Latest California Healthline Stories
House Republicans have proposed to attach language to two bills “clarifying” that HHS has the legal authority to correct what they call a statistical error in the Medicare physician reimbursement formula, CongressDaily reports.
Three incidents this month involving tampering with or counterfeiting brand-name drugs has led the FDA to open an investigation to determine any possible connection between the cases, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Doctors groups yesterday called on the Bush administration to take a more active role in addressing Medicare reimbursement reductions, “saying that $62 million in looming [cuts] over the next 10 years could be averted by administrative fiat,” CQ Daily Monitor Midday Update reports.
USDA’s Suspension of Visa Program for Foreign Doctors Creates Anxiety Among Rural Hospitals
The suspension of U.S. Department of Agriculture participation in a visa waiver program that allows foreign doctors to stay in the United States if they agree to practice in rural communities is threatening the survival of rural clinics both in California and nationwide, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Frist to Propose Legislation to Address Obesity Among Children
Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) plans to introduce a bill to address the nationwide trend toward obesity, the AP/Nashville Tennessean reports.
KCET’s ‘Life&Times Tonight’ Examines California Nursing Shortage
KCET’s “Life&Times Tonight” last Friday examined the “critical shortage” of nurses in California, a problem that has “left the state on the brink of a medical meltdown.”
Two Denver Physician Groups Settle FTC Charges of Price-Fixing
Two Denver physician groups agreed yesterday to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that they engaged in anticompetitive behavior by consolidating to put pressure on health insurers to raise reimbursement fees, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports.
AARP is revising a television advertisement intended to counteract the effects of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising after the networks “balked” at some of the spot’s wording, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Davis to Release Revised Budget Proposal Today; Health Care Reductions Expected
Gov. Gray Davis (D) plans to release his revised fiscal year 2002-2003 budget proposal today, and the New York Times reports that a “potentially catastrophic” deficit could force reductions in health care services.
Man Dies on First Day of New California AIDS Ride Established After Dispute with Pallotta TeamWorks
A 57-year-old man died yesterday during the first day of the inaugural AIDS/LifeCycle, a 600-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles established this year by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center after a dispute over returns with California AIDSRide sponsor Pallotta TeamWorks, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.