Latest California Healthline Stories
More Than 1,500 Pediatric Patients Must Be Re-Vaccinated, Stanford Children’s Health Says
More than 1,500 children and adolescents who received vaccinations that were stored at a Stanford Children’s Health medical office in San Mateo will have to be re-vaccinated after officials found that a faulty refrigerator compromised 10 different vaccines. On Saturday, the health system sent letters to affected patients’ families. They health system will offer no-cost replacement vaccines. WBAY, San Jose Mercury News.
This week, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and 32 other attorneys general sent a letter to FDA urging the agency to require warning labels and child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine and regular tobacco products. The move aims to reduce the number of children who are poisoned by e-cigarette products. The letter states that nicotine is “a potent chemical that may cause acute toxicity in high-enough doses and long-term and functional changes in adolescent brains.” TWC News.
Congress Passes Bill To Stop ACA Provision That Would Change Definition of ‘Small Employer’
The Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to pass a bill that would prevent an Affordable Care Act provision that changes the definition of “small employer” from taking effect. The bill now moves to President Obama. A spokesperson for the Obama administration has said the president will sign the measure. The Hill.
Comptroller: Feds Must Cut Improper Medicare, Medicaid Payments
In a Senate hearing yesterday, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said human errors were largely responsible for faulty Medicare and Medicaid payments. According to a Government Accountability Office report, Medicare made $60 billion in improper payments and Medicaid made about $17.5 billion in improper payments last year. Washington Times, Modern Healthcare.
Calif. Could Be Model for Extending Health Coverage to Undocumented
Experts say that California has led the way in expanding health care coverage to undocumented immigrants, and some believe those efforts could spur other states to follow suit. However, other stakeholders say the rest of the U.S. might be hesitant to extend coverage because of costs and other barriers. Los Angeles Times.
Enrollment in CalPERS’ Long-Term Care Insurance Program Down
Enrollment in CalPERS’ long-term care insurance plan — which covers nursing home care and related services — fell from 142,050 enrollees at the end of 2013 to 135,634 as of Aug. 31. CalPERS closed enrollment in the program between 2008 and 2013 to stem the plan’s financial losses. Sacramento Bee‘s “The State Worker.”
Study: Few Calif. Community Health Clinics Offer On-Site Dental Care
A new study finds that just one-third of community health centers in California provider dental services on site. Meanwhile, clinics with on-site dental services often had limited availability because they contracted only with part-time dentists and hygienists. HealthyCal, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research release.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of October 2, 2015
Children’s Hospital of Orange County will receive $17.7 million in federal funding over the next four years as part of an HHS grant program to improve patient care. The Hoag Hospital Foundation has announced a campaign to raise $627 million by 2020 to expand access to care.
L.A. Care Health Plan Gets $15.8M Grant To Improve Provider-Patient Communication, Care Delivery
L.A. Care Health Plan, which serves 1.8 million members in Los Angeles County, has received a $15.8-million federal grant to reform the way providers deliver care and interact with patients. The funding was awarded under the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative. It aims to improve primary and preventive care, resulting in lower health care costs. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Jones Announces Run for California Attorney General
On Thursday, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced that he will run for state attorney general in 2018. Attorney General Kamala Harris will leave the position to run for Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat. Jones has $2.6 million left over from his previous campaigns to help pay for the run. Jones will reach his term limit as insurance commissioner in 2018. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.