Latest California Healthline Stories
HITEC-LA Bridges Gap Between Physicians, Technology
The health information technology wave is coming, but not every health care provider is eager to ride it, despite abundant financial incentives. HITEC-LA, a regional extension center in Los Angeles, is nearing the end of its federal grant work but intends to continue coaxing providers onto the wave.
New California Law Seeks To Expand Telehealth Services for Medicaid Beneficiaries
April Armstrong and Thomas Nesbitt of UC-Davis Health System, Mario Gutierrez of the Center for Connected Health Policy, Jen Lang-Ree, a nurse practitioner in California, and Jonathan Lopez, a dermatology patient, spoke with California Healthline about a new law that expands and streamlines telehealth services in the state.
UC-Merced Students Tap Telehealth Tools To Treat Diabetes
Business students at UC-Merced are embarking on a telehealth initiative to monitor patients with gestational diabetes in the Central Valley. The project aims to target women without adequate access to medical care.
Five Health Care Issues To Watch in 2012
Mark your calendars: A slew of ACA-related payment reforms, health IT changes and health insurance exchange updates will debut next year — even as constitutional questions over the law come to an end. (Maybe.)
How Can California Make Most of Telehealth Law?
With a new law in the books this fall — the California Telehealth Advancement Act — California is poised to move audio-visual technology into the medical mainstream. We asked experts what California policymakers and health care providers can do to make the transition proceed smoothly and effectively.
‘Freeing’ Data May Be Tricky in California
The “Free the Data” movement, a national effort to encourage innovation in health care, has sparked a similar campaign to make California health data more easily available. But state laws and regulations may require some extra effort in the Golden State, experts say.
Free Data Spark Innovation, Proponents Say
One of the keys to successful health care innovation is the freeing-up of data, according to Todd Park, chief technology officer for the federal HHS.
“We are working on so many exciting things right now, but the initiative we’re most excited about is the health data initiative,” Park said. “We are unleashing the power of open data and open innovation.”
Park was one of a group of experts who convened in Sacramento Wednesday for a health information technology forum put on by the Center for Health Improvement. One of the co-sponsors was the California HealthCare Foundation, which publishes California Healthline.
Design Element the First Step Toward No-Wrong-Door
California took an important first step toward implementation of the Health Benefit Exchange last week when it unveiled the initial design for enrolling Californians and determining their eligibility in 2014.
The initial design of the project, called Enroll UX 2014 (UX stands for “user experience”), was presented to the Health Benefit Exchange board by project director Terri Shaw.
“We have teams from 11 states participating in the process,” Shaw said. “The objectives are two-fold — to develop a first-class user experience, and to ensure retention of consumers.”
Data Could Be King in Reformed Health Care System
The unfettered distribution of health information could mean better, more timely care and could be invaluable for public health efforts. But in California’s complex and multitiered health system, that’s easier desired than done.
Spotlight on New PHR Model Privacy Notice
To help address consumer privacy concerns, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a Personal Health Record Model Privacy Notice that allows providers of Web-based PHRs to inform consumers about their data sharing and privacy and security policies.