Latest California Healthline Stories
Budget Stalemate Hampering State Mammogram Program
Health program managers across California are struggling to continue providing breast cancer screening services to low-income women through the state’s Every Woman Counts program. Enrollment for Every Woman Counts will remain frozen until lawmakers pass a budget package and determine how much to set aside for the program. In the meantime, many clinics that provide the screening services are considering whether to shut down or tap into their reserve funds. HealthyCal.
Report: Accessing Physicians’ Notes Might Fuel Concerns
Although patients might become more involved with their health care if they view their doctors’ notes online, they also might become unnecessarily alarmed if the notes speculate about serious medical conditions or use misleading terminology, according to a preliminary report on a new research project called OpenNotes. The yearlong project — which is receiving funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — aims to assess the effects of providing patients with access to the notes their physicians make during consultations. Wall Street Journal et al.
Medicare Drug Benefit Helps Heart Patients, Study Finds
The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan has assisted older U.S. beneficiaries receive recommended medications for controlling heart failure, according to a study published in American Heart Journal. Researchers examined heart failure patients before and after the Medicare drug benefit went into effect in 2006 and found that the number of filled prescriptions for heart failure drugs increased among beneficiaries. Reuters.
California Selects Hospitals for Pilot Cardiac Care Program
The California Department of Public Health has launched a pilot program that will allow six hospitals across the state to provide emergency and non-emergency angioplasty and stenting without an in-hospital cardiac surgery program as a backup. The six hospitals participating in the heart catheterization program are Clovis Community Medical Center; Doctors Medical Center-San Pablo; Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center; Los Alamitos Medical Center; St. Rose Hospital; and Sutter Roseville Medical Center. Sacramento Bee.
Anthem CEO Resigns From Post Following Rate Hike Controversy
A few months after Anthem Blue Cross drew fire over proposed rate increases, Leslie Margolin announced that she has stepped down as CEO of the company. Both Margolin and Anthem deny that her departure is related to the rate hikes. Los Angeles Times et al.
Study: Many Medi-Cal Patients Receive High Acetaminophen Doses
Thousands of Medi-Cal patients might be overexposed to acetaminophen, commonly sold over the counter as Tylenol, according to a new study. Taking high levels of the analgesic has been associated with liver and kidney damage. Sacramento Business Journal.
Budget Shortfalls Force States To Cut Back on Home Care Initiatives
Several states under budget pressure are beginning to scale back in-home care services for elderly and disabled residents. In California, adult day health care centers and the In-Home Supportive Services program are among those in jeopardy of losing funding. New York Times.
L.A. Mulls Plan To Outsource Emergency Response Billing
The Los Angeles Fire Department is considering a plan to outsource medical billing as part of its transition toward electronic collection of patient data. Under the proposal, paramedics would have handheld tablet computers that would allow them to input patient medical data at the scene of an emergency and store billing information. Some organized labor groups and city council members have argued that outsourcing medical billing and collection might eliminate jobs without cutting costs. Los Angeles Times.
CMS Urged To Review, Change Proposed Cuts to Hospital Medicare Pay
Several health care providers and lawmakers are calling on CMS to revise a proposed 2.9% rate reduction on Medicare payments to hospitals for the next fiscal year. Hospitals say that CMS used flawed data to calculate the proposed payment rate. CQ HealthBeat et al.
Santa Clara Officials Find Health Issues Across County
The number of uninsured Santa Clara County residents has increased from 2000 to 2009, as has the percentage of overweight or obese adults, according to a health profile conducted by county health officials. The report also found that blacks and Hispanics have high rates of uninsurance and obesity. San Jose Mercury News.