Latest California Healthline Stories
Low Enrollment in Public Health Programs Leaves Government Funds Unspent, Prompts Outreach Efforts
“Millions” in state and federal funds intended to assist low-income Californians are going unspent because a “majority of people eligible to receive help aren’t applying for it,” the Contra Costa Times reports.
Thompson Suggests ‘MAMA’ as HCFA’s New Name
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson is considering changing HCFA’s name to the “Medicare and Medicaid Association,” or MAMA for short, CongressDaily reports.
MedWell Designs Wireless Paper Chart for Physicians
To “streamline” the medical records process, Westlake Village-based MedWell Group Inc. is offering physicians a variety of Internet-enabled tools, including its “Wireless Paper Chart,” Ventura County Star columnist Roger Harris reports.
Do Shorter Bypass Surgery Hospital Stays Equal Savings?
Coronary bypass patients spend about half as much time in the hospital after surgery as they did a decade ago, but the “increasingly” briefer stays may not save the health care system “much money,” according to a new study published in the May issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Approves Sex-Change Benefit for City Workers
In a 9-2 vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday approved a plan to provide health care benefits to city workers undergoing sex-change procedures, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Food Safety Advocates Criticize Bush Administration
During a discussion panel of food safety experts at the Consumer Federation of America conference yesterday, Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs for the National Food Processors Association “offered harsh” criticism of the Bush administration for failing to appoint a new FDA commissioner, CongressDaily/AM reports.
CHCF’s Quality Initiative Awards Grants to Eight Community Organizations
The Quality Initiative, a funded program of the California HealthCare Foundation, is distributing more than $2 million in grants to eight community-based organizations to “promote their involvement in health care quality issues.”
First California Shelter Exclusively for AIDS Patients Opens
Emmanuel House, California’s first residence built exclusively to house people with HIV/AIDS, opened yesterday in Santa Ana, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sarafem Marketing ‘Barrage’ Sparks Debate Over PMDD
The launch of Sarafem, a new medicine designed to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder, has “rekindled a debate” among physicians and psychiatrists over whether the disorder is a “real” condition, the Washington Post reports.
School Nurse Shortage Grows as Duties Increase
The “nationwide nursing shortage” is affecting schools as well as hospitals and nursing homes, as more families without health insurance have come to rely on school nurses for treatment of children and more kids now take prescription drugs during school, often leaving nurses “overwhelme[d],” the AP/Nando Times reports.