Latest California Healthline Stories
Brown Admin Anticipates Giving Overtime Pay to Home Care Workers
Following an appellate court ruling on Friday, California Department of Finance spokesperson H.D. Palmer says that Gov. Brown’s administration expects to begin offering overtime pay to In-Home Supportive Services workers in mid-October. However, implementation could be affected by an appeal of the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
The Federation of State Medical Boards has unveiled an updated online tool that allows users to search licensing and state medical board disciplinary action on nearly one million physicians and physician assistants across the U.S. The tool, DocInfo, was released more than a decade ago, but the updated tool aims to be more user-friendly to the general public, according to FSMB. MedPage Today.
Health Care Providers Worried Over CMS’ New Reporting Requirements for Treating Sepsis Cases
Physicians have expressed concerns about new federal reporting requirements for treating sepsis patients in the hospital. Under CMS’ new reporting requirements, which will take effect in October, severe sepsis will be defined as “a suspected source of clinical infection, two or more manifestations of systemic infection and the presence of sepsis-induced organ dysfunction.” Some providers are concerned that the broad definition of sepsis under the new guidelines is unnecessary and could lead to overtreatment. MedPage Today.
OIG: L.A. VA Office Improperly Designated Documents for Shredding
A Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General report finds the Los Angeles VA Regional Office inappropriately designated claims files to be shredded without processing them first. VA OIG says it could not determine how many claims possibly had been destroyed before the issue was identified. Washington Times, VA OIG report.
2.2M Exchange Enrollees Missing Out on ACA’s Subsidies
An analysis finds more than two million exchange enrollees could be missing out on cost-sharing subsidies that help lower health costs, such as copayments and deductibles, because they did not purchase silver plans. The subsidies are available to individuals with silver plans whose incomes are between 100% and 250% of federal poverty level. Kaiser Health News, Modern Healthcare‘s “Vital Signs.”
Heart Surgery Mortality Rates Up Slightly in California, Data Show
Data from the Office of Statewide Health Policy and Development show that the mortality rate among California patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts — the most common open heart surgery performed in the U.S. — increased from 1.9% in 2009 to 2.11% in 2012. Payers & Providers.
Consumer Group: Covered Calif. Fails To Quickly Resolve IT Issues
In a letter to the Covered California board, Health Consumer Alliance alleges that the exchange has failed to promptly resolve customer service issues caused by errors in its system for determining coverage eligibility. The exchange says it is working to fix issues with its information technology systems. AP/Washington Times.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 21, 2015
Sutter Health’s new California Pacific Medical Center will be the first hospital in the U.S. to use shock-absorbent technology that is common in Japan to help keep the facility open in the event of an earthquake. Huntington Memorial Hospital is investigating three antibiotic-resistant infections at the facility that have been linked to the use of medical scopes.
Experts Highlight Inconsistency in Federal Oversight of Misleading Health Ads
Watchdog groups, clinicians and policy leaders have said federal oversight of misleading heath care advertising is inconsistent. They note that medical devices and other health services face considerably less scrutiny than drug marketing. Modern Healthcare.
Email Campaign Looks To Gather Support for California Public Pension Proposal
Former San Diego City Council member Carl DeMaio has launched a mass email campaign to drum up support for the latest California public pension ballot proposal. Supporters of the measure need to collect 580,000 signatures from California voters to get the proposal on next year’s ballot. Sacramento Bee.