Latest California Healthline Stories
Thompson Backs Bush Drug Plan at Confirmation Hearing
Senate Finance Committee members yesterday urged HHS Secretary-designate and Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) to push for large-scale Medicare reform and a universal prescription drug benefit for seniors, with several senators cautioning him that President-elect Bush’s short term drug plan will not be well-received.
Financial Losses in California Emergency Rooms Call for State Action, Study Finds
“Swamped by patients and hemorrhaging money,” California’s emergency rooms will “flat-line and die” without financial help from the state, a study by the California Medical Association has found.
Attorney General’s Office Hosts Public Hearing on Sutter-Mercy Merger
Gathering input on the proposed merger of Sutter Merced Medical Center and Catholic Healthcare West’s Mercy Hospital, Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s (D) office hosted a public hearing last night, the Modesto Bee reports.
Study Supports Clinton Administration Ergonomics Regulations
Work-related repetitive stress injuries “impose a significant economic burden” — $50 billion per year in compensation costs, lost wage and lost productivity,” according to a Congress-commissioned study by the National Academy of Sciences.
Satcher Report Links Media Violence to Kids’ Behavior
A report released yesterday by Surgeon General David Satcher shows a “scientific link between graphically violent television programming and increased aggression in children,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA Proposes New Rules for Gene Therapy Trials
In a “major” policy shift, the FDA yesterday issued a proposed new rule that would lift the “cloak of secrecy” from gene therapy and xenotransplantation — transplanting animal cells into humans — experiments, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
TrustData Announces Email Privacy Product
San Jose-based TrustData Solutions Corp. yesterday announced the release of Trusted Messaging, a service intended to address HIPAA privacy regulations by protecting email messages and attachments that contain patients’ “personally identifiable [health] information.”
Assembly Examines Options to Prevent Physician Group Failures
In the wake of numerous recent medical group failures, Assembly Health Committee members yesterday examined measures aimed at bolstering the financial health of physicians’ groups and preventing “patient upheaval” resulting from medical practice closures, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Federal Rules to Require Methadone Clinic Accreditation
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published new rules yesterday that will require methadone clinics to be accredited like hospitals and other health care facilities, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Los Angeles County Inmates Complain of Treatment Delays
The Los Angeles County jails’ medical care system is “fraught with serious delays in access to doctors, lapses in prescription renewals and interruptions in treatment for inmates” being transferred, according to a report for the county Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles Times reports.