Latest California Healthline Stories
Brown Circulates Draft Plan To Reduce State Inmate Population
Gov. Brown is circulating draft legislation to help the state comply with a federal court order to transfer about 9,600 inmates out of state prisons by the end of the year. However, Brown says that he does not support the proposal. Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal,” Los Angeles Times.
Ambulance Costs To Increase Under New San Diego Deal
On Monday, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a no-bid contract with ambulance service provider Rural/Metro. Under the contract, the average cost of an ambulance ride in San Diego on July 1 will be $1,820, up 39% from an average cost of $1,305 in mid-2011. The council previously had voted to put the ambulance service up for a competitive bid, but the plan was delayed by former Mayor Jerry Saunders and current Mayor Bob Filner. UT-San Diego.
HHS Unveils Website, Call Center To Promote Affordable Care Act
Yesterday, federal officials announced an updated website and a new call center aimed at assisting Americans preparing for open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges in October. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius set a goal of enrolling 7 million individuals by March 2014. New York Times et al.
Homeland Security Warns About Medical Device Safety
Password vulnerabilities within 300 medical devices from 40 vendors have been discovered by a pair of researchers from security vendor Cyclance, according to a recently issued Department of Homeland Security alert. Experts have warned that the health care sector is among the industries most vulnerable to hacking and cyberattacks. FierceHealthIT.
Bills Would Make Medicare Claims Data More Transparent
This week, U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Wyden introduced legislation that would make Medicare claims data more transparent. Grassley and Wyden said the bill would require HHS to create a no-cost, searchable database of Medicare claims that would be open to the public no later than Dec. 31, 2014. Fierce Healthcare.
State Plan Would Boost Distribution of Funds for Drinking Water Projects
The Department of Public Health has issued a plan to improve distribution of federal funds for drinking water projects after the Environmental Protection Agency said the state is not complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Los Angeles Times, Capitol Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
Disease Management Not Enough To Curb Health Care Costs, Study Finds
A study published Monday finds that only about 10% of the costs associated with the most-expensive Medicare patients were related to preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Researchers suggest boosting population health and hospital efficiency to slow health care spending. Modern Healthcare, MedPage Today.
California Ranks 41st in Children’s Well-Being, According to Report
A new report finds that California ranks 41st among all U.S. states and the District of Columbia in children’s well-being. According to the report, California ranks 29th in children’s health, a lower ranking than the state had last year. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” Contra Costa Times.
Editorial: Officials Should Not ‘Gloss Over’ Patient Busing
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that “Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, [HHS] Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the agencies that should be overseeing mental health care are whitewashing Nevada’s practice of busing” patients with mental illnesses to California and other states. According to the editorial, a state investigation of the practice conducted last month “praised the care provided by” Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas. It states that such assessments should not “gloss over Nevada’s reckless policy.” Sacramento Bee.
100 Days Until Start of Enrollment for ACA Health Exchanges
Sunday marked 100 days until the start of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges. Technical challenges and outreach remain the main hurdles to implementing the ACA, observers say. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog” et al.