Latest California Healthline Stories
Physicians Limiting New Medicare Patients Over Low Payment Concerns
Recent surveys from national and state medical societies find that more physicians are refusing new Medicare patients than ever before because of low reimbursement rates from the federal government and Congress’ slow progress on a measure to avert cuts to Medicare payments. USA Today.
Sebelius: Benefits of Health Reform Law Taking Shape
In a Roll Call opinion piece, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius writes that the new health reform law “contains a series of long-overdue reforms that will put consumers — not insurance companies — in charge of their health.” She notes that after just a few months of working to implement the law, “we can already see a more consumer-friendly health insurance system taking shape.” Sebelius concludes, “We still have a long way to go before Americans can take advantage of the full benefits of the new law. But we can already look back and see how far we have come. And when we look forward, we know we are heading in the right direction.” Roll Call.
Alameda County Seniors Protesting Cuts to Adult Day Health Care, IHSS
Seniors and eldercare advocates gathered in Oakland last week to protest Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to In-Home Supportive Services, adult day health care and Medi-Cal. Alameda County officials said the cuts would strain county services. Oakland Tribune.
Experts See Flaws in System To Set Bonuses for Medicare Advantage
The federal government will rely on Medicare Advantage’s five-star rating system to determine which plans should receive bonuses under the federal health reform law. However, some experts have identified flaws in the rating system. Kaiser Health News/Washington Post.
GOP Filibuster Blocks ‘Extenders’ Bill From Moving to Final Vote
Yesterday, the Senate fell four votes short in a procedural effort to move the “extenders” bill to final passage. The failure to secure cloture means that the scheduled 21% cut to physicians’ Medicare payments is slated to take effect today. AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution et al.
Audit: State Regulators Lax in Collecting Nursing Home Fines
A new California State Auditor report finds that the Department of Public Health potentially missed out on millions of dollars because the agency fell short in collecting fines from nursing homes that violated state regulations. Sacramento Bee, AP/San Jose Mercury News.
Judge Reviews Possible Injunction To Block UC Nurses From Striking
Today, a San Francisco Superior Court judge will decide whether to prevent thousands of University of California nurses from rescheduling a strike over staffing concerns. Last week, the judge issued a temporary restraining order to delay the strike. San Francisco Chronicle.
AMA Names New President, Chooses President-Elect
On Tuesday, the American Medical Association named physician Cecil Wilson as its president. Wilson, who has held several leadership positions at AMA, will replace James Rohack as head of the organization. Meanwhile, AMA’s House of Delegates recently chose pediatric neurosurgeon Peter Carmel as the organization’s president-elect. Carmel will serve one year in the position before becoming president in June 2011. AP/Chicago Tribune, Chicago Breaking Business.
L.A. County Center Likely To Maintain Autism Treatment
Under a preliminary settlement agreement, the Eastern Los Angeles County Regional Center would continue to provide a type of autism treatment known as the DIR model. The settlement comes in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Public Counsel Law Center on behalf of families of children with autism after the center said it would no longer pay for the therapy. A judge still must approve the settlement. Los Angeles Times.
Former Georgia Health IT Head To Lead Cal eConnect
Carladenise Edwards, formerly Georgia’s Health Information Technology Coordinator, will be the first CEO of Cal eConnect, which oversees health information exchanges in California. Edwards will be charged with managing the $38.8 million in federal stimulus funds that Cal eConnect recently received. San Francisco Business Times.