Two of California's largest insurers have been selling health coverage intended to be a safety net for the state's sick and jobless at premiums that exceed state-issued rates. Two other companies uniformly adhere to the state-issued rates. But a Los Angeles Times investigation found that Blue Shield of California's premiums are as much as 55% higher. And those charged by Anthem Blue Cross have been as much as 36% higher.
A debate over who has the most "top docs" in South Jersey, Virtua Health or Cooper Health System, remained unresolved after the first of what could be several sessions before Camden County Superior Court Judge Mary E. Colalillo. Colalillo lifted a temporary restraining order that barred Virtua from boasting in an advertising campaign that it had the most top doctors. The campaign can continue, as long as Virtua eliminates the claim that the findings were based on an "independent study." Virtua also agreed to drop a claim that it had "twice as many" top physicians as any other health system.
Drug-resistant staph infections are more common in Illinois hospital patients than previously thought, according to new data from the Illinois Hospital Association. But the overwhelming majority of hospital patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, were already infected before being admitted, the data suggests. The findings highlight how prevalent the drug-defying bacteria have become in Illinois communities as well as the importance of measures to stem the spread of infections.
Stocks in the healthcare sector have performed better than their counterparts in other industries due to steady demand, strong earnings, and finances and expectations of industry consolidation. While the sector has long been viewed as defensive, healthcare's success comes even as other traditionally defensive sectors have been hurt in the broader downturn.
Fires during surgery are raising concerns about the risks of burn injuries to patients. Patient-safety groups and medical specialty organizations are stepping up efforts to raise awareness of risks and provide guidelines for prevention. Hospitals are conducting operating-room fire drills that teach how to fight fires that break out on the drapes, gowns, or skin of surgical patients and extinguish flames. They're also developing training programs to educate staffers on the dangers of burns from medical equipment and procedures.
China announced that it was investigating whether 17 Japanese tourists had received illegal kidney and liver transplants in China.
China has banned all transplants for foreigners because an estimated 1.5 million Chinese are on waiting lists for transplants. The ban was issued May 1, 2007. "China strongly opposes organ transplant tourism," the Ministry of Health said in a statement on its Web site, adding that the hospitals and medical personnel "who carried out the organ transplants against the rules will be severely dealt with according to the law."