Latest California Healthline Stories
About 14,000 PacifiCare Health Systems HMO members will have to switch physicians or hospitals on Dec. 18, when a contract ends between the health insurer and Walnut Creek-based John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Federal Government Adds Steroidal Estrogens to List of ‘Known Human Carcinogens’
The federal government yesterday added steroidal estrogens used in oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies to the list of “known human carcinogens,” a move that “significantly upgrades” their risk, the Washington Post reports.
Central Valley ‘Ground Zero’ for State Nursing Shortage
The Central Valley is “ground zero” for the state’s nursing shortage, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
Nurses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Begin Three-Day Unionization Vote
More than 1,500 registered nurses at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the largest private hospital in California, yesterday began a three-day vote on whether to join the California Nurses Association, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bush To Announce Smallpox Vaccination Plan Tomorrow
President Bush tomorrow plans to announce a national smallpox vaccination plan, under which military personnel and first responders would receive the vaccination “within weeks” and the general population could begin to receive the vaccine in 2004, the New York Times reports.
Los Angeles County Supervisors Release Report on Investigation of Office of AIDS Programs and Policy
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday released the results of an investigation into alleged conflicts of interest in the county Office of AIDS Programs and Policy, but some AIDS advocates criticized the report as “vague and inconclusive,” the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
State Budget Deficits To Force Benefit Reductions in Medicaid Programs
Millions of low-income and elderly U.S. residents may face “siz[e]able cuts” in their Medicaid benefits in 2003 because of increased health care costs and state budget deficits, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Former New England Journal of Medicine Editors Call for Rx Industry Reform in New Republic
In the cover story in the Dec. 16 issue of The New Republic, Drs. Arnold Relman and Marcia Angell, both former editors-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, look at the pharmaceutical industry and call for “big changes in the way drugs are tested, patented, advertised and priced.”
High Desert Hospital Not Meeting Pilot Project’s Financial Goals, Report Finds
Lancaster-based High Desert Hospital has been unable to meet its financial goals halfway through a six-month revenue-generating pilot project designed to prevent the facility from being converted into an outpatient clinic, according to a report issued last week by Thomas Garthwaite, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Seniors Participate in Medicare+Choice Plans Despite Coverage Risk, New Survey Finds
Although Medicare+Choice plans have dropped coverage for more than 2.4 million seniors since 1998, many Medicare beneficiaries continue to participate in the program, according to a report released Monday by Weiss Ratings, an independent financial ratings agency.