Latest California Healthline Stories
States Not Prepared for Potential Bioterrorist Attack, HHS Officials Determine
Only one state, Florida, is adequately prepared to receive and distribute medicines and vaccines from the federal government in the event of a bioterrorist attack, according to progress reports that states were required to file with HHS by Friday.
FDA Seeks Public Comment on Clinical Trial of Smallpox Vaccine in Children
In a “highly unusual” move, the FDA is seeking public comment on a proposed clinical trial of the smallpox vaccine in children, the AP/Nando Times reports.
Medicare To Increase Hospital Outpatient Payments by 5.6% in 2003
Medicare will increase its 2003 budget for hospital outpatient care by 5.6% but will decrease or hold flat its reimbursements for some drugs and medical devices, Bloomberg/Detroit News reports.
KQED’s ‘Bay Window’ Series Tonight Examines Children and Asthma
KQED’s “Bay Window,” a documentary series that examines issues affecting the Bay area and communities nationwide, tonight will focus on increasing asthma rates among children in the United States.
Groups Call for Increased Use of IT in U.S. Health Care System
A coalition of government agencies and private health organizations on Tuesday called for increased use of information technology in the health care sector at a meeting of the eHealth Initiative and the Health Legacy Partnership.
Sutter Roseville Medical Center Continues Contract Negotiations with Service Workers
Negotiations between Sutter Roseville Medical Center and the union representing about 450 of the hospital’s service and mechanical workers continued yesterday, while the workers’ current contract is set to expire on Saturday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Officials from Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare, one of the largest for-profit hospital chains in the nation, yesterday announced that federal officials raided one of their hospitals in California seeking information for an investigation of two physicians who may have performed “unnecessary surgeries” and potentially defrauded Medicare, the New York Times reports.
Several Editorials Express Support for Recent Court Ruling on Medical Marijuana
In light of a federal court ruling Tuesday that doctors cannot be prosecuted for recommending their patients use marijuana, the federal government should “abandon its misguided policy of targeting doctors and sick people” in its fight against the drug, the New York Times states in an editorial.
Number of New Syphilis Infections Increased 2% in the United States in 2001, CDC Report Finds
The number of new syphilis infections in the United States rose last year for the first time in 11 years, with large increases occurring among men who have sex with men, according to new CDC statistics released yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare+Choice Plans in California To Increase Cost-Sharing Measures While Decreasing Some Benefits
Seniors in the East Bay area will face “sharply higher” Medicare+Choice costs in 2003, but the cost of prescription drug coverage under the health plans will remain relatively stable, the Contra Costa Times reports.