Latest California Healthline Stories
Davis Signs Legislation To Reform State Medical Board
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Sunday signed into law a bill (SB 1950) that requires the Medical Board of California to disclose more information to the public about doctors who have settled a series of malpractice claims, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
HHS Secretary Thompson Announces New National Nurses Response Team for Disasters
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday announced a new National Nurses Response Team, a group of volunteer nurses who will respond in the event of bioterrorist attacks, natural disasters or disease outbreaks, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Davis Signs Bill To Allow Counties To Establish Programs for Court-Ordered Mental Health Treatment
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Saturday signed a bill (AB 1421) that authorizes court-ordered involuntary treatment for up to six months for people with mental illness who “consistently avoid treatment because they do not recognize the need for it,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bush Administration Issues Final Regulation Extending CHIP Coverage to Fetuses
Bush administration officials on Friday issued a final regulation that will allow states to define fetuses as “unborn children” eligible for health coverage under the CHIP program, the Washington Post reports.
CMS Not Likely To Approve $350 Million Request for Los Angeles County Health System, Scully Says
The federal government will not likely approve a request by Los Angeles County officials for $350 million to prevent the closure of several public hospitals and health centers, CMS Administrator Tom Scully said on Thursday.
New York Times Looks at Improvements in Online Pharmacy Industry
The New York Times on Sunday examined the “improvements in the online pharmacy industry since its birth in the 1990s and the pitfalls and confusion that remain in ordering prescription drugs” over the Internet.
Los Angeles Times Examines Financial Pressures on Kaiser Permanente
The Los Angeles Times today examines Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit HMOs, which is facing financial challenges that “threate[n] the survival of the managed care model … it pioneered.”
Davis Submits Regulations To Establish Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios to Administrative Law Office
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Sunday submitted to the Office of Administrative Law first-in-the-nation proposed regulations that would establish minimum the nurse-to-patient ratios in each hospital in the state, the Los Angeles Times reports.
McClellan Would Face Several Challenges as FDA Commissioner
Senior White House health policy adviser Mark McClellan would face a number of “bi[g] issues” if confirmed as FDA commissioner, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
United States Has Enough Smallpox Vaccine To Inoculate All Residents, Fauci Says
The U.S. government possesses enough doses of the smallpox vaccine to inoculate every person in the nation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday, the AP/Nando Times reports.