Latest California Healthline Stories
CalPERS Cites Steps To Improve Services After Claims Processing Delays
CalPERS officials say the agency has improved services after months of delayed claims processing resulting from the launch of a new computer system. A new staff assessment shows that CalPERS has helped more employers use the new system correctly. Sacramento Bee.
Improvement Plan for Calif. Mental Hospitals Fails, Investigation Finds
A plan to improve conditions at public mental hospitals in California has not achieved goals set by the U.S. Department of Justice. The state Department of Mental Health has begun reversing some of the changes as rates of violence at certain hospitals continue to increase. Los Angeles Times.
Lawmakers To Hold Slew of Hearings on Expiring Health Care Policies
Today, Congress returned from recess to a series of hearings aimed at addressing expiring health care policies. Lawmakers will examine an update to prescription drug and medical device user fees, medical malpractice legislation and other issues. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Gov. Brown Says Deficit Could Be Bigger Than Estimated, Calls for Cuts
In a radio interview last week, Gov. Brown said that California’s budget deficit likely is higher than the $9.2 billion he previously estimated and that lawmakers must make cuts to state services and collect more tax revenue to address the shortfall. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal.”
Experts See Challenges in New Medicare Payment System for Physicians
The Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier program, set to begin in 2015, will give higher payments to Medicare physicians who provide high-quality care at a lower cost. Experts say it will be difficult to accurately assess doctors’ quality of care. Kaiser Health News/Washington Post.
Calif. Lawmakers Look at Tax Returns To Gauge Revenue
California lawmakers are monitoring state Controller John Chiang’s daily tracker of income tax returns for indications of how much tax revenue the state will collect this year. As of April 11, the state had collected $1.27 billion, compared with slightly more than $1 billion on April 11, 2010. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Editorial: Area Hospitals Must Collaborate on Cancer Care
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that the Sacramento-area medical community “should capitalize on the status of the newly renamed UC-Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, now in the top tier of cancer centers nationwide — as the Boston area did in the late 1990s.” It concludes, “Now is the time for the region to come together to use the university’s ‘comprehensive cancer center’ designation effectively to make a dent in the fight against cancer.” Sacramento Bee.
Californians Struggle To Find Accurate Medical Pricing
It is difficult for California residents to determine the cost of common medical procedures. Although hospitals are required by law to publish average charges for certain procedures, the prices often are not what patients actually pay. Los Angeles Times.
Sebelius: No Backup Plan for Federal Health Reform Law
Following a speech at the National Action Network’s annual meeting last week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the agency does not have a contingency plan if the federal health reform law is struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. She said federal officials are not discussing a backup plan, noting that she is “confident that [the overhaul] is constitutional.” Reuters, Politico.
Bill Seeks Solar Rooftops To Improve Community Health
The California Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce is considering legislation that would promote the installation of solar rooftops in neighborhoods with high unemployment rates and those that “bear a disproportionate burden from air pollution, disease and other impacts from the generation of electricity from the burning of fossil fuels,” according to the bill. Assembly member Paul Fong — who authored the bill — said it would create jobs and help establish “cleaner, safer and healthier neighborhoods.” California Watch.