Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush, Kennedy Look for Compromise on Patients’ Rights
White House officials and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) have begun “intensive discussions” in an attempt to reach an agreement on a patients’ bill of rights that would combine elements of the House and Senate versions passed last year, the New York Times reports.
Davis Releases Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios for Hospitals
Gov. Gray Davis (D) released first-in-the-nation rules yesterday that establish mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient ratios at general acute care hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports.
More Medicare ‘Givebacks’ To Providers Ahead?
Recommendations by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for increased Medicare reimbursement to providers will put “pressure” on Congress to make another round of “givebacks” this year, though the source of any increased funding “remains unclear,” CongressDaily/AM reports.
California Hospitals Brace For Medi-Cal Cuts, Higher Administrative Fees
California hospitals are taking a “wait-and-see” approach to how a change in federal Medi-Cal funding and an increase in state administrative fees will impact them, the East Bay Business Times reports.
Daschle Proposes Stimulus Bill Without Insurance Measure
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) plans this week to introduce a “slimmed-down version” of the Senate Democrats’ economic stimulus bill that will not include a provision in the original bill to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Healthwise Launches Center to Promote ‘Information Therapy’ in Health Care
Healthwise, a not-for-profit provider of health care information, today announced the creation of a Washington, D.C.-based institute to promote the use of “information therapy” by health care providers.
State Task Force Receives Recommendations to Improve Immigrant, Minority Care
Orange County residents, community leaders and care providers yesterday recommended various initiatives that members of the state Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists could implement to make health care more accessible to immigrants and minorities, the Orange County Register reports.
Oxford Researchers Launch ‘Distributed Computing’ Project to Find Anthrax Treatments
Researchers at Oxford University launched a distributed computing project yesterday that will use the excess computing power of volunteers’ computers to search for anthrax treatments, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports.
Medical Data Services Help Workers Make Informed Choices
As more employers are offering health coverage that encourages employees to take more “financial responsibility for their health care choices,” some companies are also providing medical data services to help workers make informed choices, USA Today reports.
Medicare Now Covers Glaucoma Screening
On recommendations from NIH’s National Eye Institute, Medicare this month began covering an “annual dilated eye examination” meant to detect the presence of glaucoma, the AP/Nando Times reports.