Insights

<p>Here's more coverage of the California budget cuts and their impact on health care, along with some new ideas for stories. </p>

<p>The general media consensus is that the state's Republicans won big in forcing major cuts in health and welfare programs, while Democrats are spinning their victory in saving the CalWORKS welfare program and the popular Healthy Families children's health insurance program from being
eliminated outright. </p>

<p>Ask your doctors about the hardest period of their lives, and they likely will say their medical residency. The hours are long. The work is mentally and physically exhausting. There's little credit when you get something right. Getting something terribly wrong can send you packing.</p> <p>Dr. Bruce Anthony Ames, Jr. (Oregon License No. 23261, California 97046) found a hobby, of sorts, to relieve his stress.</p>

<p><br />
As California lawmakers finally <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-california-budget22-2009jul22,0… a budget agreement</a>, it's time to start assessing how the proposed deep cuts in health care services may affect your community. </p>

<p>Public Citizen put together an <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/1873.pdf">important report</a> in May that was mostly missed by the <a href="http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/042209/sta_431717193.shtml">press</…; (including me).</p> <p>It's a comprehensive and critical investigation of <a href="http://www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov/">The National Practitioner Data Bank</a> (NPDB), created by the <a href="http://www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov/legislation/title4.html">Health Care Quality Improvement Act</a> 19 years ago, ostensibly to protect patients from rogue doctors.</p>

<p><a href="/blogs/qa-andrew-schneider-part-1-what-do-when-big-story-finds-you"><br /></a></p>

<p>To be generous, we could say that Dr. Alexander Kalk of Creve Coeur, Mo. was a workaholic.</p> <p>He literally lived in his medical office, according to the medical board in Missouri, and was so busy, apparently, that he did not have time to change his clothes or take a shower.</p> <p>Walking around in the same clothes day after day might make a guy irritable. So perhaps it's understandable that he took to berating his employees and sending threatening messages to a medical billing company.</p>

<p>I am a California Broadcast Fellow this year. For my fellowship project, I am developing three series of radio reports 1590 KLIV, an all-news radio station in San Jose, Ca. and I'm looking for feedback. Here's a synopsis of the three series:</p><p> <b>1. What's Killing Silicon Valley?</b></p>

<p>Often following a major journalistic investigation a governor or a senator or a president even will call for hearings or declare the creation of a blue ribbon panel to assess the situation and decide how to proceed. </p><p>Years can go by before a report, usually thick with euphemism and buck passing, lands on someone's desk, often a different governor or senator or president than the one who called for the assessment. Processes are "streamlined." Efficiencies are realized. Nothing really changes.</p>