Latest California Healthline Stories
Cal eConnect ‘Not Able To Move Fast Enough’
Cal eConnect, an important part of the state’s ambitious health information exchange effort, is no longer the same independent entity it was when it was born two years ago. The organization’s efforts to make electronic health records ubiquitous in California will continue, officials said, but under a different organizational umbrella.
At a meeting last week, the 22-member board rescinded its cooperative grant agreement with the state.
On Wednesday, state officials announced that Cal eConnect will now be part of the Institute for Population Health Improvement at UC-Davis. Officials said the same work will continue in a new administrative structure.
Federal Health IT Activity Continues in First Quarter of 2012
Federal health IT efforts continued in the first quarter of 2012, with the release of proposed rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use incentive program and the appointment of Todd Park as the country’s new chief technology officer.
New Leader, New Plan, New EHR Initiative for Cal eConnect
The success of California’s health information exchange depends in part on the coordination and guidance of Cal eConnect and its energetic new CEO, Laura Landry. She said California is “on the verge of a breakthrough” in health information exchange.
Health IT: The Common Ground in Health Care Reform?
Arguments inside and outside the Supreme Court building last month reaffirmed the nation’s sharp divide over the federal health reform law. But one aspect of the law is likely to continue drawing support from both sides of the aisle: health information technology.
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.