Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS To Audit Costly Medical Procedures To Reduce Waste
CMS is boosting efforts to curb unnecessary treatments through a demonstration project that will assess the appropriateness of certain procedures before issuing payments. In November, the agency announced four Medicare and Medicaid payment demonstration projects as part of the “Campaign to Cut Waste,” a national effort to prevent improper payments by federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A CMS fact sheet about the “Recovery Audit Prepayment Review” project — which seeks to revise the current “pay-and-chase” model of identifying improper payments — will be implemented in seven states with high populations of fraud- and error-prone providers, including California, and four states with high claims volumes of short inpatient hospital stays. Forbes, Bloomberg/San Francisco Chronicle.
President Expected To Defend Health Reform During 2012 Campaign
Former White House adviser Neera Tanden says she expects President Obama to step up his defense of the federal health reform law during his re-election campaign. Meanwhile, senators are pushing for the Supreme Court to televise proceedings on the reform law case. Politico, CQ HealthBeat.
Community Health Clinics Ramp Up Marketing Efforts
Community health clinics around the state are stepping up online marketing efforts. These clinics, which offer no-cost or low-cost care, could face competition from other health care providers as the federal health reform law expands insurance coverage. KQED’s “The California Report.”
Department of Labor Targets False Employer Welfare Deals
On Monday, the Department of Labor announced a crackdown on multiple employer welfare arrangements, which have defrauded small businesses and their employees of hundreds of millions of dollars. MEWAs are designed to allow small businesses to provide employees with lower-cost health coverage by combining premium contributions from multiple employers. DOL issued proposed rules — authorized by the federal health reform law — that would require MEWAs to register with the department and would give the secretary greater authority over the plans. New York Times‘ “Prescriptions,” The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Gov. Brown Formally Unveils Tax Plan for November Ballot
On Monday, Gov. Brown formally unveiled his plan to temporarily raise income and sales tax rates. He filed the measure with the state attorney general’s office to begin the process of gathering signatures to place the measure on the November 2012 ballot. Brown said he wanted to take his plan, which he called “straightforward and fair,” directly to voters to avoid “partisan gridlock” in the Legislature. He also noted that if voters reject it, the state would be forced to “make deeper and more damaging cuts” to schools and public safety. San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times.
Congress Working To Avoid Looming Medicare Pay Cut
Congress has only a few weeks before an end-of-the-year deadline to prevent a scheduled cut of nearly 30% to Medicare physician payment rates. The current short-term “doc fix” bill is scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, 2012. Several lawmakers convened a meeting last week to discuss the issue, but they did not come to a deal. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Study: Language Key Barrier to Care for Certain Refugees
Nearly one-third of recent refugees from Myanmar who are living in Oakland face language barriers that affect their access to health care, according to a study from San Francisco State University, Asian Health Services and the Burma Refugee Family Network. The report gives examples of health consequences for refugees who do not have sufficient access to translation services. California Watch.
Interactive Mental Health Program Aims To Help Police
Last week, the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department launched a new interactive video simulation program to teach law enforcement personnel how to approach issues and situations involving individuals with mental health conditions. The program requires officers to react to different scenarios, which are controlled by a trainer using a computer. The Palo Alto Police Department will use the program in its officer training programs, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department and police from San Jose are expected to use the program. San Jose Mercury News.
Berwick: Up to 30% of Health Care Spending Is Wasteful
In an interview with the New York Times one day before officially relinquishing his post as CMS administrator, Donald Berwick said that 20% to 30% of the nation’s health care spending is “waste” that provides no benefit to patients. Berwick said some of the extraneous spending is a result of tedious and outdated regulations enforced by the agency, as well as overtreatment of patients, failure to coordinate care, complex administrative restrictions on the health care system, burdensome rules and fraud. Berwick estimated that Medicare and Medicaid could save $150 billion to $250 billion annually by eliminating wasteful spending. New York Times.
Study: Knee Surgery Rates in Northern Calif. Areas Highest in State
A recent study finds that some communities in northern California have the state’s highest rates of elective knee procedures. According to researchers, the study does not signify that the elective procedures are being performed unnecessarily. Redding Record Searchlight.