Latest California Healthline Stories
Admissions Down at 13 Large U.S. Hospital Systems
Hospital admissions at 13 large hospital systems declined by an average of 1.4% during the third quarter of 2014, compared with the same period in 2013. The decline in admissions was spurred in part by changes related to the Affordable Care Act. For example, admissions declined by 4.18% at Sutter Health and by 3.05% at Dignity Health. Modern Healthcare.
California Health Care Personnel News Roundup for December 2014
Gov. Brown has appointed Pamela Ahlin as director of the California Department of State Hospitals. Joe Lumarda and Debra Nakatomi have been appointed to the California Wellness Foundation’s Board of Directors.
CIRM Leader Plans Reboot of Grant, Loan Application Process
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has announced plans to streamline the program’s grant and loan application approval process, with the goal of decreasing application review times from about 22 months to four months. Los Angeles Times‘ “The Economy Hub,” CIRM presentation.
Mobile Dentistry Services Filling Care Gaps in California
California dentists and hygienists who provide mobile dentistry services are filling gaps in care for elderly patients and others who face barriers to receiving care through traditional office visits. A California Dental Association spokesperson says about 30% of the state’s population faces barriers to dental care. Sacramento Bee.
GOP-Led Congress Convenes Tomorrow, Likely To Push ACA Changes
The new Republican-led Congress will convene for the first time tomorrow, with plans to push through changes to the Affordable Care Act. For example, the House likely will consider legislation to change the definition of full-time workers under the law’s employer mandate, while the Senate is expected to take up a bill to repeal the ACA’s medical device tax. New York Times et al.
Many In-Home Caregivers in California Lack Training, Oversight
A Kaiser Health News investigation finds that in-home caregivers in California often are unsupervised and untrained. Investigators find that lapses in oversight of caregivers can lead to patients experiencing abuse, poor treatment, preventable deaths and injuries, and neglect. Kaiser Health News.
Fresno County Sees Surge in New Behavioral Health Building Projects
New state funding for mental health initiatives is helping build new facilities in Fresno County and fill gaps in needed services. For example, a new a 16-bed inpatient adolescent psychiatric hospital is being built, the county’s adult crisis stabilization unit is being expanded to include eight additional beds and a 16-bed residential treatment unit for adults is being built on University Medical Center campus. Fresno Bee.
Chiang: California Must Address Retiree Health Care Costs
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, California State Controller John Chiang notes that the cost of providing retiree health benefits to state workers “has ballooned by a stunning $24 billion” in the past eight years. He argues that California should “‘pre-fund’ retiree health care benefits by systematically setting aside enough money in a trust fund where the moneys are invested.” He wrote that such an investment could cut the current cost of retiree health — $72 billion — by $25 billion, or 35%. Sacramento Bee‘s “Soapbox.”
Unions representing in-home health providers, teachers and other public employees are expected to weigh in on how to implement Proposition 2, which creates a state rainy day fund. Gov. Brown this week is expected to provide his interpretation of the reserve funding in his proposed budget. Sacramento Bee.
Court Allows Arizona Lawmakers To Continue Legal Challenge to Medicaid Expansion
The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that state lawmakers can challenge the state’s Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. In 2013, the state Legislature approved a proposal to expand Medicaid to about 300,000 state residents. The plan included a hospital assessment to help offset the cost of expansion. The Goldwater Institute later filed a lawsuit on behalf of 36 Republican state lawmakers and several state residents, arguing that the hospital assessment amounted to a tax. The state’s Supreme Court decision clears the path for state lawmakers to proceed with the suit and returns the challenge to trial court, which will decide whether the hospital assessment was passed incorrectly. Modern Healthcare.