Latest California Healthline Stories
L.A. Care CEO Resigns Over Conflict of Interest Concerns
Anthony Rodgers, the “generally well-regarded” CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, has resigned just two weeks after being placed on leave over conflict of interest concerns, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Autistic Boy Granted Political Asylum
The INS has granted political asylum to an autistic boy from Pakistan whose mother claimed he would face persecution because of his condition if he returned home, the AP/Washington Times reports.
Health Net’s Profits Rise 24% in Fourth Quarter
Health Net Inc., one of California’s biggest health insurers, yesterday announced that its fourth-quarter profits increased 24%, “as it attracted customers with lower-cost health plans,” Bloomberg News/Los Angeles Times reports.
Time Examines California Doctor Working Outside of Managed Care
In the “Steve Lopez’s America” column in this week’s Time magazine, columnist Lopez reports on Bill Davis, a California physician “fed up” with managed care who opted to quit his job at Sutter West Medical Group to practice with the not-for-profit Winters Health Care Foundation.
WSJ Examines Federal Government’s Online Medical Information
As part of its special “Health & Medicine” section yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported on the steps the federal government has taken to allow doctors and consumers to access medical information through the Internet. In April 1996, the National Library of Medicine made its medical and scientific database, Medline, available online free of charge.
CalPERS May Reject All HMO Bids, Citing High Rates
CalPERS today will likely turn away all bids submitted by HMOs that seek to cover the program’s 1.1 million members in 2002, citing “[un]justifiable services and rates,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lockyer Lends Support to Marijuana Club in Supreme Court Case
The state of California is joining various civil liberties and public health groups to lend support to the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club in its U.S. Supreme Court case “standoff” with the federal government over medical marijuana laws, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Bush May Hire Coordinator for Biotech Issues
As the FDA, USDA, EPA and U.S. Trade Representatives office may present views on biotech and genomic issues that “conflict” with one another, President Bush is considering a proposal to hire a “biotechnology coordinator” to present a “single voice” for the administration’s opinions, the Boston Globe reports.
Windsor Garden Nursing Home Still Troubled by Poor Patient Care
Despite efforts to improve quality of care for patients, Golden Hill-based Windsor Gardens nursing home still does not meet “many health requirements,” according to a new report by state licensing surveyors, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Journal Retracts Stanford Docs’ Articles
The journal Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy and Percutaneous Techniques has retracted a pair of research articles written by Drs. Camran and Farr Nezhat, directors of the Stanford Endoscopy Center for Training and Technology, in the “latest twist” in the controversy surrounding a surgical technique the brothers developed, the San Jose Mercury News reports.