Latest California Healthline Stories
Congress should “keep in mind the lessons learned” from the “failed” Medicare+Choice program as they “struggle to reconcile House and Senate versions” of legislation to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, according to a Santa Rosa Press Democrat editorial.
FTC Attorneys to Appeal Decision in Schering-Plough Collusion Case
Attorneys at the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday announced plans to appeal a decision issued last week by an FTC administrative law judge that dismissed antitrust charges against Schering-Plough Corp. and Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Bloomberg News/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
New York Times Profiles ‘Real-Time’ Disease Reporting Systems
The New York Times yesterday profiled disease reporting systems that attempt to “collect and analyze disease data immediately,” rather than the current standard of once per day or more, which can delay detection of a disease outbreak.
Blue Cross of California Asks Ventura County for 33% Increase in HMO Premiums for County Employees
Blue Cross of California has requested a 33% increase in premiums for an HMO plan that currently covers about 2,100 Ventura County employees, the Ventura County Star reports.
The Alameda County Office of AIDS will shift $120,000 in HIV/AIDS funding to other county programs, according to a press release from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
New York Firm Targets Medical Transcription Services with Handheld Dictation Unit
A Syracuse, N.Y.-based developer of medical transcription applications has launched what it says is the first Palm handheld computer that digitally records physician dictation and transmits the data wirelessly for transcription, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports.
Las Vegas’s Only Trauma Center To Close Today
Las Vegas’ only trauma center will close today after all but one of their 58 orthopedic surgeons quit, citing “skyrocketing” medical malpractice insurance premiums, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
The Department of Justice last week began an investigation into “possible civil rights abuses” at Norwalk-based Metropolitan State Hospital, although the exact focus of the investigation is unclear, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Judge Rules Schering-Plough Did Not Violate Antitrust Laws in Agreement With Generic Drug Maker
An administrative law judge at the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday ruled that Schering-Plough Corp. did not violate federal antitrust laws in an agreement to delay the introduction of a generic version of K-Dur 20, a treatment for the side effects of hypertension medications, the New York Times reports.
If Health Plan of the Redwoods withdraws from the Medicare+Choice program as part of its bankruptcy reorganization, Kaiser Permanente could absorb only a “small number” of beneficiaries, Kaiser officials said yesterday.