Nextcare, a two-year-old business that has contracted with five U.S. hospitals to transport uninsured, undocumented Mexican immigrants to Mexico.
Department of Finance Releases Letter Detailing State Personnel Cuts
The Department of Finance on Monday made public a letter to the Legislature that details where it plans to eliminate more than 16,000 positions, including jobs at the Medical Board of California and the Department of Mental Health, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Surgeon General Asks Pediatricians To Address Issue of Childhood Obesity
U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona on Monday asked pediatricians at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics to improve efforts to address childhood obesity, the New York Times reports.
Nurses’ long hours, insufficient training and overload of paperwork often contribute to medical errors that cause preventable deaths and injuries, according to a report released Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Kaiser Permanente Reports 72% Increase in Third-Quarter Net Income
Third-quarter net income for Oakland-based HMO Kaiser Permanente increased 72% to $235 million from $137 million a year ago, company officials announced on Monday, the Oakland Tribune reports.