CALOPTIMA: L.A. Times Lauds Program
An editorial in Sunday's Los Angeles Times/Orange County Edition praises the early successes of CalOPTIMA, the county's managed care Medi-Cal system. The Times says CalOPTIMA's designers "deserve credit for mapping an uncharted path" in providing $500 million annually in health care services for the county's 200,000 poor and disabled residents. The Times notes, however, the need to ensure that "the disabled get care from the proper specialists" and that plan administrators determine how "to measure the quality of health care it delivers." Pointing out that CalOPTIMA has succeeded in giving enrollees greater access to doctors, cutting down on time spent in hospitals and keeping participating doctors satisfied with the system, the Times concludes: "If it continues to earn good reviews from patients and doctors, it deserves to be replicated in other counties inside and outside California" (11/15). Click here for recent coverage of CalOPTIMA.
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