Latest California Healthline Stories
Sebelius Says Health System Getting Stronger Under ACA
During her remarks at an American Medical Association conference on Tuesday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the U.S. health care system is “getting stronger” because of innovations in health care delivery and provider payment structures, as well as other changes prompted by the Affordable Care Act. She also said doctors should support an overhaul of the Medicare physician reimbursement system. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” MedPage Today.
Scripps Health CEO Targeting Rising Health Care Costs
Scripps Health CEO Chris Van Gorder is working to save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by boost coordination and standardizing care across the hospital system. Van Gorder’s strategy for reducing costs is to curb “unnecessary variation” at the system’s four hospitals and 23 clinics and to cut expenses that do not improve patient outcomes. Kaiser Health News.
Community Health Workers Could Boost Care in South L.A.
A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that the use of community health workers to treat adults in Samoa with type 2 diabetes was an effective way to extend the reach of a limited medical staff. Researchers said they believe the findings may be applicable to patients with diabetes or chronic conditions in other “resource-poor and high-risk populations,” such as South Los Angeles. KPCC’s “OnCentral.”
Report Finds Health IT Can Boost Patient-Centered Care
Health IT can help promote patient-centered care in ambulatory settings, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. However, the authors noted that the success of health IT initiatives is affected by the effectiveness of their design and implementation and the extent to which they address the needs of diverse patient populations. FierceHealthIT, Clinical Innovation & Technology.
California Sets Benefit Standards for Health Plans in Exchange
California has become the first state in the country to set benefit standards for health plans that will participate in its health insurance exchange. State officials posted the standards on the new CoveredCA.com website, which launched yesterday. Kaiser Health News‘ “Capsules” et al.
Boehner, House GOP Defer to Senate on Plan To Avoid Sequester
On Wednesday, House Republican leaders said President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate should come up with alternate legislation to prevent $85 billion in mandated across-the-board spending cuts — including a 2% reduction to Medicare reimbursement rates — under sequestration. Reuters et al.
Study Finds Anti-Tobacco Initiative Saved California $134B in Health Costs
A new study finds that California spent about $2.4 billion over 20 years on an anti-tobacco initiative and saved about $134 billion in health care costs during that time. Researchers say for each dollar spent on the initiative, health costs decreased by about $56. AP/San Jose Mercury News.
House Republicans Vow To Permanently Repeal, Replace SGR Formula
Yesterday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton pledged to introduce a bill this summer that would permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate formula. Physicians face about a 25% reduction to their Medicare reimbursement rates on Jan. 1, 2014. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Obama Administration To Push Mental Health Care Talks
On Tuesday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the Obama administration will launch a national campaign intended to foster discussion of mental health issues. The effort is a response to the recent mass shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. Sebelius said, “[P]hysicians should be able to talk to their patients about guns and gun safety,” adding, “We can also agree that we need to talk as a society about mental illness.” The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
State Health Providers Navigate Coordination Difficulties To Form ACOs
California health care providers are working to surmount coordination difficulties to form accountable care organizations under the Affordable Care Act. Experts say that besides coordination between hospitals and physicians, working with insurers is a key challenge for ACOs. HealthyCal.