Latest California Healthline Stories
Wall Street Journal Continues to Examine Prescription Drug Advertising
The Wall Street Journal today continues to examine issues related to prescription drug advertising, following several articles on the issue yesterday.
The FDA and pharmaceutical companies have reached an agreement that may reduce review time for new drugs in exchange for tens of millions of dollars in new industry fees under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Many California Medicare beneficiaries do not receive state-mandated discounts on prescription drugs, according to a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Black patients enrolled in Medicare+Choice plans receive poorer quality of care than white patients across several measures, according to a study appearing in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
KQED’s ‘Health Dialogues’ Program Focuses on Proposition 36
KQED’s “Health Dialogues,” a live monthly call-in program funded by the California Endowment to examine health care issues in California, will focus tonight on Proposition 36, the voter-approved initiative that sends nonviolent first- and second-time drug offenders to treatment rather than prison.
Proposed Expansion of State’s Rx Drug Purchasing Pool a ‘Win-Win Situation,’ Mercury News Says
A bill (SB 1315) that would expand the state’s central purchasing agency to help reduce prescription drug costs “looks like a win-win situation all the way around, with tax dollars stretched further to give state and county agencies relief from rapid inflation in drug prices,” according to a San Jose Mercury News editorial.
Wall Street Journal Addresses Issues Related to Prescription Drug Advertising
The Wall Street Journal today published three articles on issues related to prescription drug advertising.
CMS to Delay New Regulation to Phase Out Medicaid Upper Payment Limit Until April 15
CMS will postpone until April 15 the implementation of a new rule designed to reduce the Medicaid upper payment limit and end use of what is known as the Medicaid loophole, according to the American Hospital Association’s AHA News Now.
University of California-San Diego Announces Plans to Close Home Health Care Division
The University of California-San Diego, citing “mounting losses,” yesterday announced plans to shut down the university’s home health care operations on June 30, a move that will affect about 5,200 patients, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
PacifiCare Offers Online Information on Treatment Options, Hospital Performance Data
PacifiCare Health Systems now provides members with online access to information about clinical treatment options and hospital-specific performance data for surgical procedures.