Latest California Healthline Stories
Ambulance Shortage Forces S.F. Fire Department To Place Emergency Call to Private Ambulances
On Aug. 30, the San Francisco Fire Department was forced to make emergency calls to private ambulances to transport patients to hospitals because of ambulance delays. Officials say there were 15 city ambulances on call, but runs were taking between 21 and 30 minutes as a result of a high volume of calls. The incident occurred just three days after representatives from the firefighters discussed the response time issue with the Fire Commission. San Francisco Chronicle.
AltaMed Health Services Reports Data Breach Possibly Affecting Patients in L.A. and Orange Counties
Last week, AltaMed Health Services announced a data breach that may have affected 2,995 patients after an employee stole patient records in a suspected identity theft ring. AltaMed on June 30 learned that the employee accessed both electronic and paper records, including those for individuals who attended AltaMed community events in Los Angeles and Orange counties. HealthITSecurity.
Investigation: Bay Area Sees Rise in Opiate Overdoses
A Bay Area News Group investigation found that the number of residents in the San Francisco Bay area who had opiates in their systems when they died has grown steadily over the past decade, with some areas reporting that rates have doubled and tripled in numbers. For example, the investigation showed that 220 people died as a result of opiate overdoses last year in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, nearly double the amount a decade ago. Mercury News/Contra Costa Times.
On Thursday, Santa Cruz County emergency services officials announced the county has implemented a mobile application, called PulsePoint, that will alert app users who are trained in CPR when an individual nearby experiences sudden cardiac arrest. The app will issue an alert to users within about 20 seconds after an individual contacts 911 with cardiac arrest symptoms. Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Obama Administration Names Google Executive as New U.S. Chief Technology Officer
On Thursday, the White House announced that Megan Smith will serve as the next U.S. chief technology officer after Todd Park said he would leave the position for a federal recruiting job in California. Smith formerly held several executive positions at Google, including vice president of Google X — the company’s technology research and development arm — and vice president of new business development. Meanwhile, Alexander Macgillivray was named deputy U.S. CTO. Clinical Innovation & Technology, Politico.
HHS: HealthCare.gov Was Hacked in July, No Personal Data Stolen
HHS officials say that a hacker in July breached part of the federal exchange website and uploaded malicious software but that there is no evidence that enrollees’ personal data were taken in the attack. In response, two GOP lawmakers are urging federal officials to address HealthCare.gov security concerns. Wall Street Journal et al.
California Has Fifth-Lowest Obesity Rate in U.S., Study Finds
A new study finds that California has the fifth-lowest obesity rate in the country, at about 24%. However, researchers say rates of some chronic health conditions — such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension — likely will increase if obesity rates in the state stay the same. Los Angeles Times‘ “Science Now” et al.
ACA Premiums in Some Cities Will Drop Slightly in 2015, Report Says
A Kaiser Family Foundation report finds that premiums for silver plans sold through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges in 16 U.S. cities will on average be $1 less, or 0.8% lower, in 2015. Specifically, the report finds that some cities, such as Nashville, Tenn., will see higher decreases in premiums, while others, such as Los Angeles, will see slight increases. Reuters et al.
A UC-Berkeley study found that between 2007 and 2011 about 25% of California’s fast food workers were enrolled in Medi-Cal and 40% were uninsured. Ken Jacobs of the UC-Berkeley Labor Center said that the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion have likely reduced those figures.
Preventive care outreach programs in unorthodox settings are successful in getting underserved and minority communities screened for health conditions, such as breast and colorectal cancers, according to a study conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The study examined 20 outreach programs, including four in California, that provided care in non-traditional settings, such as churches and outside of voting booths. Payers & Providers, Health Data Management.