Latest California Healthline Stories
Consumers Often Evaluate Health Information Web Sites Based on ‘Look and Feel,’ Study Finds
Consumers often “rely far more on the look and feel” of Web sites on than the reputation and professional credentials of the authors when they decide where to obtain health care information online, according to a new survey set for release today by Consumer WebWatch, a project of Consumers Union, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Boston Globe Profiles Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Potential Candidate for Vice President in 2004
The cover story in Sunday’s Boston Globe magazine examines the life and career of Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a physician who some have called a possible candidate for vice president in 2004 should Vice President Dick Cheney decide not to run.
Atkins Diet Helps Weight Loss Faster Than Low-Fat Diets, New Study Says
In a small study of obese women released last week at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association, participants in the low-carbohydrate, high-fat Atkins diet trimmed “significantly” more pounds and body fat than women on a low-fat diet, the Washington Post reports.
Blue Cross of California, Health Net of California To Offer Temporary PPO Plans
Blue Cross of California on Oct. 1 began offering a preferred provider organization plan for people who are temporarily uninsured, and Health Net of California plans to offer a similar plan in several weeks, the Orange County Register reports.
NIH Awards El Segundo-Based Company $32 Million Contract To Overhaul Medical Information Systems
NIH has awarded a $32 million contract to El Segundo-based Computer Sciences Corporation to overhaul the agency’s medical information systems, Washington Technology reports.
Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia Markuson, along with three campaign workers and two pilots, died in a plane crash on Friday, the New York Times reports.
Cigarette Companies ‘Fighting Back’ Against Anti-Tobacco-Industry Ads, New York Times Reports
The New York Times on Sunday examined cigarette makers’ response to state and nationwide anti-smoking advertisements that are “focusing on the supposed evils of the tobacco company … rather than spotlighting the ill effects of cigarettes.”
Los Angeles Times Examines Debate Over Third Federal Bailout for Los Angeles County Health System
The Los Angeles Times today examines the debate over a potential third federal bailout for the Los Angeles County health system.
UCI Medical Center Implements Less Punitive Medical Error Reporting System
The University of California-Irvine Medical Center this week implemented a new program that is designed to eliminate medical errors by “promising not to punish the doctors and nurses who make mistakes” but instead assume that “a system, not a person, is usually at fault,” the Orange County Register reports.
President Bush Signs Community Health Center Reauthorization, Medical Device User Fee Bills
President Bush on Saturday signed a bill (S 1533) to reauthorize the federal community health centers program and a second bill (HR 3580) to reduce FDA review times for medical devices, the AP/Augusta Chronicle reports.