Latest California Healthline Stories
Stakeholders Express Concerns About Calif. Dual Eligibles Project
A demonstration project to integrate services for California residents who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare could result in some beneficiaries having to switch providers, according to advocates and other stakeholders. In addition, some observers say the implementation and scope of the project should be changed. HealthyCal.
Burwell Encounters Little Opposition at First Confirmation Hearing
During her first Senate confirmation hearing for HHS Secretary, Sylvia Mathews Burwell successfully fielded questions from Republicans and Democrats on her policies and the Affordable Care Act. President Obama’s nominee now must go before the Senate Finance Committee before she can be considered by the full Senate. McClatchy/Sacramento Bee et al.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of May 9, 2014
Three patients at Atascadero State Hospital have been arrested in connection with an attack on workers at the facility. Doctors Medical Center is preparing for its likely closure this summer after local residents voted against implementing a parcel tax to keep the hospital in operation.
Second Infant in California Dies of Whooping Cough
Placer County public health officials have announced that an infant has died after contracting pertussis, also known as whooping cough — the second infant death linked to the illness this year in California. According to the state Public Health Department, infants can receive their first whooping cough vaccination at two months old, but they are not fully vaccinated until six months. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles surgeons have successfully implanted a medical device into a deaf 3-year-old boy’s brain stem in an attempt to enable him to hear. The operation was the first in an NIH-supported clinical trial and observers say it could set the standard for the safety and efficacy of such procedures. Los Angeles Times‘ “Science Now.”
UC-Davis Launches Clinic for Children With MRSA
On Tuesday, UC-Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento opened a specialty care clinic to treat children with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA. Dean Blumberg, UC-Davis’ chief of pediatric infectious disease, for more than a decade has worked to treat such illnesses and has been able to reduce or eliminate recurrences in 95% of pediatric cases. Sacramento Business Journal.
Exchange Enrollment in San Francisco Bay was Three Times Higher Than Projected
Nearly 290,000 San Francisco Bay Area residents selected a health plan through Covered California during its first open enrollment period — more than three times the predicted amount of enrollees, according to data released by the exchange. In addition, data show that more than 69,000 Sacramento area residents selected an exchange plan — more than twice the expected number. Sacramento Business Journal, Los Angeles Daily News.
Poll: 25% of Exchange Enrollees Were Previously Uninsured
About 25% of U.S. residents who purchased coverage via the state and federal health insurance exchanges were formerly uninsured, according to a survey from the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform. The survey also found that 87% of respondents who enrolled in coverage said that they had paid their initial premium payment, up from 77% in a February poll by McKinsey. Modern Healthcare.
Preventable Adverse Events Drop by 9% at U.S. Hospitals, CMS Says
A new CMS report shows that preventable adverse events at U.S. hospitals decreased by 9% from 2010 to 2012, preventing 15,000 patient deaths and 560,000 injuries. The report also notes that 30-day all-cause readmission rates for Medicare fell to 17.5% in 2013. AP/Washington Post et al.
Many Newly Insured California Residents Unaware of Benefits
Many California residents who are newly insured through the state health insurance exchange or Medicaid coverage are unaware of the benefits of their new coverage. Community clinics and the state exchange are working to educate such consumers about their options. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”