Latest California Healthline Stories
URAC Releases Health Web Site Accreditation Standards
Health care accreditation organization URAC released the standards for its new health Web site accreditation program on Monday, as expected.
Senate Committee Approves Mental Health Parity Measure
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday unanimously approved the Mental Health Parity Act, which would require companies that offer mental health benefits to provide the same level of coverage for mental health as they do for physical health.
Inspectors Launch Investigation Into Emergency Care Delays at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
State investigators on Tuesday began searching records at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, prompted by a front-page story in the June 26 Los Angeles Times that profiled three patient deaths possibly related to delays in emergency dialysis, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate Committee Approves Drug Patent Bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday approved a bill that would extend the 1997 FDA Modernization Act by almost six years, CongressDaily/AM reports.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday voted 12-7 to approve the “Global Democracy Promotion Act of 2001,” a measure sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) that would overturn the “Mexico City” policy, an executive order issued earlier this year by President Bush that bars federal funding from going to international groups that use their own funds to provide or promote abortion, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blue Shield Reaches Contract Agreement with Three San Jose Hospitals
Blue Shield of California has reached an agreement with three San Jose hospitals that will keep the facilities in the insurer’s preferred provider network, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Presence of ‘Criminally Insane’ at Mental Hospitals Compromises Care for Mentally Ill
California’s mental hospitals “have, in effect, turned into prisons for those who plead insanity,” a San Francisco Chronicle editorial states.
Avandia Marketing Criticized by FDA
Stepping up its monitoring of drug advertising at medical conferences, the FDA last month sent a letter to GlaxoSmithKline PLC, ordering the company to ensure that sales representatives properly explained the side effects associated with the diabetes treatment Avandia, the Wall Street Journal reports.
‘Centrist’ Senators Outline Medicare Reform Plan
A group of “influential Senate moderates” on the Finance Committee yesterday released a “blueprint” of a proposal to reform Medicare and add a prescription drug benefit to the program, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Bush, Norwood Reach Compromise on Patients’ Rights, Vote Expected
After weeks of negotiations, President Bush and Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) reached a compromise yesterday on patients’ rights legislation, “clearing the way for House passage” this week, the New York Times reports.