Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Officials Warn Hospitals About Using EHRs for ‘Upcoding’
Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter warning hospitals that the Obama administration will not tolerate their attempts to use electronic health record systems to inflate Medicare and Medicaid payments. New York Times et al.
Costs, Doctor Shortages Concern Health Leaders in Some Calif. Areas
New market studies funded by the California HealthCare Foundation find that health care leaders in Sacramento and the Riverside/San Bernardino area are concerned about the shortage of physicians and the growing pressure to contain costs. Healthcare Finance News.
Exchange Needs Stand-Alone Vision Plans, Editorial Says
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that the California Health Benefit Exchange board should allow stand-alone vision plans to be sold to uninsured individuals and small businesses through the online marketplace. It adds, “The California exchange board should make that possible — when the exchange opens January 2014, not waiting until future years.” Sacramento Bee.
Report: Mobile Technologies Can Help Manage Diabetes
Smartphones and other mobile technologies can help patients better manage diabetes, according to a new report from the eHealth Initiative. The report also noted that many diabetes-related social media sites “have been shown to decrease the prevalence of adverse symptoms associated with diabetes, improve health behaviors and reduce utilization of healthcare resources.” Modern Healthcare.
Obama, Ryan Discuss Medicare Reform Plans at AARP Convention
During an AARP convention last week, President Obama defended the Affordable Care Act and criticized GOP Medicare reform plans, while Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan blasted the ACA and touted GOP proposals to overhaul Medicare. Washington Post et al.
House Committee Passes Medical-Loss Ratio Exemption
On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 26-14 to approve legislation that would amend the Affordable Care Act’s medical-loss ratio provision to exclude insurance agents’ and brokers’ fees from the MLR calculation. Republicans said the bill would help protect the jobs of insurance agents and brokers, while Democrats said it would weaken consumer protections. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Gov. Brown Signs Several Health-Related Measures Into Law
Gov. Brown has signed into law several health-related bills, including a measure requiring physicians to tell women receiving mammograms if they have dense breast tissue and a measure extending Laura’s Law until 2017. Los Angeles Times et al.
Federal Officials Aim To Help Patients Report Adverse Medical Events
The Obama administration is promoting a new program that would encourage U.S. consumers to report medical mistakes and unsafe practices through online and telephone surveys. Federal officials say there currently is no way for patients to report adverse events. New York Times.
Editorial Praises New Report’s Pension Recommendations
An Orange County Register editorial praises a new State Budget Crisis Task Force report for recommending reforms to the public employee pension system that are “more extensive than [the bill] approved by the Legislature in August and signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown.” According to the editorial, “The biggest problem in the report is that it doesn’t do much to address the state’s deficits.” Orange County Register.
Judges Take Aim at High Court-Appointed Care Fees
Last week, Santa Clara County judges proposed new rules that would set new limits on court-appointed care fees for the elderly and adults with disabilities and would increase scrutiny of inflated charges. The proposed rules are in response to a San Jose Mercury News investigation that found that the local court has been lax in preventing estate managers, known as fiduciaries, from issuing six-figure bills. San Jose Mercury News.