Latest California Healthline Stories
Ventura County Board Votes To Keep Results of Health Plan Audit Private
A Ventura County Medi-Cal panel has voted to keep findings from an audit of an area health plan private. The Department of Health Care Services ordered the audit of Gold Cost Health Plan following complaints regarding late payments and poor management. Los Angeles Times.
HHS: Health Reform Has Ended Lifetime Coverage Limits for 105M People
Yesterday, HHS released a report stating that the federal health reform law has eliminated lifetime coverage limits for more than 105 million U.S. residents. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are testing new methods to weaken the federal overhaul. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Group Seeks To Boost Stroke Care in San Joaquin County
Mary Nicholson, a stroke survivor, has been working through her not-for-profit organization Healings in Motion to improve the quality of stroke care available in San Joaquin County. The not-for-profit group aims to boost awareness through education and outreach and to encourage the county’s acute-care hospitals to become certified stroke centers. Stockton Record.
State Unveils New Web Tools To Let Patients Compare Care
The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has launched four new Web tools designed to help consumers compare hospitalization and utilization rates for various health conditions around the state. The tools allow users to examine trends for common health procedures — such as hysterectomies and spinal fusions — and compare them with indicators of hospital quality developed by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Stockton Record.
Reform Law Funding Helps Oakland Clinic Serve More Patients
Community clinics in California and across the U.S. are receiving funds from the federal health reform law to expand facilities and treat more patients. Asian Health Services in Oakland is using the funding to open a new clinic in Chinatown that can serve up to 10,000 patients in 2013. HealthyCal.
Doctors Using Electronic Health Records Order More Tests, Study Finds
A new Health Affairs study finds that doctors who can access patients’ previous imaging tests through electronic health records order tests 40% more often than those using paper records. The study raises questions about whether EHRs can curb medical costs. New York Times et al.
S.F. Bay Area Medical Home Pilot Program Sees Positive Results
Since launching a patient-centered medical home pilot program in 2010, John Muir Health has seen a 43% drop in hospitalizations and a 14% drop in emergency department visits. Medical home programs seek to address the cost of treating patients with chronic illnesses. Contra Costa Times.
Study: Calif. Student Obesity Rates Rising at Slower Pace
Obesity rates are rising at a slower pace among California students, according to a UC-Davis Health System study of state-mandated physical fitness tests of school-aged children. Data show that obesity rates among fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders increased by 0.33% in 2008, compared with 0.8% to 1.7% annually in previous decades. California Watch.
Health District OKs $4.5M for San Mateo County Programs
On Monday, the Peninsula Health Care District Board of Directors announced it recently approved $4.5 million in funding to support two San Mateo County programs. The board awarded $4 million over three years for the Healthy Schools Initiative, which funds nursing positions, physical education classes and school-based health clinics. It also approved a four-year, $500,000 grant to fund a full-time psychiatric resident physician in the county’s Behavioral Health Program. San Francisco Business Times.
Four Sacramento-Area Counties Join LIHP Ahead of Reform Law
Four counties in the Sacramento region are implementing the state’s Low Income Health Program. More than 40 other counties already participate in the program, which offers health coverage to uninsured residents. Sacramento Bee.