Latest California Healthline Stories
Rural California Health Care Providers Slow To Adopt EHRs
A recent study found that small, nonteaching and rural hospitals lag behind urban hospitals in adopting electronic health records. In California, only about half of the state’s 293 designated rural health centers have implemented or are in the process of implementing an EHR system, according to a California HealthCare Foundation report. KQED’s “State of Health.”
Legislation Boosting Care on Indian Reservations Passes
On Thursday, the California Assembly passed legislation, by Assembly member Wes Chesbro, that would allow health care providers licensed in other states to practice on American Indian reservations without a California medical license. The bill was developed to address a shortage of medical professionals in California’s 31 tribal health programs. The legislation now moves to the Senate. AP/Sacramento Bee.
GAO Calls for Improvements in Meaningful Use Program
A Government Accountability Office report recommends that CMS take certain steps to improve its process for verifying that health care providers qualify for incentive payments through the meaningful use program. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments. In the report, GAO suggests that CMS consider conducting more prepayment verifications for the Medicare meaningful use program. Health Data Management, Modern Healthcare.
L.A. Program Provides Care to Undocumented Restaurant Workers
In Los Angeles, a community clinic and a restaurant workers group have launched a cooperative to offer health coverage to undocumented residents working in restaurants. The program is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. Los Angeles Times.
Medicare Expected To Face Payment Issues if Reform Struck Down
According to the Obama administration, Medicare could face payment disruptions if the Supreme Court strikes down the health reform law. Former CMS administrators Don Berwick and Tom Scully disagree on how the ruling would affect payments. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Editorial Raises Concerns About ‘Budget Gimmicks’
On Tuesday, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s warned that California’s state leaders might attempt “to use gimmicks to pass a state budget this year,” the “kind of habitual budget trickery” Gov. Brown “vowed would not happen on his watch,” according a Ventura County Star editorial. In response to the report, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg said lawmakers “are prepared to make the tough decisions required to balance a credible budget on time.” However, “Both S&P and recent history suggest that the nation’s highest-paid state legislators aren’t up to the challenge,” the editorial concludes. Ventura County Star.
AARP Joins Antipsychotic-Drug Lawsuit in Ventura
AARP has joined a class-action lawsuit alleging that a physician at a Ventura County nursing home — the Ventura Convalescent Hospital — violated state law when he administered antipsychotic drugs to residents without obtaining their consent or the consent of their families. The case could involve as many as 100 plaintiffs. Ventura County Star.
U.S. Leads in Health Care Spending, Lags in Certain Care Quality Indicators
A Commonwealth Fund report finds that the U.S. spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries. However, compared with the other countries, the U.S. has higher mortality rates for asthma and diabetes-related amputations, the report notes. Politico et al.
U.S. Supreme Court Public Approval Hits New Low
A new Pew Research Center poll has found that public approval of the U.S. Supreme Court has fallen to an all-time low of 52%. Observers say the results could affect Republicans’ and Democrats’ strategies for addressing the court’s ruling this summer on the constitutionality of the health reform law. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Reuters/Hartford Courant.
Steinberg Says Low Revenues Will Force More Budget Cuts
On Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg said the Legislature must make additional spending cuts this year to address disappointing revenues, which already are $3 billion below the projections included in Gov. Brown’s fiscal year 2012-2013 budget plan. Steinberg said Democrats will seek reductions that “attempt to minimize” the effect on “people who are most in need.” KPCC’s “KPCC News.”