Latest California Healthline Stories
Romney’s Comments Prompt Examination of Entitlement Benefits
GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s comments about the number of U.S. residents who receive federal benefits have led experts to examine the issue. An analysis finds that about 75% of entitlement benefits go to elderly or disabled U.S. residents. Wall Street Journal et al.
Joint Commission Names Top Hospitals for Evidence-Based Care
A new Joint Commission report recognizes 620 U.S. hospitals as being top-performers in adhering to evidence-based care practices. The report shows that U.S. hospitals have had steady improvement on all measures across the past 10 years. Kaiser Health News‘ “Capsules” et al.
Calif. To Use Popular TV Shows To Promote Insurance Exchange
State officials are reaching out to television producers to bolster marketing efforts for the California Health Benefit Exchange. The exchange’s marketing plan details efforts to incorporate health care-related story lines into popular television shows. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Brown Signs Into Law Several Health-Related Measures
Gov. Brown has signed into law bills that exempt drug users from prosecution if they seek medical help, require infant screening for heart disease and toughen penalties for selling tobacco to minors. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
Report Highlights Concerns of Fraudulent Medicare Billing
Over the past 10 years, physicians and other health care providers increasingly have billed Medicare for more complicated and costly treatments, prompting questions about Medicare billing fraud, according to a Center for Public Integrity report. The report — which analyzed 362 million claims between 2001 and 2010 — found that many providers used a process known as “upcoding” or “code creep” to bill Medicare for more costly services than were actually delivered. It found that providers added at least $11 billion to their fees during the study period. Washington Post.
Editorial Calls for Veto of Bill To Create ‘CalPERS-for-All’
An Orange County Register editorial argues that SB 1234 — a bill passed by the Legislature that would require certain California businesses that do not offer retirement plans to join a state-run retirement program — “ought to be vetoed” because “the billions raised by [the bill] would be better saved and invested, or spent by the people who earned that money and not turned over to the same sort of people who allowed public employees’ pensions to run so far into the red.” Orange County Register.
More Community Clinics Implementing Electronic Health Record Systems
Community health clinics have gone from having one of the lowest rates of electronic health record adoption to having one of the highest rates. The federal stimulus package’s meaningful use program has contributed to the rise in EHR adoption among community clinics. HealthyCal.
Sebelius Touts Benefits of Affordable Care Act for Latino Community
Yesterday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the health reform law will benefit Latinos by expanding access to health insurance coverage. In related news, the Obama administration has said that undocumented residents are ineligible for coverage under the reform law. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
UCSD Researchers Discover Possible Paralysis Treatment
In the journal Cell last week, researchers at UC-San Diego’s Center for Neural Repair reported that they have found a way to grow nerve fibers in rats with severe spinal cord injuries, a discovery that could help improve the treatment of the 300,000 U.S. patients who suffer from partial or full paralysis. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine awarded the researchers $4.7 million to further develop their research. U-T San Diego.
N.Y. City Soda Limits Could Bolster Similar Calif. Proposals
California health advocates say New York City’s recent ban on the sale of large-sized sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages — which is aimed at combating obesity and other health problems — could provide momentum for similar efforts in California. This November, voters in El Monte and Richmond will vote on measures to levy a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal.”