Latest California Healthline Stories
Six Large California Health Plans Launch Online Program to Share Results of Medical Group Audits
Six large California health plans have launched a Web-based program that allows them to share results from audits of physician credentialing standards at medical groups with which they contract.
Tiered Hospital Plans Raise Concerns from Providers, Patient Advocacy Groups
The Sacramento Bee today examines the trend of tiered hospital plans, which have raised concerns from health care providers and patient advocacy groups in the state.
Davis Announces $16.6M in Housing, Medical Services Grants for Homeless with Mental Illness
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Sunday announced $16.6 million in grants for 14 private, not-for-profit and local government agencies to help provide housing and other services for low-income homeless people with mental illness and other health conditions, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Enrollees in not-for-profit HMOs are more likely to be “very satisfied” with their care than those in for-profit HMOs, according to a study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.
Assembly Unanimously Passes Bill to Require Hospitals to Provide EC to Rape Survivors
The Assembly on Monday voted unanimously in favor of a bill (AB 1860) that would require hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape survivors when they receive medical treatment, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
WellPoint Posts a 46% First-Quarter Net Income Increase
Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks Inc. reported yesterday that its net income grew 46% in the first quarter compared to a year ago, largely due to membership gains, acquisitions and medical and administrative costs that were lower than anticipated, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Congress yesterday debated a provision in pending welfare reform legislation that would reauthorize funding for abstinence-only sex education as a preliminary HHS-funded report finding no proof that such programs are effective was released, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.
California PBS Stations to Debut News Program on State Issues, Including Health Care
PBS stations in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco will produce a new weekly newsmagazine that covers state events and issues, including health care.
Stroke Medication Used Infrequently by Hospitals in Santa Clara County, Nationwide
Most Santa Clara County hospitals administer a “potent” stroke medication approved by the FDA six years ago “just a handful of times a year,” a San Jose Mercury News investigation has found.
FTC Accuses Brand-Name Drug Manufacturers of Preventing Generics from Reaching the Market
Federal Trade Commission Chair Timothy Muris yesterday said that brand-name drug companies have used “illegal tactics” to delay the introduction of generic competition to the market, “depriving consumers of the benefits of less expensive generic drugs,” the New York Times reports.