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Low-income West Contra Costa women travel to Martinez to give birth
Contra Costa Times - 05-05-2008 - Scores of low-income, West Contra Costa women must travel to the county hospital in Martinez to give birth because they no longer have a welcoming hospital closer to home. The result is that the obstetrics unit at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center is now jammed with patients... The scramble to find a hospital that will accept the West County women highlights the difficulty that Medi-Cal patients often have in obtaining care.
Even the Insured Feel Strain of Health Costs
New York Times - 05-04-2008 - The economic slowdown has swelled the ranks of people without health insurance. But now it is also threatening millions of people who have insurance but find that the coverage is too limited or that they cannot afford their own share of medical costs.
States Look to Rein In Private Medicare Plans
New York Times - 05-05-2008 - State officials say they will soon ask Congress for more power to regulate the marketing of private Medicare insurance plans to older Americans because they are still receiving complaints of high-pressure sales tactics that have led some beneficiaries to sign up for unsuitable policies.
NPI deadline: Insurers won't pay claims with old IDs after May 23
American Medical News - 05-12-2008 - Starting May 23, physicians must use only their National Provider Identifiers in place of any other IDs when filing all electronic claims and some paper claims with Medicare and other payers. The Bush administration already has extended this deadline by a year, but organizations representing doctors and others warn that even more time is needed before they will be ready to make the final transition.
Wheelchair Place closes
Redding.com - 04-26-2008 - Budget cuts that have dramatically reduced the amount of reimbursement Simpson got from Medicare and Medi-Cal proved too much to overcome, he said. "I had to personally finance this company the last couple of years to a point that I don't want to put any more of my money back into the business," Simpson said.
Mental health help hit by budget crunch
San Jose Mercury News - 05-05-2008 - Hundreds of psychiatric patients will no longer receive personal therapy or casework. Sixteen low-income schools will lose on-site crisis-intervention services. Group homes for teens may see a vital county subsidy disappear.
Democratic and Republican healthcare plans offer clear choices
Los Angeles Times - 05-05-2008 - John McCain wants better and cheaper coverage for more Americans. So do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But their strategies for achieving those goals are fundamentally different.
Triage plan details whom to let die during a pandemic
(AP) - 05-05-2008 - Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won't get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding whom to let die.
LAPD dietitian teaches recruits to eat healthier
Los Angeles Daily News - 05-05-2008 - Faced with an increasing number of plump recruits, the LAPD last summer moved to become one of the first major police departments in the country to hire a dietitian to teach officers how to eat right and live healthy.
More who need major surgery are leaving U.S.
San Francisco Chronicle - 05-04-2008 - Robert Lupo of Santa Rosa had never been on an airplane until last month, when he flew to India to get his hip replaced.
Doctor finds higher calling when death knocks
San Francisco Chronicle - 05-04-2008 - Dr. Frank Artress looked down at his fingers. His nail beds were turning blue. He was running out of oxygen near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Doctor disciplinary actions down for 3rd year
American Medical News - 05-12-2008 - Nationwide, total disciplinary actions are down 15% from a 2004 high, according to an April report by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Prejudicial actions, which include serious discipline such as license revocations and suspensions, have dropped 17% from 2004 to 2007.
Rulings limit patients' ability to sue device firms, drugmakers
American Medical News - 05-12-2008 - Some physicians and consumer advocates worry that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a pending case could take away a key agent in patient safety when it comes to medical devices and pharmaceuticals -- the courts.
Wal-Mart expands low-price drug program
(AP) - 05-05-2008 - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, announced Monday it would expand its discounted prescription drug program to offer 90-day supplies for $10 and add several women's' medications at a discount. It also said it would lower the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs.
Dr. S. Avery Clarence Jr.
Oakland Tribune - 05-03-2008 - August 19, 1926 - April 24, 2008 Clarence Avery passed away suddenly on Thursday, April 24th. He was a prominent local general surgeon practicing in the East Bay and had a distinguished career in medicine, medical politics and community affairs. He was 81...He held many positions, including the first African American president of both the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association and the California Medical Association.
Medical Specialties Hit by a Growing Pay Gap
Wall Street Journal - 05-05-2008 - As a neuro-ophthalmologist, Larry Frohman diagnoses unusual visual problems and many complex nervous disorders that often baffle other doctors. He's also part of an endangered species.
Parents Advised to Monitor Teen Use of Insulin Pumps
Wall Street Journal - 05-05-2008 - Insulin pumps are used by tens of thousands of teenagers world-wide with Type 1 diabetes, but they can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, according to a review by federal regulators.
