Healthcare

Danville: Pack Family Advocates for Patient Safety Ballot Measure

October 28, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="bodytext"><span id="default"><span id="MNGiSection">DANVILLE -- Almost 10 years to the day after their 10-year-old son, Troy, and 7-year-old daughter, Alana, were killed by an intoxicated driver, Danville residents Bob and Carmen Pack led a gathering of friends, family, and well-wishers to honor the memory of their children and to advocate for legislative changes that they hope will prevent similar tragedies.</span></span></p>

Activists Want Drug Testing of California Doctors

October 14, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Activists advocating statewide mandatory drug and alcohol testing for doctors took their case this weekend to the streets of Anaheim, just outside the Disneyland Hotel as doctors and their advocates met inside for the annual convention of the <a href="http://www.cmanet.org/">California Medical Association</a>, which represents 35,000 doctors statewide.</p>

Music Video Asks: Do Doctors Have To Pee In A Cup?

October 10, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ENR9jAABiys" width="420"></iframe></p> <br /> <p>Drug tests for students and potential employees are becoming the norm.  But what if doctors had to take them too?  Californians might get a chance to vote on that.</p>

Shouldn’t Doctors Have To Pee In The Cup Too?

October 9, 2013  ·  Jamie Court

<p>Pilots, college athletes, bus drivers and Disneyland cast members all are subjected to mandatory drug testing, but not the doctor performing open heart surgery, or a vasectomy. Not yet.<br /> <br /> Substance abuse among doctor runs twice as high among doctors as the general population -- 18% of physicians according to the California Medical Board. It's no wonder, they can deal their own drugs.<br /> <br />

Law Enforcement and Public Health in Vernon

October 8, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="HostsProducers"> <strong>Listen to/Watch entire show:</strong></div> <div class="MediaLinks"> <div class="PlayerLinks"> <div class="MediaLinks"> <div class="links Player">

Federal Official at Center of the Health Care Tumult Has Gone Against the Grain

October 1, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p itemprop="articleBody">WASHINGTON — The federal official in charge of <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about health insurance and managed care.">health insurance</a> shopping malls, which open Tuesday under President Obama’s <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/health_care_reform/index.html?inli

Brown Out

September 27, 2013  ·  Jamie Court

<p><img class=" size-full wp-image-2693" alt="" class="insert right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/pillbills_1.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px; " width="120" height="90" />Governor Jerry Brown waited until late Friday to <a href="http://gov.ca.gov/docs/SB_62_Veto_Message.pdf">veto </a>legislation requiring coroners to report to the medical board whenever narcotics cause deaths.  The medical establishment has opposed the bill, which is aimed at weeding out the small number of dangerous and drug dealing doctors who are responsible for the vast majority of prescription drug overdose deaths.<br /> <br />

Is Your Doctor Opposed To Peeing In A Cup? Check The List

September 24, 2013  ·  Jamie Court

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2687" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/images_2013_doesyourdoctorphysiciandrugtesting.jpg" style="width: 211px; height: 246px; float: right; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 4px;" width="300" height="350" />A drunk Orange County plastic surgeon reportedly disfigured at least a half dozen patients before losing his license. A Rocklin anesthesiologist was arrested for taking anesthesia through an extra IV line while administering it to a patient.  A meth-using doctor who was convicted of drug dealing will get his doctor's license back after a year.<br /> <br />

Bill To Regulate Doctors’ Prescription Power Loses Teeth

September 13, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A bill to suspend licenses for physicians accused of overprescribing medication has passed the California Legislature, but supporters aren’t happy.<br /> <br /> Senate Bill 670, authored by Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, would have temporarily restricted doctors who are accused of harming patients by improperly prescribing medicine. But last-minute changes to the proposal stripped out that provision after a flurry of lobbying from the California Medical Association.<br /> <br />

Why Does Dr. Paul Phinney Oppose Doctor Drug Testing? He Won’t Say

September 1, 2013  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="rtecenter"><a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/images/paulphinneypostcard_front.png"><img alt="" src="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/images/paulphinneypostcard_front.png" style="margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 4px; width: 500px; height: 387px;" /></a><br /> <u><strong>Patients Beware</strong></u></p> <p>Dr. Paul Phinney:</p>

Planned Parenthood Backs Caps On Malpractice Damages

August 19, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span style="font-family:Arial;">California supporters of damage caps on <a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/section/articles?tagID=5770">medical malpractice</a> lawsuits have gained an unexpected ally—Planned Parenthood. And that organization is coming under fire for its position on the issue.</span></p>

AM Alert: Opponents Of Cap On Medical Damages Make Case

August 16, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The doctors and lawyers are at it again. We've been keeping tabs on formidable foes clashing over the $250,000 cap on pain and suffering damage awards in medical lawsuits, imposed by the <strong>Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act</strong>, also called MICRA. Today, supporters of raising the cap take their case to legislative staff.</p>