Latest California Healthline Stories
ARRA Money Continues To Flow for Health, Other Projects
The federal government’s checkbook continues to open for grants and programs specified in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This update summarizes significant developments over the past few months in areas including community health, comparative effectiveness research and broadband expansion.
New Program Brings Health Care Stakeholders Together To Curb Hospital-Acquired Infections
Gene Grigsby of the National Health Foundation, Leslie Margolin of Anthem Blue Cross, Jon Rosenberg of DPH and the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California’s Mary Lopez and Scott Seamons shared their thoughts on the new initiative.
‘Meaningful Use’ Rules Cap Year-End Health IT Activity
“Meaningful use” rules released just under deadline may have been the most anticipated health IT development of year’s end, but it wasn’t the only one. The federal government continues to move ahead with various programs spelled out in the federal stimulus package.
Health Advocates, Legislators See Little To Like in Governor’s Proposed Health Program Cuts
Carla Kakutani of the California Academy of Family Physicians, Wendy Lazarus of the Children’s Partnership, Assembly member Jim Nielsen and Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg discussed the governor’s plan.
New Jobs Training Effort Could Strengthen California’s Allied Health Care Work Force
Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University’s Center for Health Policy and Cathy Martin of the California Hospital Association spoke with California Healthline about the possible impact of health care worker training programs.
California Health IT Sphere in Flux in Wake of CalRHIO Shake-Up
CalRHIO, one of the country’s first organizations designed to oversee the exchange of digital health information, has entered a state of limbo after failing to win designation as California’s lead health IT agency.
Federal Stimulus Funds Aim To Help Medi-Cal Providers Adopt Electronic Health Record Tools
Kim Ortiz of the Department of Health Care Services, Sean South of the California Primary Care Association and Mary Szecsey of West County Health Centers spoke with California Healthline about the new federal funds.
Clearer Picture Emerges on Stimulus’ IT Funding
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT recently issued updates on funding programs aimed at advancing health IT adoption, including changes to an existing funding program and the announcement of a new initiative.
New National Nurses Union Could Exert More Pressure on State, National Health Care Policy
Deborah Burger of the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses Union and Harley Shaiken of UC-Berkeley spoke with California Healthline about a recent merger between three large nursing unions.
County Leaders Look to Reform Bills To Help Strengthen California’s Local Health Services
Tangerine Brigham of Healthy San Francisco, Marty Fenstersheib of Santa Clara County’s health office and Tom Joseph of the California State Association of Counties spoke with California Healthline about public services.