Latest California Healthline Stories
California Awaiting Federal Approval of Medi-Cal Cuts
California is seeking CMS approval for changes to Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Earlier this month, the state submitted a waiver request for implementing copayments for prescription medications, and visits to doctors and hospitals. The state plans this week to submit plans for reducing reimbursements for Medi-Cal providers and capping physician visits. Fresno Bee.
Contract Supporting Valley Fever Vaccine Project Ending
This month, a $1 million state Department of Public Health contract that supports the Valley Fever Vaccine Project is ending. The project is made up of six academic centers and four research facilities and is working on developing a vaccine for coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, a fungus that affects arid regions of the southwestern U.S. According to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Kern County has had one of the highest rates of infection of valley fever in Arizona and California over the last decade. Bakersfield Californian.
Stem Cell Agency Selects Investment Banker as Chair
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s governing board has tapped Jonathan Thomas as its next chair. Thomas, who replaces outgoing board Chair Robert Klein, is a former Wall Street investment banker who co-founded Saybrook Capital, an investment and private-equity company that has secured funding for clinical trials involving embryonic stem cells. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
High Court Mulls Malpractice Rule in Military Health Care
The U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether to accept a case from the family of Dean Patrick Witt, a Sacramento-born service member who died in 2004 after receiving medical treatment at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. At issue is a legal doctrine that grants immunity to military personnel from lawsuits by service members injured on active duty. The court could make a decision by Monday. McClatchy/Sacramento Bee.
Report: Many Programs Under Health Reform Law Remain Unfunded
An American Public Health Association report finds that many public health programs created by the health reform law are not financially supported and that others — such as the Prevention and Public Health Fund — are at risk of losing their funding. AP/Miami Herald.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 24, 2011
The California Public Employment Relations Board has issued a complaint against Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital for refusing to allow employees to return to work after holding a strike on Tuesday. Meanwhile, local officials recently broke ground on Temecula Valley Hospital, the city’s first hospital.
Stakeholders Weigh In on Merging California’s Health Plan Regulators
Some advocates say merging the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance would streamline oversight and benefit consumers. However, opponents say such a move would be a distraction as the state rolls out the health reform law. Los Angeles Times.
Some Republicans Back Election on Taxes but Oppose ‘Bridge Tax’
Some GOP lawmakers say they would be open to placing tax measures on a fall ballot along with their other proposals. However, Republicans still oppose a proposed “bridge tax” to extend current tax rates until the fall election. Contra Costa Times et al.
CDC: Sepsis Hospitalizations Escalated Over Last Decade
The number of hospitalizations for septicemia, or sepsis, more than doubled over the past decade, from 326,000 in 2000 to 727,000 in 2008, according to a new CDC report. The report also found that patients with sepsis spent 75% more time in the hospital and were eight times more likely to die in the hospital than patients with other diagnoses. HealthLeaders Media, MSNBC.
Mass. Not Achieving Savings From Global Payment Model
New global payment models do not cost less than the fee-for-service system in Massachusetts, according to a new report issued by state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D). Global payment contracts generally call for paying physicians a fixed per-patient amount and include financial incentives for meeting quality goals and cutting costs. Coakley said global payments are a step in the right direction because they reward quality, but she suggested that Massachusetts adopt “temporary statutory restrictions on how much prices may vary for similar services.” Boston Globe et al.