Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser Permanente Decision To Pay $1 Million Fine ‘Acknowledges’ DMHC Role, Editorial States
A decision by Kaiser Permanente last week to pay a $1 million fine for alleged “fatal lapses” in the treatment of an HMO patient “acknowledges that the Department of Managed Health Care has the authority to oversee the quality of medical care and discipline HMOs for substandard performance,” according to a Bakersfield Californian editorial.
Los Angeles Times Examines Task Force Charged With Stopping Illegal Pharmaceuticals
The Los Angeles Times today examines the Los Angeles County Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force, which is charged with halting over-the-counter sales of “potentially dangerous” medications.
Children With Greatest Health Care Needs See Improvement Under Healthy Families
Children enrolled in Healthy Families have “improved health and do better in school,” according to the first-year results of a new study released yesterday, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Health Affairs Study Examines Future of Consumer-Driven Health Insurance Plans
Although “consumer-driven” health insurance plans have become “central” to many insurers’ business plans, it is still too early to determine if such plans will “appeal broadly to employees” and experience an enrollment increase, according to a study published yesterday on the Health Affairs Web site.
McDonald’s Attorneys Ask Federal Judge To Dismiss Obesity Lawsuit
Attorneys for fast-food chain McDonald’s yesterday asked a judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges the company’s products have led to a “national epidemic of obese children,” the AP/Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports.
Davis Asks DMHC To Develop New Regulations To Prohibit ‘Phantom Coverage’ for HMO Patients
Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday asked the Department of Managed Health Care to develop new regulations that would require HMOs to notify members directly if their employers temporarily stop paying premiums, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Cardiologist Follow-Up Care Improves Heart Attack Survival Rates, NEJM Study Says
Heart attack survivors who are treated by a cardiologist after being released from the hospital receive more rehabilitative care and have lower mortality rates than patients who are cared for by internists or family practitioners, according to a study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.
HHS Secretary Thompson Launches First National Diabetes Prevention Campaign
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday announced the launch of the first national diabetes awareness and prevention campaign, which will promote lifestyle changes as a way to prevent the onset of adult-onset diabetes among all people, but particularly among Hispanics and other minorities, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Increased Health Care Costs May Force California Hospitals To Reduce Services, Administrators Say
Increased health care costs have placed California hospitals under “increasing financial pressure” that could result in a reduction in services for patients, according to a panel of hospital administrators at a conference Tuesday in Santa Rosa, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Pharmaceutical Industry Executives Meet To Outline Legislative Strategy
Buoyed by Republican gains in the recent elections, pharmaceutical industry executives met last week to plan ways to “capitalize” on the electoral results by “securing favorable new legislation” and defeating congressional attempts to lower drug costs, the New York Times reports.