Latest California Healthline Stories
Renewal of Pediatric Exclusivity Provision Has Broad Support
Lawmakers, pediatricians and FDA and pharmaceutical representatives yesterday expressed “overwhelming” support for reauthorization of the 1997 FDA Modernization Act’s “pediatric exclusivity provision,” which allows drug companies to receive a six-month patent extension if they conduct clinical research on a drug’s effectiveness on children, CongressDaily reports.
Study Finds Kids Not Receiving Proper Nutrition, Exercise at Schools
California school children are “getting shortchanged in physical education and oversupplied with snack foods,” increasing their risk for obesity and other health problems, according to a new statewide study, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Ninety-five Percent of Physicians Have Seen a Serious Medical Mistake, Survey Finds
In a survey of more than 1,000 health care providers, 58% said that health care in the United States “isn’t very good” and 72% said that “fundamental changes are needed” (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation survey, March/April 2001).
Harvard Medical School to Distribute Hand-Held Devices to Students
Starting this August, Harvard Medical School will provide 338 of the school’s 734 students with hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs) that will allow the students to receive announcements and store educational information, such as lecture and hospital case log notes, the Boston Globe reports.
New Guide Details Patients’ Rights, Options When Care is Denied
The Department of Managed Health Care, along with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and the California Wellness Foundation, released a patients’ rights guide Tuesday that explains the process of filing a complaint against an HMO and resolving disputes after care is denied, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Antidepressant Use Soaring Among U.S. Children, Teens
Antidepressant use among children and teens “soared” between 1988 and 1994, according to a new study presented today at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
Former Health Secretary Advocates Drug Treatment Over Incarceration
While the recent drug relapses of actor Robert Downey Jr. and professional baseball player Darryl Strawberry have helped to polarize America’s drug debate between those who favor legalization and those advocating strict punishment, Joseph Califano writes in a Washington Post op-ed that “[b]oth extremes are policies of despair that ignore the success of efforts to date and misread the lessons these tragic cases offer.”
With Increased Q1 Losses, WebMD Announces Deal with AOL
Although WebMD Corp.’s first-quarter net loss widened, the company beat Wall Street expectations for the first quarter by narrowing its operating loss, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Senate Committee Approves ID Card Proposal for Medical Marijuana Users
The Senate Public Safety Committee last week approved a bill (SB 187) that would allow patients using medicinal marijuana to obtain identification cards to show that they are authorized to use the drug, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Press-Telegram Praises Ruling Allowing Medicare Beneficiaries to Sue HMOs
Although last week’s decision by the state Supreme Court to allow Medicare+Choice beneficiaries to sue their health plans in state court over denials of care “will probably result in wasteful and costly lawsuits,” a Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial states that “deny[ing] patients their right to seek legal redress for legitimate grievances … in this case, life and death matters … is a far worse affront.”