Latest California Healthline Stories
Statewide Health Data Gateway Opens
Politicians posturing over the federal budget and Californians looking for health insurance through the new exchange have generated much attention this month, but another milestone — the opening of a statewide electronic health information gateway — could have a bigger impact in the long run.
Rx Drug Donation System Hopes To Grow
SIRUM — a Stanford-bred program that allows unused medications at hospitals and nursing homes to be donated to safety-net clinics — hopes to expand within California and serve as a model for other states.
California Weighs Policy Changes To Address Provider Shortage
Bill Barcellona of the California Association of Physician Groups, Dawn Benton of the California Society of Health System Pharmacists, Sen. Ed Hernandez and Paul Phinney of the California Medical Association spoke with California Healthline about legislative efforts to address the state’s primary care physician shortage.
Health 2.0 Conference: Finding a Way Into Workflow and Life Flow
At the seventh annual Health 2.0 conference last week, technology developers showed off new products that are designed to easily fit into people’s lives. A common sticking point for developers is getting their applications, dashboards, platforms and devices to fit within the workflow of the U.S. health care system.
Stanislaus County ACO Shows Remarkable Results in Four Key Benchmark Metrics
From emergency department visits to length of hospital stays, a number of higher-quality, lower-cost metrics have borne fruit in a new patient-centered accountable care program in the Central Valley.
Insurers Gather in ‘Dysfunctional’ D.C. for Medicare, Medicaid, Duals Conferences
Against a backdrop of bitter political stagnation, health insurers convened in Washington, D.C., last week to examine changes and trends in Medicare, Medicaid and the relatively new effort to coordinate care for dual eligibles.
San Diego County’s 10-Year Public Health Initiative Shows Early Progress
Live Well, San Diego! is a 10-year public health project that calls on a wide range of community stakeholders to make changes both within and outside of the health care delivery system to reduce the burden of chronic disease. Three years in, county health officials are preparing to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness.
Changes on Horizon for California Safety Net’s Care of Undocumented, Indigent
Community clinics and public hospitals in California remain the primary health care option for millions of undocumented immigrants who are ineligible for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Safety-net facilities’ strategies for remaining solvent are changing under health care reform.
Researchers Helping Legislative Staff Craft Health Care Reform Message
Preparing for the Affordable Care Act includes a massive public education effort, but the public isn’t the only sector that needs training. Legislative staff members are getting pointers from researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Inland Empire Preps for Medi-Cal Growth
County hospitals in Riverside and San Bernardino that helped design and build “bridges to reform” are now making plans to guide more than 50,000 Inland Empire residents in their transition from Low Income Health Plans to Medi-Cal on Jan. 1.