Latest California Healthline Stories
Washington Post Examines High Breast Cancer Rates in Marin County
The Washington Post today examines Marin County’s increasingly high rates of breast cancer, which examines Marin County’s increasingly high rates of breast cancer, which are higher than experts have found in all other areas nationwide.
Blue Cross, HCA Agree on Contract for Three Southern California Hospitals
Blue Cross of California late yesterday announced a “partial agreement” with HCA over a new contract with three hospitals in Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Supporters of a measure on the Nov. 5 Los Angeles County ballot that would raise property taxes to fund the county’s trauma care centers and emergency rooms today will launch a “blitz” of 30-second television advertisements “depicting an ambulance struggling to find care for a seven-year-old accident victim,” the Copley/Torrance Daily Breeze reports.
Kaiser Permanente Nurses in Northern California Ratify Contract
Some 10,000 registered nurses at 17 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, represented by the California Nurses Association, have ratified a new contract that increases wages and ends mandatory overtime, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Senators Request GAO Review of HHS Office of Inspector General over Staffing Changes
Senate Finance Committee members Max Baucus (D-Mont.), John Breaux (D-La.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) yesterday asked the General Accounting Office to conduct a “complete management review” of the HHS Office of Inspector General, specifically examining Senate complaints that “well-respected” senior officials have been “pushed out of their jobs,” the AP/Washington Post reports.
Low Nurse Staffing Levels at Hospitals Increase Surgical Patients’ Risk of Dying, New Study Says
Patients recovering from routine surgery at hospitals with fewer nurses per patient have a greater risk of dying, according to a study published in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Some House Democrats Question Whether Recent HHS Decisions Were Motivated by Ideology
A group of 12 Democratic House members led by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) yesterday sent a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson conveying concern that “scientific decision making is being subverted by ideology” at HHS, the Washington Post reports.
Washington Post Examines Notification Policies for Drug Company-Initiated Recalls
Drug manufacturers initiate approximately 400 recalls each year, but whether people are aware of them “depends largely on manufacturers’ and retailers’ diligence, consumer vigilance and media cooperation,” the Washington Post reports.
National Disease Tracking System Required To Study Rise in Autism, Los Angeles Times Says
In response to recent findings that a dramatic increase in the number of Californians diagnosed with autism cannot be explained by “statistical glitches,” Congress should “develop an effective and comprehensive way to track the outbreak of chronic diseases” nationwide, a Los Angles Times editorial states.
House Democrats Introduce Bill To Restore Patient Consent Provisions in Medical Privacy Rule
Several House Democrats last week introduced a bill (HR 5646) that would restore patient consent provisions that the Bush administration eliminated in a medical privacy rule issued earlier this year, Health Information Privacy Alert reports.