Latest California Healthline Stories
The California HealthCare Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have awarded the Integrated Healthcare Association, a California group that addresses health policy and managed care issues, two grants that total more than $1.2 million to conduct pilot programs to help health care providers improve quality.
Sens. Baucus, Grassley Reach Agreement on Medicare ‘Giveback’ Package
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and committee ranking member Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) have reached an agreement on a Medicare “giveback” package, CongressDaily reports.
Davis Approves Physician ‘Bill of Rights’ To Regulate HMO Contracts with Doctors
Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday signed into law a bill (AB 2907) that establishes a physician “bill of rights” to “limit health plans’ ability to unilaterally change contract terms” with doctors in the state, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The House yesterday passed a measure to expand a program that allows foreign doctors to extend their stay in the United States if they agree to serve in rural or other underserved areas, the AP/Nando Times reports.
Bush Nominates Health Policy Adviser McClellan as FDA Commissioner
As expected, President Bush yesterday nominated Dr. Mark McClellan, a senior White House health policy adviser, to serve as commissioner of the FDA, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Health Care in San Jose Area Likely To Experience ‘Dramatic Change,’ Mercury News Columnist Writes
Given the demise of San Jose-based health insurer Lifeguard and San Jose/Good Samaritan Medical Group, the city’s largest physician group, “There’s a lot to be afraid of when you survey Silicon Valley’s health care landscape,” San Jose Mercury News columnist Peter Delevett writes.
Frito-Lay Will Stop Using Hydrogenated Oils in Some Snacks Next Year
Snack food company Frito-Lay announced this week that it will stop using trans-fatty, or hydrogenated, oils in its Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos brand products beginning in early 2003, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Federal Trade Commission Requests Documents Detailing Hospital Mergers
The Federal Trade Commission is “demanding” documents related to several mergers between major medical centers as part of its continuing efforts to step up inquiries into possible antitrust violations in the health care industry, the Wall Street Journal reports.
House Commerce Committee Approves Bill To Create Medical Error Data Collection System
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday approved by voice vote a bill that would establish a medical error data collection system as a way to control medical errors, National Journal News Service reports.
GE Medical System’s New In-Hospital TV Network Raises Concerns about Rx Drug Advertising
The Patient Channel, a new in-hospital television network that was launched yesterday to 50,000 patients, could become a “flash point” in the debate over the “propriety of drug sellers taking their products directly to the public,” the Wall Street Journal reports.