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East Bay hopsitals say new Medicaid rule could cost them millions
San Jose Mercury News - 04-24-2008 - New federal Medicaid rules threaten to take millions more from East Bay public hospitals already bracing for steep state and local budget cuts. Hospital leaders said Thursday they could be forced to dramatically curtail services if the changes go into effect next month. Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland stands to lose $100 million annually, more than 20 percent of its budget.
More emergency rooms open away from hospitals
USA Today - 04-25-2008 - High-tech emergency departments — staffed with doctors and nurses but often miles from a hospital — are increasing rapidly nationwide. The centers offer convenience to patients and can ease overcrowding in nearby hospital ERs. Yet, they also have spurred questions about their limited services, their ability to decrease the overall burden for area hospitals and their impact on health care spending.
Exodus of specialists from ERs raises concerns
Los Angeles Times - 04-25-2008 - Today, specialists not only have dumped the doughnuts, they've abandoned emergency rooms in droves. One more sign of a deteriorating safety net, their exodus is both a cause and a result of the backlogs that plague hospital emergency rooms across Southern California. Their dwindling numbers affect the uninsured and the insured alike.
FDA takes closer look at Lasik complaints
USA Today - 04-24-2008 - While most Lasik eye surgery recipients walk away with crisper vision, not everyone's a good candidate. An unlucky few do suffer life-changing side effects: poor vision, painful dry eyes, glare or problems seeing at night. Beginning with a public hearing, the FDA is starting a new effort to determine if warnings about Lasik eye surgery's risks are appropriate. The agency also is pairing with eye surgeons for a study expected to enroll hundreds of Lasik patients to better understand who has bad outcomes and exactly what their complaints are.
Higher Wealth Linked to Lower Risk of Early Stroke
US News & World Report - 04-24-2008 - The old saying, rich or poor, it's good to have money, appears to apply to the risk of stroke, a new Dutch study finds. Wealthy Americans have a lower risk of stroke between the ages of 50 and 64, according to the data on the almost 20,000 participants in the ongoing University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study.
Senate fast-tracks Medicaid bill
Wall Street Journal - 04-25-2008 - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked a procedure Thursday night to fast-track legislation that would block Medicaid rules likely to cut federal health-care spending on the poor and force states to absorb billions of dollars in costs.
Bill on Genetic Bias Advances
Wall Street Journal - 04-25-2008 - With a unanimous Senate vote Thursday, Congress is poised to clear landmark legislation barring insurers and employers from discriminating based on a person's genetic makeup, a move many employers dislike but one that could accelerate both genetic testing and research on personalized medicine.
