Medicare change looming
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - 06-18-2008 - The new system, which goes into effect July 1, means patients have only a few weeks to arrange for such items as power wheelchairs, diabetic supplies, oxygen tanks and walkers if their supplier has been dropped by Medicare. Approximately 400,000 patients in San Bernardino and Riverside counties will be affected.
Bill that would allow drugstores to share customer records killed
Los Angeles Times - 06-18-2008 - Last week's column on California legislation that would allow drugstores to share people's prescription-drug records with mass-mailers clearly struck a chord with readers. And I'm glad to say it resonated with lawmakers as well.
Prison healthcare facility OK'd
Ventura County Star - 06-18-2008 - The federal receiver charged with bringing healthcare in California prisons up to constitutional standards is seeking to begin construction as early as next year on a 1,500-inmate healthcare facility on the grounds of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo.
Diet can shut off cancer genes
Contra Costa Times - 06-16-2008 - The benefits of eating right and staying active may extend well beyond your physique, all the way down to your genes, Bay Area scientists have found.
Music provides healing grace note for hospital patients
USA Today - 06-18-2008 - Hospitals around the country are using music as a way to ease patients' pain, lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and depression and improve coping abilities to get patients well, faster. A 2007 survey by the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, along with the Joint Commission and Americans for the Arts, found that of the 1,923 healthcare facilities surveyed, 35% offered some type of music to patients. Besides promoting relaxation and reducing stress, music therapy has been shown to affect sleep patterns, improve stroke patients' memories and decrease the amount of sedation medication needed for some patients.
Man gets prison time for $100 million health fraud
(AP) - 06-18-2008 - A former healthcare executive was sentenced to five years in prison for helping his Philippines-based company swindle $100 million from the U.S. military health insurance program. Thomas Lutz, 41, took responsibility for the six-year scheme in which Health Visions Corp. bilked $99.9 million from the military's Tricare program through inflated and fraudulent claims. The scheme deprived Tricare, which insures 9.2 million current and retired service members and dependents, of money it could have used to provide care for others, said U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb.
Be cautious about Medi-Cal letters about your home
Visalia Times-Delta - 06-18-2008 - In recent court decisions, Senior Care Advocates was prohibited from performing any act of practice of Medi-Cal planning. If you receive a letter from them wanting to protect your home from Medi-Cal, please report it to the Tulare Senior Center office or bring the letter in to us. This does not prevent them from completing the Home Owners or Renters forms, but why pay them when you can come to the Tulare Senior Center for free.
Health REITs Provide Bright Spot
Wall Street Journal - 06-18-2008 - Even as the slow economy and credit crunch push many developers to the sidelines, health-care real-estate investment trusts are providing one of the few bright spots as they expand their development pipelines.
FDA Expects to Open
China Offices in '08
Wall Street Journal - 06-18-2008 - Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said three Food and Drug Administration offices should open in China this year to help ensure the safety of products destined for the U.S.
