Latest California Healthline Stories
Study: Public Medi-Cal Plans Scoring Higher for Popularity, Care Quality
A new study finds that 70% of Medi-Cal beneficiaries opt for a publicly-operated Medi-Cal managed care plan in areas where such plans compete with a commercial option. The study also found that the public Medi-Cal plans are earning higher marks for quality. Payers & Providers.
Ventura County Nurses Cite Problems With Security
Nurses at Ventura County hospitals say lax security is compromising their personal safety and patient care. Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association labor union have raised the issue as they push for a new contract. Ventura County Star.
Kaiser Announces Full Launch of Electronic Health Records System
Now that Kaiser Permanente’s HealthConnect EHR system is up and running in all of its hospitals and medical offices, officials at the Oakland-based HMO assert that it is the largest private sector EHR system in the world. The project cost $4 billion over 10 years. Oakland Tribune.
Recent Quakes Pose Hurdles for Delaying Seismic Rules
At a Senate Health Committee hearing this week, Chair Elaine Alquist and others said they would be reluctant to approve legislation further delaying hospitals’ compliance deadline for state seismic safety rules, citing recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti. State officials said that 139 hospital buildings statewide are classified as unlikely to meet the 2013 deadline. Payers & Providers.
Court Rules Against State Cuts to Medi-Cal Rates, IHSS Wages
On Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Gov. Schwarzenegger and continued to block state budget cuts that would have reduced Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and wages for in-home caregivers. The court said the state skirted federal law because it failed to conduct analyses on the potential impact of the cuts. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
Obama Urges Congress To Act Swiftly on Health Care Reform Legislation
Yesterday, President Obama asked Congress to hold a vote on health reform legislation within the next three weeks. Although he did not specifically mention budget reconciliation, the president encouraged Democrats to pass a bill with a simple majority vote. Roll Call et al.
Delays Hamper Health Care for Special Needs Children
Surveys and other data indicate that children with special health care needs often face significant waits for consultations with pediatric specialists, and those waits are growing longer because of a worsening shortage of pediatric specialists. Moreover, pediatric specialists are moving out of California because of cuts to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the state’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, respectively. New America Media.
Los Angeles County Approves Shift of Mental Health Unit
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to end its lease of a mental health unit in Rosemead and expand a facility at the Martin Luther King Jr. medical campus in Willowbrook. Supervisors said the Rosemead center had “numerous patient-life safety deficiencies.” Los Angeles Times.
Senate Approves Jobs Bill That Averts Planned Medicare Payment Cuts
Yesterday, the Senate voted to approve a jobs bill that would extend COBRA health care benefits and avert a planned 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements to physicians. The Senate now will consider a measure to further extend some of those provisions. Washington Post et al.
Medical Identity Theft Poses New Array of Challenges
Experts say medical identity theft is becoming more common, increasing the possibility that medical identity theft victims’ medical records could be altered as a result. A health care privacy advocate warns that there such changes could cause problems the next time the victim seeks treatment. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”