Latest California Healthline Stories
Overdue Medi-Cal Payments Set To Go Out After Record Impasse
Controller John Chiang said that Medi-Cal payments to health care institutions will be the first payments to go out now that Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed a budget deal. Most facilities have not received payments in more than two months. Sacramento Bee.
Editorial Urges Voters To Reject Hospital Bond Measure
An Orange County Register editorial urges California voters to reject Proposition 3, a ballot initiative that would authorize the state to issue nearly $1 billion in general obligation bonds for the construction, expansion and remodeling of children’s hospitals. According to the editorial, “adding yet more billions” to the state’s debt is “highly irresponsible.” Orange County Register.
Fresno County Mulls Cuts to Public Health Mental Health Services
Fresno County officials are weighing proposals to cut staff positions and services because of a drop off in money from the state that is designated for health care and mental health services. The county budget passed earlier this summer demanded cuts from most departments. Fresno Bee.
CHCF Awards $120,000 for Lab, EHR Synchronization
The California HealthCare Foundation is providing a total of $120,000 in grants to eight health care provider groups in the state to implement a system, called the EHR-Lab Interoperability and Connectivity Specification, that will deliver standardized laboratory results to clinical information systems. Modern Healthcare.
Schwarzenegger Signs Budget; Medi-Cal Payments on the Way
After Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a state spending plan yesterday, Controller John Chiang said that payments to Medi-Cal providers would go out as early as Friday. Many health care institutions in California have not received payments from the state in more than two months because of the budget impasse. Orange County Register et al.
UC-Riverside Med School Moving Forward Despite Budgetary Concerns
On Tuesday, the California Postsecondary Education Commission supported moving forward with the development of a new medical school at UC-Riverside. Panel members had urged UC-Riverside officials to delay the project because of state budget problems. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Voters Mull Parental Notification Once Again
California voters are considering a measure that would require parental notification and a 48-hour waiting period for minors seeking an abortion. Similar measures failed in 2005 and 2006. Grace Delaney, spokesperson for the “Yes on 4” campaign, Vince Hall, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood and “The Campaign for Teen Safety,” and Peter Hecht, a Sacramento Bee reporter who has covered parental notification measures, discuss the fate of Proposition 4. Los Angeles Times, KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”
Blue Shield of California Awards $29.5M in Bonuses
On Tuesday, Blue Shield of California announced that it is awarding $29.5 million performance bonuses to medical groups and independent practice associations, down slightly from $31 million last year. San Francisco Business Times.
Healthy Kids Humboldt Kicks Off Insurance Campaign
This month, Healthy Kids Humboldt launched a health insurance enrollment campaign aimed at uninsured children. The goal of the campaign is to reach 100% of families whose children do not have health insurance and then enroll those children in one of three health plans. Eureka Reporter.
U.S. Senate Report Questions Billions Spent by Medicare on Devices
CMS reviewers did not verify that Medicare claims for medical equipment included a valid diagnosis code in many cases, according to the report. The practice leaves Medicare open to widespread claims fraud by not ensuring that claims for Medicare devices are linked to beneficiaries’ diagnoses. USA Today et al.