08/30/2010
Tricia West -- a registered nurse who was president and CEO of P.J. West & Associates, a legal consulting firm that reviewed cases involving Medicare fraud -- has been named CEO of the California Board of Registered Nursing. Part of West's duties will be to ensure timely reporting of investigations involving alleged medical violations. West's new position begins Sept 15. Ventura County Star.
08/30/2010
A judge has denied Skilled Healthcare's bid for a mistrial ruling and issued an injunction ordering the nursing home chain to comply with California's mandated staffing levels. Attorneys in the case are due back in court tomorrow. Eureka Times-Standard, Bloomberg.
08/27/2010
The California Department of Public Health has reversed its ruling issued earlier this month that the nursing home run by the Motion Picture and Television Fund broke state law by failing to provide discharge notices to residents before transferring them. Ralph Montano, a DPH spokesperson, said the decision was changed because a formal closure process was never initiated. Los Angeles Times' "Company Town."
08/27/2010
The California Department of Public Health has received 3,766 patient data breach notifications from Jan. 1, 2009, through May 31, 2010, and has found that nearly 99% of the breaches were "substantiated medical breaches." The state's data breach reporting requirements differ from federal regulation, which allows health care providers to determine the "harm threshold" of a breach and report breaches only when they deem that the breach would significantly harm the individual involved. HealthLeaders Media.
08/27/2010
Although annual state spending on prison medical care has more than doubled in recent years, a new report finds that California's prison system is not providing the minimum standard of health care in four of five key areas. AP/Ventura County Star, KPCC's "KPCC News."
08/26/2010
Gov. Schwarzenegger will not be able to implement his plan to prevent individuals with certain convictions from working as In-Home Supportive Services caregivers. A judge recently ruled that the plan would harm patients and caregivers. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
08/24/2010
On Monday, a U.S. district judge ruled that the federal government cannot fund embryonic stem cell research because doing so would violate a law that protects against the destruction of human embryos. The White House did not comment on the ruling. New York Times et al.
08/24/2010
California prison officials say the state's prison medical system has improved enough to end the receivership issued by a federal judge in 2004. However, KPCC's "KPCC News" reports that the prison medical system still lacks key reforms, in part because of the state's multibillion-dollar budget deficit. KPCC's "KPCC News."
08/23/2010
The Obama administration is working to enhance patient privacy guidelines after criticism emerged that the proposed rules failed to adequately protect patient data. HHS officials plan to release final rules on safeguarding patient medical information this fall. New York Times.
08/23/2010
In 1999, California enacted a law mandating specific numbers of nurses in various hospital departments, and the law "is likely the most significant patient safety reform in state history" because it "reduces patient deaths and assures nurses more time to spend with patients," according to Geri Jenkins, a San Diego-based registered nurse and past co-president of the California Nurses Association. However, John Graham -- director of Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute -- and Robert Hertzka -- former president of the California Medical Association -- write, "Such laws move responsibility for safe hospital staffing away from communities and local governments in favor of distant bureaucracies," adding that the California law "has resulted in cases of reduced patient care." San Diego Union-Tribune.
08/23/2010
A California Watch review finds that Attorney General Jerry Brown's office has prosecuted fewer elder abuse cases than his predecessor. Officials in Brown's office say there has been no conscious effort to downplay elder abuse cases. California Watch/San Francisco Chronicle.
08/20/2010
The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has proposed a 29.6% increase for employer-provided premiums, citing 2005 reforms that led to a boost in the severity of claims. Gov. Schwarzenegger and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner have opposed similar premium increases, but they are unlikely to address the issue before their terms in office end. Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert."
08/19/2010
Eli Lilly has halted two late-stage clinical trials for its experimental Alzheimer's treatment semagacestat, after it worsened patients' symptoms and increased their risk for skin cancer. Semagacestat was designed to block an enzyme in the brain that prompts the formation of amyloid plaque, the buildup of which is widely believed to cause Alzheimer's. However, an interim analysis of the trials analyzing the drug's effectiveness in 2,600 patients showed that cognition and ability to execute daily tasks deteriorated more in participants taking the drug than in those taking a placebo. New York Times, Wall Street Journal.
08/19/2010
Prescription drug information provided to patients by pharmacies varies widely in content and can be difficult for patients to read and understand, according to a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine. Prescription drug information leaflets provided by pharmacies are not regulated by FDA and are produced through private publishing companies. While longer leaflets contain more of the information recommended by FDA, few leaflets meet all of FDA's standards for the materials. Reuters.
08/18/2010
Los Angeles County supervisors have requested that health care officials and the county CEO develop a plan to address patient safety standards, after a recent study concluded that costs for malpractice cases in the county have increased by 50%. Los Angeles Times.