Latest California Healthline Stories
Red Cross Ordered to Resume Mediation with FDA over Safety of Blood Program
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., last Friday ordered the American Red Cross and the FDA to return to mediation to resolve a “long-standing dispute” over the safety of the group’s blood program, the Washington Post reports.
Norwood’s Patients’ Rights ‘Demand’ Draws Ire on Hill
A press release issued last week by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) “demand[ing] the nation’s leaders stand by their word” on a patient’s bill of rights elicited “odd outbursts and shouting” from a bipartisan group of lawmakers whom Norwood “infuriated” this summer when he broke rank with them and “cut a private deal” with President Bush, the Washington Post‘s “In the Loop” column reports.
Dr. Koop LifeCare Corp. to ‘Cease Operations,’ File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection
Dr. Koop LifeCare Corp., an online health information provider, yesterday announced plans to “cease operations” and sell the company’s assets, after “failing to come up with additional debt or equity financing” to fund operations, Reuters/Los Angeles Times reports.
Stimulus Bill Talks Turn to Health Insurance
House and Senate lawmakers yesterday “made progress” in negotiations over an economic stimulus bill but “faced difficult discussions” on provisions to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance, the Washington Post reports.
URAC Approves First 13 Health Web Sites Under New Accreditation Program
Thirteen of the nation’s “largest and busiest” health Web sites, including those run by WebMD and the Health Insurance Association of America, received URAC accreditation this week, Reuters reports.
Barstow Veterans Home Passes ‘Preliminary’ Inspection, Moves Toward Federal Certification
Clearing an “important preliminary obstacle” in a “fight to restore its federal financial support,” the state-run Barstow veterans home yesterday was deemed in “substantial compliance” with federal standards by a Department of Health Services inspection report, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare Software Implementation To Delay Payments
CMS has asked hospitals across the country to hold off processing all outpatient claims for Medicare beneficiaries until a new software system is ready, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Women’s Health ‘Unsatisfactory’ in U.S., Study Finds
“Simply getting to a doctor — or paying for a visit — remains the biggest barrier between health” and women, according to a new study released Monday by the National Women’s Law Center, the Oregon Health & Science University and the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Portland Oregonian reports.
Spanos Donates $15M to Mercy General Hospital for Cardiac Care Center
Sacramento’s Mercy General Hospital has received a $15 million donation — “believed to be the largest individual donation ever made” to a hospital in the city — from San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos to help build a “state-of-the-art” cardiac care center, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Davis Announces $27.5M Increase in Medi-Cal Funding for Skilled Nursing Facilities
As part of his Aging with Dignity initiative, Gov. Gray Davis (D) Wednesday announced that the Department of Health Services has secured a $27.5 million increase in Medi-Cal reimbursement funding for publicly operated skilled nursing facilities.