Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser Permanente Reports 10% Rise in Q3 Income, but ‘Cost Pressures’ Linger
Kaiser Permanente announced yesterday that its third quarter net income rose 10%, in line with its “financial objectives” for the year, the Wall Street Journal reports.
EPA to Issue Clinton Arsenic Standard for Drinking Water
The Bush administration announced yesterday that it will require an 80% reduction in the amount of arsenic in drinking water, implementing a Clinton administration rule that it opposed last winter, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Diego County to See Increase in Health Care Premiums
Health plan premiums could increase by as much as 20% next year for employers in San Diego County, mostly due to rising prescription drug costs and increased use of medical services, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Source in Latest Anthrax Death Eludes Officials
Investigators looking into the latest death from inhaled anthrax infection — 61-year-old Kathy Nguyen, a supply clerk at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital — have yet to determine how the woman became ill, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Massachusetts Programs Use HHS Research Grants to Reduce Medical Errors
Several health organizations in Massachusetts have secured nearly $8 million in federal funding for studies and pilot projects that aim to reduce medical errors, the Boston Globe reports.
Online Bidding Helps New York Hospital Solve Nursing Shortage
Since January, when Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter’s Hospital established an online service to recruit nurses, the hospital has seen its nursing vacancy rate drop from 20% to 3%, the Albany Times Union reports.
Senate OKs Expansion of 1996 Mental Health Parity Law
The Senate yesterday approved an expanded version of a 1996 mental health parity law that would require insurers that provide mental health coverage to offer benefits “on par with what they provide for physical illness,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
PacifiCare Q3 Profits Triple to $17M Despite Membership Declines
One year after its earnings “plunged sharply,” PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. posted a “respectable gain” in this year’s third quarter, with profits more than tripling to $17 million from $5.2 million last year, the Orange County Register reports.
New Anthrax Cases Confound as Fourth Victim Dies
A Manhattan Ear, Eye and Throat Hospital supply clerk who contracted inhalation anthrax died early today at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, becoming the fourth fatality from the disease in the past month.
Ventura County Health Officials Provide Information to Doctors about Anthrax
Ventura County health officials announced Monday that they have begun mailing educational videos and tip sheets about anthrax to doctors and medical organizations in an effort to “stem a flood of inquiries” about the disease, the Los Angeles Times reports.