Latest California Healthline Stories
Anthem ACO Could Serve as Model for Lower Costs, Better Quality
Yesterday, Anthem Blue Cross announced that an accountable care organization in California that emphasizes preventive care for patients with multiple chronic conditions helped reduce costs and improve care quality. Some observers say the program could serve as a national model to rein in health care costs. U-T San Diego.
Sacramento-Area Cardiology Group To Join Dignity Health
On Friday, Dignity Health announced that Regional Cardiology Associates — the largest independent cardiology group the Sacramento area — will join the health system’s Medical Foundation and start serving patients at care centers operated by Mercy Medical Group in late August. Sacramento Business Journal.
Steven Wallace and Maria-Elena Young of UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research have been awarded a $20,000 grant to conduct a study that builds on previous research that assessed how the variation in states’ policies could affect the health of undocumented immigrants. The grant, from the Meharry Medical College’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Center for Health Policy, will allow the researchers to expand their study by linking policies to actual health outcomes. UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research’s “Health DATAbytes.”
Research by UC-Berkeley suggests that a decision by the Los Angeles City Council to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the city could reduce reliance on social safety-net programs. The researchers found that past instances of minimum wage increases at the state level resulted in reduced use of food stamps and shifts in medical insurance programs but did not affect the quality of care. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
Palliative Care Doctors Split on Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide
Some palliative care providers agree with the California Medical Association’s decision to drop its opposition to physician-assisted suicide, but others say the practice is never justified. The debate comes as the state Senate considers a bill that would make it legal for doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
U.S. Women More Likely Than Men To Experience Acute Mental Health Issues, CDC Says
Women living in the U.S. are more likely than men in the U.S. to have acute mental health issues, according to new data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The data were gathered through in-person interviews conducted by the Census Bureau for the annual National Health Interview Survey. The survey includes six questions that gauge whether individuals are highly likely to have diagnosable mental health conditions. Washington Post‘s “To Your Health.”
Data Breaches in Health Care Sector Cost More Than in Other Industries, Ponemon Institute Finds
Data breaches involving health care organizations are the costliest to remediate and the cost is increasing, according to a study released by the Ponemon Institute. The researchers found that worldwide, the cost of a health care data breach is $363 per exposed personally identifiable record. In comparison, data breaches cost an average of $154 per exposed record across all industries. Modern Healthcare.
GAO: CMS Too Reliant on Doctors When Setting Medicare Pay Rates
A Government Accountability Office report concludes that CMS is too reliant on the American Medical Association when setting provider reimbursement rates. The report states that CMS “does not fully disclose information upon which its decisions were based” and does not use a “standardized process” for determining the relative value of services. New York Times.
Rx Drug Shortages On the Rise; Cancer Drug Prices Prompt Concern
The University of Utah’s Drug Information Service finds that the number of prescription drugs that are in short supply in the U.S. increased by nearly 75% over the past five years. Meanwhile, a prominent cancer specialist criticized the high price of new cancer treatments. Wall Street Journal.
Columbia Journalism Review Opinion Piece Pushes for Better Press Coverage of Covered California
Columbia Journalism Review Contributing Editor Trudy Lieberman in a blog post, writes, “[P]ress coverage [of Covered California] has largely followed the lead set by the exchange,” resulting in “coverage that has too often been reactive, short on enterprise and with missed opportunities to ask some necessary questions.” Lieberman notes, “Covered California may ultimately have a success story to tell — but it will need to face some sharper skepticism before we can be sure.” Columbia Journalism Review‘s “The Second Opinion.”