Latest California Healthline Stories
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of October 9, 2015
Kaiser Permanente will require its employees who have direct patient contact — including 5,700 in California — to get an influenza vaccination. The Sonoma West Medical Center is losing about $1 million every month that it remains closed, and officials are unsure when the facility will open.
Glendale City Council Votes To End Health Insurance Subsidies for Retired City Employees
The Glendale City Council has unanimously voted to stop providing health insurance subsidies for 700 retired city employees. Officials said the move could save the city hundreds of millions of dollars. However, some retired employees argued they were promised the subsidies for life. Glendale News-Press.
FDA Working To Address Rx Drug Shortages
A top FDA official has said the agency is working to address drug shortages that have affected U.S. hospitals. According to FDA, nearly 70 prescription drugs were considered to be in short supply as of Monday. Cynthia Schnedar, director of the Office of Compliance at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said FDA is pushing manufacturers to increase their production of short-supplied drugs. However, Schnedar noted that FDA “cannot require a company to continue making a drug, to make more of a drug, or how much of the drug to make or who to sell the drug to.” Modern Healthcare.
DPH Fines California Health Facilities More Than $900K
The California Department of Public Health has fined eight health care facilities more than $900,000 for various breaches of state patient privacy and confidentiality laws. The penalties ranged from $2,500 to $250,000. Payers & Providers.
Obama Signs Bill To Stop ACA’s New Definition of Small Businesses
President Obama has signed into law a bill that prevents an Affordable Care Act provision that would have defined a small business as one with 100 or fewer employees from taking effect. Most states define a small business as one with 50 or fewer workers, and under the law states still can choose to expand the definition. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Study: California Cities Among Costliest for Women’s Health Services
A new study by Castlight Health finds that California cities are among the costliest in the country for some women’s health services. For example, Sacramento had the highest average cost for mammograms, at $485, and San Francisco had the highest average cost for preventive gynecological exams, at $214. Los Angeles Times et al.
Brown Signs Bills To Reduce Rx Use Among Foster Children
Gov. Brown has signed a package of three bills aimed at increasing oversight and reducing the amount of psychiatric medication prescribed to children who are part of California’s foster care system. Advocates for children and low-income residents largely supported Brown’s decision to sign the legislation. HealthyCal et al.
Assisted-Death Law Concerns Coroners; Group Tries To Overturn Law
The California State Coroners Association has expressed concerns with a new state law legalizing physician-assisted death, including how to classify such deaths on death certificates. Meanwhile, opponents of the law have filed papers with the state Office of the Attorney General for a ballot referendum to overturn the new law. Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal.”
California State Scientists Reject Contract Proposal Over Retiree Health Benefit Contributions
The California Association of Professional Scientists has rejected a proposed three-year contract from Gov. Brown’s administration that would have required them to contribute toward retiree health benefits. Scientists in the state will continue to work while a new contract is negotiated. Sacramento Bee‘s “The State Worker.”
CMS Launches New ACO Program To Improve Care Coordination for Patients With Kidney Failure
On Wednesday, CMS announced the launch of a new accountable care organization model designed to improve care coordination for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease — also known as kidney failure — while lowering costs. The Comprehensive ESRD Care Model will start with 13 ESRD Seamless Care Organizations made up of nephrologists, dialysis facilities and other providers. Under the model, ESCOs that contain one or more large dialysis organizations will face two-sided risk and will be eligible for both shared savings payments and liable for shared losses. Healthcare Finance.