gt california

ALSO NOTED: Plavix copycat on the rise in Europe; Hospital bills for services to dead patient; and much more...

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Pharma giants Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb are preparing to battle a copycat generic to its Plavix brand. FiercePharma

> Talk about a nasty billing conflict: A deceased patient's husband and the hospital that cared for her went through a months-long wrangle over services delivered after his wife died. FierceHealthFinance

> Experts are wondering whether vaccines can provide immunity in the absence of natural exposure to those diseases. FierceVaccines

> California hospital upstart Prime Healthcare has joined the Premier healthcare alliance to begin reporting quality data. Article

And Finally... Wow. People will do just about anything for pizza. Article

ALSO NOTED: MN law bars hospitals from reviewing patient debt before services; Congress may regulate direct-to-consumer drug ad

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Minnesota lawmakers have passed a bill blocking hospitals from examining a patient's medical debt history before offering services. FierceHealthFinance

> Congress is holding hearings this week on the state of direct-to-consumer drug advertising, which could lead to a new law further regulating these ads. FiercePharma

> Researchers are now exploring the possibility of creating a brain cancer vaccine. FierceVaccines

> California should soon give out its first $271 million in grants designed to foster the creation of labs studying stem cell therapies. FierceBiotech

And Finally... Police chief shoots himself in the ankle while waving loaded gun at firearms class. 'Nuff said. Article

ALSO NOTED: DC prescription data mining ban faces challenges; View from a Maryland Blue plan; and much more...

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> As elsewhere in the country, D.C. has instituted rules limiting data mining for physician prescribing patterns--but will they stand? Article

> CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield's CEO talks about building a secure electronic health record system--and rolling out pay-for-performance. Article

> California has expanded its data protection rules to require disclosure when electronic health data or health insurance information is breached. FierceHealthIT

> A new study suggests that some point-of-care IT technology can sometimes get in nurses' way. FierceHealthIT

And Finally... Wait--is someone driving that car? Article

ALSO NOTED: CMS "secret shoppers" attend Medicare health plan pitches; CA health plans adding interpreters; and much more...

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> CMS "secret shoppers" have begun attending insurance agents' sales pitches for Medicare managed care plans to see how they work. Article

> California insurers are working to comply with new state rules requiring them to provide interpreters and translations of documents to beneficiaries who aren't fluent in English. Article

> A new bill which would create incentives for health information exchange has gotten stalled in the Senate. FierceHealthIT

> HHS head Mike Leavitt is arguing that not only Medicare, but also private payers, should force physicians to use e-prescribing technology. FierceHealthIT

And Finally... This doctor's seeing double--and I don't mean that he needs eye surgery. Article

ALSO NOTED: Calif. hospitals can delay costly earthquake upgrades; IT can give nurses more patient care time; and much more...

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> California has approved a new, less-stringent method of assessing hospital earthquake risk which spares many hospitals from making expensive retrofits. Article

> New research suggests that nurses can boost their time with patients if hospitals use health IT wisely. FierceHealthIT

> A Cincinnati health organization has bought the area's largest independent doctors group. Article

> While there's no harm in setting up regional groups to share health data electronically, it's unlikely they'll ever be merged into a single national network without government help, according to a new report. FierceHealthIT

And Finally... Hey, could you text me some cheese sticks with that? Article

ALSO NOTED: Calif. facilities nervously await Medi-Cal money; Hospital fires NC Blue plan; and much more...

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:59:50 -0400

> California hospitals, clinics and nursing homes are facing big problems because the state hasn't approved its budget, delaying their Medi-Cal payments indefinitely. Article

> Talks fell apart between Greensboro, N.C.-based Moses Cone Health System and the state's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan. The health system wanted a raise, but BCBS wasn't ready to pay, so the hospital dropped its BCBS contract. Article

> The former director of neonatal intensive care at Missouri-based Research Medical Center and Centerpoint Medical Center is suing HCA Midwest to get his job back. Article

> Officials with Atlanta's struggling Grady Memorial Hospital are continuing their fight to keep it alive, angrily dismissing critics who claim that they're not running the facility very well. Article

> Health IT played a major role in helping some California medical groups meet pay for performance standards, according to a new report. FierceHealthIT

> One analyst firm is predicting RFID use in healthcare will explode over the next four years. FierceHealthIT

And Finally... Gastric bypass surgery: the latest fashionable Hollywood secret. Article

ALSO NOTED: Calif. increases nursing school slots; Joint Commission launches rights campaign; and much more...

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:01:30 -0400

> California is taking steps to open more slots in nursing schools. Prospective nurses currently face long waiting lists to get into such programs. Article

> The Joint Commission has launched a campaign designed to teach patients what their rights are when receiving medical care. Release

> Dallas-based Parkland Memorial Hospital is upgrading its aging, overcrowded facility--at a whopping $1.2 billion cost. Article

> Tufts-New England Medical Center is cutting back staff a bit in the wake of slower-than-expected inpatient admissions. Article

> A new study suggests that despite popular belief, EMRs can't single-handedly improve diabetes care. Article

> Here's the story of how one Texas health system has subsidized EMRs for physicians. Article

> The New York Times concludes that a broad array of pharma and biotech companies are looking for new therapies to treat Alzheimer's, which is expected to claim millions of more victims as the populations of developed countries age. Report

> Scientists at Penn and Howard Hughes Medical Institute believe that their investigation of the role fat metabolism plays in the development of Type 2 diabetes has pointed to a new drug target. Report

And Finally... Now that's one tough guy. Article

ALSO NOTED: WI hospitals face low profits; CA HMOs offer high-deductible plans; and much more...

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:01:30 -0400

> A new survey suggests that when taken as a whole--rather than hospital by hospital--Wisconsin health systems aren't that profitable. Article

> California's HMOs have begun offering CDHPs, which have mostly been a PPO product in the past. Article

> Baltimore-area hospitals are have kicked off aggressive efforts to avoid hospital-acquired infections, driven in part by the state's hospital infection reporting requirements. Report

> A new survey suggests that patient safety is the top reason providers invest in IT. Report

> The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center came under fire last week when it admitted that patient-identifiable data had been posted on its website. Report

> Several state Medicaid programs have begun working together to collaborate on EMR development efforts. Report

> Hospitals have begun to rely on discharge management software to improve both clinical care and staff workflow. Report

And Finally... Getting staff members to change even one simple behavior can be really tough: Just ask this hospital CEO. Blog

ALSO NOTED: State gives San Francisco $73M for reform plans; $12M for state trauma centers; and much more...

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:01:30 -0400

> California is giving the city of San Francisco $73 million to implement its new universal health coverage program. Article

> Emergency medical services got a bit of a boost this week, with the passage of a House bill allocating $12 million for state trauma care. Article

> A new report says that U.S. spending on antidepressant and antipsychotic meds rose dramatically from 1997 to 2004. Article

> Some Minnesota state legislators are kicking around the idea of giving state-funded patients $20 gift cards if they follow doctors' orders. Article

> Retail clinic operator RediClinic has entered the Richmond market, opening eight clinics inside WalMart stores. Article

And Finally... Do physicians tell the best stories? Article

ALSO NOTED: The debate over the future of SCHIP continues; CA lists worst hospitals for pneumonia care; and much more...

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:01:30 -0500

> At Hospital Impact, blogger Tony Chen has a great interview with U.S. Preventative Medicine President Brian Baum. Baum discusses what makes his company unique, the public's response to the company's advertising campaign and the future of preventative medicine in the United States. Interview

> The debate over the future of SCHIP continues. Report

> California has released a list of the worst hospitals for care for pneumonia. Article

And Finally… The Mayo Clinic is bringing medical knowledge to your mobile phone. Report