Latest California Healthline Stories
University of California Nurses Contract Expected to Increase Salaries at Hospitals Statewide
Health care experts predict that a new three-year contract between the University of California health system and the California Nurses Association will “exacerbate the bidding war for nurses” in the state, the Orange County Register reports.
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal Examines Barriers to Information Technology in Health Care
Although information technology can improve care for patients and “create efficiencies” for providers, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports that cost often serves as a “barrier” for health care organizations to install and implement IT systems.
Number of New AIDS Cases in San Francisco Drops, But New HIV Infections Rising
More than 1,080 new AIDS cases were reported in San Francisco last year, down “slightly” from 2000 figures, according to the city’s annual HIV/AIDS report released Tuesday, but officials are “troubled by signs” that cases of HIV are increasing, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Johnson & Johnson Bribed Doctors to Prescribe Arthritis Drug, Suit Contends
Johnson & Johnson boosted demand for arthritis drug Remicade by “bribing” physicians to prescribe it and encouraging them to “seek inflated reimbursement” from Medicare, a lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court contends.
IRS Likely to Allow Tax-Free Roll Over of Funds for Employees in Defined Contribution Health Plans
The Internal Revenue Service this week is “widely expected” to announce that it will allow employees participating in defined contribution health plans to roll over, tax-free, the money their employers give them to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, USA Today reports.
NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ Reports on Los Angeles County Health Department Deficit
NPR’s “Morning Edition” today reported on proposed “imminent deep cuts” in health services that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider this week.
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Issue of Drug Compounding
The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday examined the trend of prescription drug compounding, a practice in which pharmacists “tailor” treatments to a patient’s “unique requirements.”
Sacramento Bee Series Examines Prescription Drug Use in Children
The Sacramento Bee this week published a three-day series on the increasing number of children who take prescription drugs and the “discrepancy between how little is known about the ways these drugs affect children and how much they are being used.”
Blue Shield of California’s Tiered Hospital List to Incorporate Quality of Care Standards
Blue Shield of California today plans to announce a new program that will include hospitals that meet “accepted standards for high-quality care,” as well as those that offer lower-cost services, on the preferred list of Blue Shield’s tiered hospital plan, the New York Times reports.
Homeland Security Department Could Affect Public Health, Experts at Congressional Hearing Predict
Legislators, health advisers and General Accounting Office officials yesterday said at a House hearing that President Bush’s proposal to move public health responsibilities from HHS to the proposed Department of Homeland Security could “undermine the basic effort to keep Americans healthy” in part because public health concerns would “take a backseat” to bioterrorism threats.