Latest California Healthline Stories
FDA Pilot Program Taps EHR, Claims Data To Track Product Safety
An FDA pilot program, called Mini-Sentinel, leverages medical claims and electronic health record data to track the safety of FDA-regulated products. Several large health care organizations throughout the U.S. — including Aetna, Humana and Kaiser Permanente — have partnered with FDA on the pilot. Health Data Management, “FDA Voice.”
CHA Voices Concerns Over Hospital Charity Care Legislation
The California Hospital Association says a bill to create uniform charity care requirements potentially could mislead the public because it would not include community benefit programs outside of the hospital. The bill is supported by the California Nurses Association, California Rural Legal Assistance and the Greenlining Institute. HealthyCal.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors To Consider Adopting Laura’s Law Mental Health Program
On Monday, San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell said he has reached an agreement with other supervisors to ensure that the board will hold hearings and a vote on July 8 to implement Laura’s Law. The measure would create a county program that would require outpatient treatment of residents with severe mentally illnesses. San Francisco Chronicle.
School Districts Concerned About Increased Contributions to CalSTRS Under Budget Plan
California school districts are taking issue with a provision in the budget recently signed by Gov. Brown that calls for the districts’ contributions to CalSTRS to rise from 8.25% to 19.1% of payroll over the next seven years in an effort to pay down the pension fund’s $75 billion unfunded liability. Josephine Lucey, president of the California School Boards Association, said the amount of funding that the bill calls for will be “really a challenge for many, many districts.” Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
L.A. County Finalizes Changes to Retiree Health Benefits
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County supervisors finalized changes to health benefits for future employees. Under a deal reached earlier this year, the county will cover 40% to 100% of health insurance costs for retirees, depending on how long they worked for the county. However, the county no longer will cover health insurance costs for former employees’ spouses and children. The changes are expected to save the county up to $840 million over the next 30 years. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Sutter Dental Surgery Program To Remain Open
On Monday, California Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg announced that Sutter Medical Center has agreed to keep its dental surgery program open through September after it previously decided to discontinue to the program because of fiscal concerns. Steinberg also said a short-term task force will be convened to determine where individuals with developmental disabilities should receive dental care. Sacramento Bee‘s “Healthy Choices.”
California Hospitals Face Shortage of Saline Solution
Many California hospitals are facing a shortage of saline solution — which is used for cleaning wounds, mixing medications, treating dehydration and other care — after ice and snow storms in the Midwest delayed delivery trucks headed for the state. Pharmaceutical companies say they likely will not be able to meet demand for the product until next year. NPR’s “Shots.”
Health Care Costs To Increase by 6.8% in 2015, PwC Report Says
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimates that health care costs will jump by 6.8% in 2015, up from a 6.5% projected increase this year. The projected increase follows decelerated growth in medical costs for several consecutive years after the economic downturn in 2009. Wall Street Journal‘s “MarketWatch Health Exchange” et al.
Brown Signs Bill Extending Inmate Transfers To Reduce Overcrowding
Gov. Brown has signed a bill that extends for three years a law allowing counties to transfer prisoners to other county jails that have adequate space. The bill aims to reduce overcrowding and give counties more time to adapt to the state’s prison realignment plan. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Assembly member Mark Stone release.
Report: Marin County Is Healthiest in U.S. for Children
U.S. News & World Report ranked Marin County as the healthiest county for children in the U.S. Overall, 14 California counties ranked among the top 50 healthiest for children in the U.S. The ratings are based on birthrate, infant mortality, injury-related death rate, rate of children living in poverty, teen birthrate and other metrics. Sacramento Bee, U.S. News & World Report.