Latest California Healthline Stories
Study: Doctors Use Social Media To Find Information
Many physicians are using social media to find and share health information, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The study found that 61% of respondents said that they used social media at least once weekly to scan or explore health information. About 24% of respondents said that they used social media at least once daily to scan for health information. FierceHealthIT.
Brown Signs Legislation Requiring Signatures To Opt Out of Vaccination
Gov. Brown has signed a bill that requires parents who opt out of vaccinating their children to provide signatures on a statement saying that they received information about the risks and benefits of immunization. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” KPCC’s “The Latest.”
Tri-City Board Blocks Member From Meeting Despite Ruling
On Thursday, the Tri-City Healthcare District voted 4-2 to block board member Randy Horton from a closed session meeting three hours after a Superior Court judge issued a tentative ruling barring the board from doing so. In April 2011, the board blocked Horton from attending its executive meetings through October, arguing that he leaked sensitive information from the meetings. Horton filed a lawsuit, arguing that his exclusion disenfranchises the residents who voted for him. U-T San Diego.
GOP Says Report Shows Failure of ACA To Curb Costs
On Tuesday, House Ways and Means Committee Republicans cited a recent Health Care Cost Institute report — which found that per capita health care spending increased by 4.6% in 2011, up from a 3.8% increase in 2010 — as evidence that the Affordable Care Act “has failed to deliver.” HCCI Chair Martin Gaynor said new regulations under the ACA could be contributing to rising costs. However, HHS officials said that costs are rising at a slower rate than they did before the ACA was passed. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Report: Health Costs Up, Insurance Down Under Romney’s Health Plan
A new report finds that families would pay significantly more for certain health coverage and that more residents would be uninsured under Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s health proposals than under the federal health law. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of September 28, 2012
Kaiser Permanente is preparing to open a $720 million facility in Fontana several months ahead of schedule. Mills-Peninsula Health Services plans to change its standby emergency department in downtown San Mateo into an urgent care center to avoid having to comply with state seismic safety requirements.
Survey: Many Med Students Don’t Understand ACA
Less than half of a group of medical students who responded to a survey about the Affordable Care Act understood the law’s basic components, according to a new survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Although most of the respondents oppose the ACA or have no opinion about it, a broad majority — 69% — agreed that physicians are professionally obligated to play a role in the law’s implementation, the survey found. Reuters.
Association Releases List of Top-Performing Physician Groups
The Integrated Healthcare Association has released a list of the top-performing and most-improved physician groups in California, based on criteria such as clinical quality measures and patients’ overall care experience. Payers & Providers, IHA release.
Gov. Brown Signs Law Requiring Universities To Help Injured Players
Gov. Brown has signed into law a bill requiring certain universities to give student athletes academic scholarships if they lose their athletic scholarships following a sports-related injury. The law will take effect in the next academic year. AP/U-T San Diego, AP/Sacramento Bee.
Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Declining, Report Finds
A new Employee Benefit Research Institute report finds that the percentage of nonelderly individuals with employer-sponsored health insurance continues to decrease, while the rate of nonelderly individuals with public health insurance coverage has increased. Modern Healthcare, CQ HealthBeat.