Latest California Healthline Stories
Patient Safety, HIPAA Compliance Will Drive Health Care IT Over Next Five Years, Forecast Says
The increased use of computerized physician order entry systems to prevent medical errors, the development of HIPAA-compliant information systems and the need for greater spending to upgrade information technology will top the list of concerns for health care information technology professionals over the next five years, according to a new Healthcare Information and Management System Society study released yesterday.
Drug Companies Employ 81% More Staff for Marketing Than R&D
Brand-name drug makers in the United States employ 81% more people in their marketing departments than in their research and development departments, and the “gap has been growing” over the past few years, according to a new study released yesterday by the Boston University School of Public Health.
The California AIDSRide has turned into a “burgeoning bicycle war” as three groups head to court to settle a debate over the proceeds of the event, the Los Angeles Times reports.
NEJM Web Site, Harrison’s Online Announce Collaboration
The New England Journal of Medicine and publisher McGraw-Hill Professional yesterday announced a collaboration between the online editions of NEJM and the textbook Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.
Waxman Requests Inquiry Into ‘Insider’ Tobacco Letters
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) yesterday asked the Department of Justice to investigate allegations that a tobacco industry group destroyed more than one million internal documents “to keep them out of the hands of legal opponents,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
AAHP Says Insurers Need More Medicare+Choice Funding
The president of the American Association of Health Plans said yesterday that the “downward spiral” of Medicare+Choice will continue next year unless Congress increases federal payments to health plans, CongressDaily reports.
Los Angeles Times Questions Politics Behind Proposed Plan to Study Expansions at Three Hospitals
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to “draw up plans” to expand Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s emergency department and study expansions at two other county hospitals is a “blatant example of politics dictating health care policy,” according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Donations to California ‘Safety-Net’ Agencies Drop by $25M in Recent Months
Charitable donations to California “safety-net” organizations have dropped by $25 million since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to a new survey sponsored by California Cares, a coalition of philanthropy groups including The California Endowment.
Report Finds Rise in ‘Wrong-Site’ Surgery Errors
The incidence of surgery in which a doctor operates on the wrong part of a patient’s body or on the wrong patient appears to be increasing, according to a report released yesterday by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
GOP Offers More Health Coverage in Stimulus Talks
In negotiations yesterday on economic stimulus legislation, House Republican leaders offered a provision that would spend $25 billion to extend benefits for unemployed workers and provide tax credits to help those workers purchase health insurance, a move that may “help bridge the gap” between Republicans and Democrats, the New York Times reports.