Latest California Healthline Stories
HHS Secretary Thompson Uses ‘Hands-On’ Approach
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson’s “hands-on” approach to running the $423 billion agency is drawing praise but also has some observers wondering whether he will overextend himself trying to tackle the department’s broad range of programs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
PDAs Help Doctors with Patient, Practice Management
Personal digital assistants — hand-held electronic devices that allow physicians to retrieve clinical data and access patient information — are “finding a place in exam rooms next to the ‘Physicians’ Desk Reference,'” Investor’s Business Daily reports.
Orange County Supervisors’ Budget Proposal Increases Direct Health Spending 30%
The Orange County Board of Supervisors this week unveiled a $4.6 billion FY 2001-02 budget proposal, which increases direct spending on health care by 30%, the Orange County Register reports.
Panel Agrees to Cardura Warning for Physicians
An FDA advisory committee has decided that physicians should receive “more information” about the heart drug Cardura, but made no ruling on whether the drug’s label should be changed to mention the drug’s possible link to congestive heart failure and stroke, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.
Denver Area Hospitals Use Web-Based ER Monitoring System to Reduce Ambulance Diversions
Hospitals and ambulance providers in the Denver area this month began using an Internet-based network to share emergency room status and capacity updates in “real-time,” the Denver Post reports.
Nurses Give Sharp Hospital System Intent to Strike Notice
Nurses at the San Diego-based Sharp Hospital system this week voted to give the hospital a 10-day notice of intent to strike, citing a stalemate in contract negotiations, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Many Tissue Banks Go Unregulated
Many tissue banks in the United States operate without federal oversight, raising the possibility of contaminated or diseased tissue being given to recipients, the Hartford Courant reports.
Uninsured Residents ‘High Priority’ for Western Sonoma County Coalition
The Rural Health Partnership, a coalition of health care agencies serving western Sonoma County, said Tuesday that it plans to apply for private foundation and government grants to improve health care access for the region’s uninsured residents, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.
Party Shift to Alter Health Policy Terrain
After Sen. James Jeffords (I-Vt.) “upended the political status quo” by leaving the Republican Party to become an independent yesterday, Senate Democrats “moved quickly” to “map out a legislative agenda,” which will likely include a patients’ bill of rights and a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, the New York Times reports.
Illegal Shipments of Rx Drugs Slip Past Customs Agents
Thousands of illegal shipments of prescription drugs are entering the United States through the postal service each month, according to a recent survey of mail inspection sites, the Wall Street Journal reports.