Latest California Healthline Stories
Dieters Use Internet for Weight-Loss Help
Dieters are using weight-loss Web sites as a tool to find support and stay motivated 24 hours a day, the Wall Street Journal Online reports. Internet support groups can provide dieters with a sense of control and encouragement that they sometimes cannot get from books, group meetings or nutritionists, according to the Journal.
Legislative Rules on Prescription Drugs Could Limit Innovation, McClellan Says
The combination of high prescription drug development costs and efforts by lawmakers to reduce health care costs could “stifle innovation in the biomedical industry” and reduce the number of new medications that reach the market, FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan said yesterday, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Smoking in Films Affects Teen Smoking Rates, Study Finds
U.S. teenagers who viewed films with high numbers of smoking incidents were almost three times more likely to smoke than teens who viewed films with a low number of smoking incidents, according to a study published today in the British medical journal the Lancet.
The Homeland Security Department’s Office of Information Analysis “is not remotely close to having the tools it needs to meet its critical mandate” of assessing potential bioterrorist attacks, which calls into question the Bush administration’s proposed Project BioShield, Rep. Jim Turner (D-Texas), ranking minority member on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, wrote in a letter to President Bush, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Assembly Approves Bills To Expand Health Benefits for Registered Domestic Partners
The Assembly last week approved two bills that would expand legal, financial, employment and health benefits to registered domestic partners, the AP/San Mateo County Times reports.
Office of the Attorney General Issues Formal Consent in Santa Barbara Hospital Purchase Agreement
The Office of the Attorney General on Friday issued formal consent for Santa Barbara-based Cottage Health System to purchase St. Francis Medical Center, a Catholic Healthcare West hospital, for about $18 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Health Care Providers’ Use of Medical Transcription Services
The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday examined health care providers’ use of medical transcription services, which sometimes convert patients’ information to electronic format and can lead to violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s medical privacy rule, which took effect in April.
Tenet Nurses Announce Creation of Statewide Council Under California Nurses Association
Registered nurses from 22 hospitals statewide owned by Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare yesterday announced the creation of a statewide council under the auspices of the California Nurses Association as a challenge to Tenet’s agreement allowing workers to join the Service Employees International Union, Reuters reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Inequalities in Bill Collection for the Uninsured
The Wall Street Journal today examines hospitals’ policies of collecting medical expenses from uninsured patients.
Bush Administration Concedes on Equal Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits
The Bush administration yesterday told lawmakers it would accept a Medicare reform package that would offer beneficiaries equal drug benefits, regardless if they remain in the traditional program or join a private health plan, a provision called for in the Senate Finance Committee proposal, the New York Times reports.