Latest California Healthline Stories
Stanford To Use $150M Gift To Open Anti-Poverty Institute
On Friday, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business announced that it will use a $150 million gift from alumnus Robert King and his wife Dorothy to establish the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies. The institute will aim to develop and advance research and management techniques for health care and other sectors in poor countries. The institute’s faculty and students will conduct field work to support local groups in various regions, including Africa, Asia and Latin America. Los Angeles Times.
Stanford, Lucile Packard Hospitals Agree to New Contract With Anthem
Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Anthem Blue Cross have agreed to a new contract retroactive to Sept. 1, when patients were told that the previous contract had ended and that they could be faced with higher out-of-pocket costs. Palo Alto Daily News, San Jose Mercury News.
Report: Reform Law’s Health Insurer Fee To Be Passed On to Consumers
A report by America’s Health Insurance Plans estimates that health insurance premiums will increase as insurers pass on the cost of a fee mandated by the health reform law. The report predicts that individuals and small companies will be most affected by the premium increases. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
California Hospital Association Sues To Block 10% Medi-Cal Cut
The California Hospital Association is suing state and federal officials over a recently approved 10% cut in government payments to Medi-Cal providers. CHA argues that the reduction will negatively affect access to care. Bloomberg Businessweek et al.
CDC Report Shows High Rate of Fatal Painkiller Overdoses
In CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report, researchers reported that the number of deaths in the U.S. annually as a result of prescription pain reliever overdoses exceeds the number of deaths involving heroin and cocaine combined. In 2008, opioid painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone accounted for 14,800 deaths, up from about 4,000 deaths in 1999. Sales of the drugs also jumped four times over the same period. In 2010, nearly 12 million U.S. residents ages 12 and older said they used painkillers for nonmedical purposes, researchers found. They also noted that misuse of opioid painkillers costs health insurers $72.5 billion annually. CDC officials blamed the increase in death rates and misuse on improper prescribing methods, such as pill mills and doctor shopping, and they suggested that increased monitoring and enforcement at the state and local levels are necessary to reverse the trend. Los Angeles Times‘ “Booster Shots” et al.
Group Seeks To Place Alternative Pension Reform Plan on Ballot
The group California Pension Reform has unveiled details of two proposals designed to overhaul the state’s public pension system. The group aims to place one of the proposals on the November 2012 ballot. Orange County Register‘s “OC Watchdog” et al.
HHS Report Calls for Better Hospital Error Tracking Plans
In a new report, HHS’ Office of Inspector General called on Medicare inspectors to improve how they report hospital errors to CMS and ratings agencies. State survey and certification agencies are tasked with monitoring immediate and serious complaints — such as surgical fires and wrong-patient surgeries — and with reporting those errors to CMS so it can assess efforts to correct the problem and determine whether it should continue to work with the hospital. HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson said that failure to report errors allows hospitals to continue to participate in the Medicare program without taking steps to correct mistakes. Levinson also recommended asking state agencies to monitor hospital improvements. USA Today.
Group To Sue Federal Government on Behalf of Medicare Enrollees
Today, the Center for Medicare Advocacy plans to file a class-action lawsuit against the federal government alleging that CMS forces Medicare beneficiaries to pay for their nursing home care by defining prior hospitalizations as outpatient procedures. Hartford Courant.
Bipartisan Group Asks Debt Panel To Consider Deficit-Cutting Options
Yesterday, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers sent a letter urging the debt panel to consider all options for cutting entitlement programs and raising revenue. The letter could signal that Republicans are willing to work with Democrats on a debt plan. AP/Washington Post et al.
Lawmaker Ramps Up Investigation of Gray Market Rx Distributors
Rep. Elijah Cummings is following up on an investigation into suspected gray market distributors, which sell scarce medications at high prices. As part of the investigation, Cummings renewed his request for information from Superior Medical Supply. CQ Today et al.