Latest California Healthline Stories
Calif. Law Requires Hospitals To Increase Involvement of Caregivers
A new California law requires hospitals to involve patient caregivers in the hospitalization and discharge processes. Under the law, hospitals must identify a patient’s caregiver and provide that individual with information about the patient’s discharge date and instructions. Kaiser Health News/New America Media, Modern Healthcare.
Calif. OIG Says Medical Care ‘Inadequate’ at Third California Prison
The state Office of Inspector General said medical services at California State Prison Solano are “inadequate,” making it the third prison facility this year to receive a failing grade for health care services. A spokesperson for the federal receiver’s office said many of the issues have been resolved since the investigation was conducted this past summer. Los Angeles Times, AP/Sacramento Bee.
8.2M Consumers Signed Up for Federal Exchange Plans, CMS Says
The latest CMS data show about 8.2 million U.S. residents have signed up for health plans in the 38 states that use the federal exchange during the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment period. Meanwhile, officials estimate that millions more U.S. residents have signed up for coverage through the 13 state-based exchanges. Wall Street Journal et al.
Federal Judge Upholds California Reproductive Health Info Law
A federal judge in California has upheld a recently passed state law that will require crisis pregnancy centers, which discourage women from seeking abortions, to provide information about abortion, affordable contraception and prenatal care. The judge rejected the argument that the law violates the clinics’ free-speech rights. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
A Sacramento Bee editorial calls Kaiser Permanente’s recent announcement that it will open its own medical school “welcome news,” adding, “Even better, however, is Kaiser’s plan to recruit more black and Latino medical students, a goal that has eluded other medical schools” in California. The editorial notes that despite being one of “the most diverse places in the nation,” California’s doctors typically are “older, whiter and more likely to be male than their patients.” Sacramento Bee.
California Updates Security, Speed of Rx Drug Database
On Tuesday, Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that the state’s prescription drug database has been updated to improve speed and security. Harris said that the new version of the Controlled Substances Utilization Review and Evaluation System, called CURES, will go live on Jan. 8, 2016. AP/Sacramento Bee.
CMS Data Show State Disparities in Cost of Home Health Care Services
New CMS data show that the average cost to deliver home health services to Medicare beneficiaries varies by several hundred dollars from state to state. The data also show that 2,030 providers received high outlier payments. California had the third-highest number of such providers, with 379 receiving high outlier payments. Modern Healthcare.
Docs Urged To Have End-of-Life Talks Under New Calif., Federal Rules
Providers increasingly are being encouraged to engage in end-of-life discussions with their patients under new federal rules and state laws, such as California’s “right-to-die” law. Because such conversations can be difficult to initiate, several groups are offering resources to help providers and patients. Sacramento Bee.
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Up 6.8%, Analysis Finds
There were 6.8% more U.S. residents enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of Dec. 1 of this year than there were at the same time in 2014, according to a Modern Healthcare analysis of CMS data. According to the analysis, 17.76 million senior and disabled U.S. residents were enrolled in MA plans as of Dec. 1, 2015. The 6.8% enrollment growth from 2014 to 2015 is lower than the 8% to 9% annual growth rate MA plans have seen over the past five years. Modern Healthcare.
Health Data Exchange Use Rises, but Benefits Still Unclear
While health information exchange use is on the rise, a report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality finds that its clinical and economic benefits are “not overwhelmingly supported by the available evidence.” AHRQ recommends that future studies on HIE address more comprehensive questions and use more robust designs. FierceEMR, EHR Intelligence.