Latest California Healthline Stories
Weaker Organs Used to Boost Supply
The Washington Post‘s Health section today examines the growing use of “old or even defective” organs in transplants, especially among elderly patients, as a “better bet than waiting for an ideal organ that may never become available.”
Federal Patients’ Rights Bill May Have No ‘Radical Effect’ for California Residents
California’s patients’ rights law — “already … the toughest … in the country,” “definitely ha[s] the edge” over the federal patients’ rights bill being debated in the Senate, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
California Nurses Association, SEIU Reach Contracts With Hospitals, Avert Walk-outs
Catholic Healthcare West and the California Nurses Association have averted a possible nurses’ strike by reaching a “tentative contract” agreement, the Sacramento Bee reports
Dialysis Patients Switch from OTC Tums to Costly Drug
“[F]ueled by an intense marketing campaign,” a “growing number” of kidney-dialysis patients have switched from taking over-the-counter calcium supplement Tums each day to the more expensive prescription medication Renagel to counteract excess phosphorous levels, the Wall Street Journal reports.
While a “handful” of companies have begun to offer digital prescription systems to help reduce medication errors resulting from “harried” doctors’ illegible handwriting, their marketing efforts — often backed by pharmaceutical companies — have “made small inroads into changing prescribing habits,” the AP/Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Long Beach Community Hospital Likely to Open in Next Two Days
The Community Hospital of Long Beach will likely reopen tomorrow or Wednesday, pending an inspection by the state health department, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
Bush Calls for Genetic Discrimination Legislation
President Bush this weekend called for legislation that would prevent genetic discrimination” by banning businesses and health insurers from denying people employment or coverage “based on their inherited traits,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Fresno County Program Aims to Reduce Smoking During Pregnancy
Fresno County is hoping to “snuff out” smoking among pregnant women with a new public advertising campaign, according to officials speaking at a meeting “celebrating the achievements” of Babies First, the county’s infant mortality prevention program, the Fresno Bee reports.
Federal Lawmakers Examine Increasing Number of Uninsured Hispanics
While Congress debates the patients’ rights bill, some federal lawmakers are focusing on the “growing millions” of Hispanic adults and children who are eligible for but not enrolled in public health programs, a problem that is “most severe” in California and Texas, the Fresno Bee reports.
Senate to Debate Employer Liability Amendment to Patients’ Rights Bill
With the Senate set to begin a second week of debate on patients’ rights legislation, Republicans and Democrats plan to consider a pair of amendments that would limit employer liability in health care disputes, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.