Latest California Healthline Stories
San Diego County Moves Forward with Public Authority for In-Home Caregivers
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided to “expedite the establishment of a public authority” to employ the county’s approximately 13,000 in-home health care workers, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
House Passes Measure to Protect Medicare Surplus
The House yesterday overwhelmingly passed a measure, on a 407-2 vote, that would prevent lawmakers from spending Social Security and Medicare surpluses on anything but “reducing the national debt or improving the programs themselves,” the AP/Orange County Register reports.
California Board of Pharmacy Addresses Shortage
A national pharmacist shortage is creating “intense” competition between retail pharmacies, drug companies and medical groups, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
California’s Health Care System ‘Out of Sync’ with Resources
When KPC Medical Management declared bankruptcy three months ago, it was just one of the many “symptom[s] of a [heath care] system out of sync with resources,” the Orange County Register reports.
Hillary Clinton’s First Senate Speech Focuses on Health
In her first speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) proposed expanding the CHIP program and urged President Bush to support the McCain-Kennedy Patient Protection Act, the Albany Times Union reports.
Ventura Supervisors Approve Members for Tobacco Funds Committee
Ventura County supervisors yesterday approved an 11-member committee to offer advice on how to spend the $261 million the county will receive as part of the national tobacco settlement, the Ventura County Star reports
Consumer Groups Petition Managed Care Department to Allow Access to Arbitration Records
Through a petition, two consumer organizations are asking the state’s Department of Managed Health Care to require health plans to disclose all documents and information obtained during arbitration processes to resolve care disputes, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Democrats Urge Bush to Support Patients Rights Bill
Hoping to “regain some legislative momentum,” congressional Democrats yesterday urged President Bush to support the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act unveiled last week, the Washington Times reports.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation Begins Testing Web-Based Program
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Sutter Health and an adjunct to the Palo Alto physicians group, has started testing a new Web-based system that allows patients to view their own medical records, request appointments and renew prescriptions on-line, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Beth Israel Seeks Lucrative Drug Industry Partnership
Potentially propelling Harvard Medical School to a “new level of cooperation” with the drug industry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has announced it is seeking to establish a highly collaborative partnership with a major pharmaceutical company, the Boston Globe reports.