Latest California Healthline Stories
California Agencies Prioritized Exchange Over Medi-Cal
Covered California and the Department of Health Care Services focused their resources on launching the state’s health insurance exchange, while a Medicaid eligibility system launched later than expected and continues to experience glitches. There now is a backlog of 900,000 Medicaid applications in the state. HealthyCal.
UC-San Diego Looks To Attract Big Name Funders With New Wearable Sensor Research Center
UC-San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering is creating a Center for Wearable Sensors in an effort to boost funding for research on wearable devices, such as the FitBit activity tracker and Google Glass. The center aims to get large companies, such as Qualcomm and Raytheon, to dedicate more of their research money to such projects in La Jolla. U-T San Diego.
California Hospital Association, SEIU Working To Reach Cooperative Deal
The California Hospital Association is negotiating a deal with the Service Employees International Union that would allow the labor group to recruit thousands of hospital workers, according to documents that the Wall Street Journal reviewed. Under the deal, the two organizations also would jointly support a proposed ballot initiative to increase hospitals’ Medicaid reimbursements by up to $6 billion annually. Wall Street Journal.
Riverside Safety-Net Hospital Projecting $36M Shortfall After ACA Implementation
The number of patients seeking treatment at Riverside County Regional Medical Center — a safety-net facility — and its 10 affiliated clinics has fallen by 11% since Jan. 1, when the Affordable Care Act went into effect. The medical center now is projecting a $36 million deficit by the end the fiscal year on June 30. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
DPH Issues $275K in Penalties Against Three California Hospitals
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Desert Regional Medical Center and Sutter General Hospital have been issued fines by the California Department of Public Health for violating the state’s health and safety code. The fines were the first administrative penalties issued to Desert Regional and Sutter. Sacramento Bee‘s “Healthy Choices,” DPH release.
California Health Care Personnel News Roundup for April 2014
C. Randal Mills has been named president and CEO of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Nirav Shah will step down from his position as New York Health Commissioner to become senior vice president and COO for clinical operations for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan’s Southern California region.
Pasadena Public Health Director Placed on Temporary Administrative Leave
Pasadena Public Health Director Eric Walsh was placed on temporary paid administrative leave after online videos and audio clips of Walsh making controversial statements about homosexuality and evolution surfaced. Walsh — who also is an associate pastor at Altadena Seventh-day Adventist Church — became Pasadena’s public health director in 2010. City officials plan to review the online sermons and investigate his ability to lead the department. Los Angeles Times.
State-Run Insurance Exchanges Outspent Federal Exchange on Outreach Efforts, RWJF Report Finds
State-run health insurance exchanges spent about three times as much on outreach efforts per uninsured individual as the federal health insurance exchange, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analysis. State-run exchanges generally were more successful at enrolling individuals than the federal exchange, but that trend could not be solely attributed to the variances in outreach spending, according to the analysis. The Hill.
17.5% of Insurance Exchange Enrollees Are From California
A new HHS report finds that about 1.4 million California residents enrolled in health plans through the state’s insurance exchange, accounting for about 17.5% of all enrollees nationwide. It also finds that 40% of eligible state residents selected a health plan through Covered California. Los Angeles Times et al.
Expanding Role of NPs Could Save California $1.8B Over 10 Years
A report by the Bay Area Economic Institute finds that expanding nurse practitioners’ scope of practice could save California $1.8 billion in health care costs over the next 10 years and would boost rural and low-income communities’ access to care. FierceHealthcare.