Latest California Healthline Stories
NYT Article Examines Pros and Cons of Electronic Data
A New York Times “Circuits” article today examines the potential costs and benefits of electronic medical records.
Alameda County Supervisors Approve Benefits for Home Care Workers
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved health benefits for home care workers, ending two years of contract negotiations with the workers’ union, Service Employees International Union Local 616, the Contra Costa Times reports.
St. John’s Nurses to Strike For Third Time
Following more failed negotiations with hospital administrators, unionized nurses at St. John’s hospitals in Camarillo and Oxnard are planning to proceed with a four-day strike starting Friday, the Ventura County Star reports.
Medical Board Databank Available Online
In response to a “growing demand,” the Federation of State Medical Boards since January has been allowing public access to its records of disciplinary actions taken against physicians, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Number of Uninsured Declines, but Outlook is Pessimistic, Study Says
The number of uninsured Californians decreased to 6.8 million in 1999, down from 7.3 million a year earlier, and this number could be “substantially reduced” by expanding Healthy Families eligibility to parents at 250% of the federal poverty level, according to a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Kaiser Permanente Posts $584M in Positive Returns Last Year
By raising premiums and cutting costs, “HMO giant” Kaiser Permanente posted positive returns last year with a net income of $584 million, Bloomberg News/Los Angeles Times reports.
Shelley Introduces Bill to Set Nursing Home Staffing Ratios
State Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco) on Friday introduced a bill (AB 1075) that would establish a maximum number of nursing home patients that nurses and certified nursing assistants could care for during each shift, the Contra Costa Times reports.
New Web Site Maps Cancer Mortality By Region
Health-Track, a national public health project funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, has launched a new Web site that maps out cancer “hot spots” in the United States, informing consumers of the potential cancer risks in certain areas, USA Today reports.
Orange County Health Advocates Await Tobacco Settlement Funds
With the Orange County Board of Supervisors recently opting to drop any further legal challenge to Measure H, the voter-approved ballot measure that requires the county to use the majority of its share of the tobacco settlement for health care initiatives, health care advocates are eagerly anticipating the allocation of the funds, the Orange County Register reports.
Lawmakers Listening About Nursing Shortage, Need to Act
With the United States facing a “growing” nursing shortage, Abigail Trafford writes in a Washington Post “Second Opinion” column that lawmakers “suddenly” have begun to listen to what nurses are saying.