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Field Poll: Voters who've heard of Proposition 3 tend to favor it
Sacramento Bee - 09-30-2008 - California voters who have heard about Proposition 3 on the Nov. 4 ballot are mostly in favor of it, according to a new Field Poll. But the possible problem for supporters of the measure is that few voters have heard of it. The initiative seeks voter approval of $980 million in bonds to pay for renovation, expansion and new equipment at eight private and five University of California Children's Hospitals.
Four bills Schwarzenegger should sign
Los Angeles Times - 09-30-2008 - It's amazing that California lawmakers were able to pass anything this year, given their inability to produce a timely and responsible budget... Assembly Bill 1945, this important bill by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) takes on the problem of insurance companies retroactively revoking coverage, sometimes on dubious grounds.
Crisis of care on the front line of health
New York Times - 09-30-2008 - Finding doctors who know their patients well and who deliver informed medical care with efficiency and empathy has become quite a challenge: Primary care doctors spend far more time talking to patients and helping them avert health crises or cope with ailments that are chronic and incurable than they spend performing tests and procedures. According to this article in the New York Times, the problem is that in this era of managed care and reimbursements dictated by Medicare and other insurers, doctors don't get much compensation for talking to patients. Instead, they get paid primarily for procedures, from blood tests to surgery, and for the number of patients they see, the article contends.
Economic slump finds more people on Medicaid
Detroit Free Press - 09-30-2008 - The nation's slumping economy is triggering growing Medicaid enrollment, a challenge to states like Michigan as they serve more uninsured people, state and national Medicaid experts said Monday.
Judge calls on Los Angeles council to reconsider OK of hospital expansion
Los Angeles Times - 09-30-2008 - A judge has issued a tentative ruling calling for the Los Angeles City Council to reconsider its decision allowing a San Fernando Valley hospital to expand. Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew said the 15-member council used the wrong voting process when it approved a $180-million expansion at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. The decision hands a victory to the union activists and neighborhood groups that had criticized the project for not addressing the effect of the project on traffic and parking.
Outbreak of stress afflicts nurses
Chicago Tribune - 09-30-2008 - Emotional and physical fatigue have contributed to a profound nursing shortage in hospitals across country. Now, many hospitals are trying to improve nursing morale, and in turn patient care, by creating programs that reinforce healthy habits and eliminate bad ones.
Depression risk high for heart patients
San Francisco Chronicle - 09-30-2008 - Patients with heart disease should be screened and treated for depression because it can adversely affect their health outlook and quality of life, according to a new report by the American Heart Association.
Seniors in poor areas more likely to die after surgery
Washington Post - 09-30-2008 - Elderly Americans who live in low-income ZIP codes are more likely to die after surgery than those who live in higher-income ZIP codes, according to a study analyzing death rates among more than one million older adults who had one of six common high-risk heart or cancer surgeries. The risk of death was between 17% and 39% higher for patients in low-income ZIP codes, mainly because the quality of care is lower at hospitals in lower socioeconomic areas, according to the study authors.
Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes
New York Times - 09-30-2008 - More than 90 percent of nursing homes were cited for violations of federal health and safety standards last year, and for-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types of nursing homes, federal investigators say in a report issued on Monday.
Under Sweeping Settlement, Cephalon Will Disclose Doctor Payments
Wall Street Journal - 09-30-2008 - Cephalon is paying $444 million to settle long-running state and federal probes of its sales and marketing practices. The company also agreed to plead guilty to promoting painkiller Actiq, narcolepsy pill Provigil and the epilepsy treatment Gabitril for uses that weren’t approved by FDA.
Paying workers to go abroad for healthcare
Wall Street Journal - 09-30-2008 - Insured Americans are starting to see some unusual options in their health-provider networks: doctors and hospitals in Singapore, Costa Rica and other foreign destinations.
