A well-known Harvard University physician and researcher has been appointed as the first director for the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Archived California Healthcare News
El Camino Focuses On Senior Health
Free
Oct 24, 2012
El Camino Hospital is launching what it calls a “patient-centered†medical home devoted to improving the health and quality of life of the region’s seniors.
Located on El Camino’s Mountain View campus, its Senior Health Center will focus on providing primary rather than the tertiary care services offered by the typical hospital. It has a staff of four physicians, including two newly minted in geriatrics, as well as allied health professionals including specially trained nurses, a nutritionist and a pharmacist.
Accountable, DMHC Settle Charges
Free
Oct 24, 2012
The Department of Managed Health Care has reached terms with a Signal Hill-based medical group it had accused earlier this year of allowing non-medical professionals to make prior authorization decisions regarding care.
The DMHC had issued a cease-and-desist order against the Accountable Health Care IPA last July. It claimed two of its employees, including the son of Chief Executive Officer George Jayatilaka, M.D., had been making medical necessity decisions for patients even though they lacked the proper credentials to do so. Only a licensed physician has the authority to make such decisions by law.
Mendocino Coast Filing Bankruptcy
Free
Oct 17, 2012
In what could be a harbinger for California’s rural hospitals, the Mendocino Coast Health Care District voted late last month to file for bankruptcy protection after the hospital it operates in Fort Bragg all but ran out of cash.
The 49-bed Mendocino Coast District Hospital had actually enjoyed some of its best years after converting to a critical access facility in 2006, which boosted its Medicare revenues significantly, according to Raymond Hino, its chief executive officer.
Health Insurance Exchanges
Free
Sep 14, 2012
Payers & Providers convened a webinar on Aug. 15 focusing on the California Health Benefits Exchange. It featured presentations from Jon Gabel, a Senior Fellow from NORC at the University of Chicago, Anthony Wright, the Executive Director of Health Access California, and David Panush, director of government relations for the California Health Benefits Exchange.
In Brief: Kaiser Opens New O.C. Replacement Hospital
Free
Sep 12, 2012
Kaiser Permanente has opened a 262-bed, 434,000 square-foot hospital in Anaheim to replace its Lakeview facility, which dates to the 1970s.
All the patient rooms are private. The hospital also contains 36 patient bays in the emergency room, 20 neonatal intensive care unit beds and 10 operating rooms. Video game walls, Wi-Fi and social media connections are also being offered, along with a three-acre healing garden.
In Brief: UCLA Researchers Say Gene Therapy Can Defeat “Bubble Boy†Disease
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Sep 12, 2012
Gene therapy can be used to restore the immune systems of children who suffer from the so-called “bubble boy†disease, condemning them to a life of antiseptic isolation.
In Brief: State Could Lose 50,000 Healthcare Jobs Next Year If Sequestration Stands
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Sep 12, 2012
The California Hospital Association predicted that the state could lose 50,000 healthcare jobs – about 10% of the overall total – in 2013 if Congress does not take any action on the planned sequestration of 2% of Medicare revenue starting on Jan. 1.
Palomar Loses Audit Case Appeal
Free
Sep 12, 2012
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Palomar Medical Center in litigation over the leeway auditors have to recoup payments when Medicare claims are in dispute.
More Deals For HealthCare Partners
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Sep 12, 2012
Fresh off a recently announced merger with dialysis giant Da Vita, Inc., Torrance-based HealthCare Partners has engaged in two more deals closer to its core business, one in Orange County, the other in the Land of Enchantment.
DHS, Providers At Odds On Claims
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Sep 12, 2012
Although California’s most populous county has added some 200,000 people to the Medi-Cal rolls as part of a pre-reform expansion program that began 14 months ago, clinic and hospital officials say they have had trouble getting their claims paid by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services or determining why they are rejected.
In Brief: Legislature Passes Insurance Fraud Fund Bill
Free
Sep 5, 2012
A bill expected to boost funding to fight healthcare fraud in California has been passed by both the Assembly and Senate and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown.
AB 2138, authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfeld, a Los Angeles Democrat, would increase the current annial surcharge on health and disability insurers from 10 cents per insured life to 20 cents, which is expected to raise an additional $4 million a year.
In Brief: Rideout Health Rebrands
Free
Sep 5, 2012
ideout Health is the resulting name after a rebranding effort by the former Fremont-Rideout Health Group, which operates hospitals in the Northern California towns of Marysville and Yuba City.
Rideout, the surname of the system’s original founder more than a century ago, was the preferred choice after the system conducted several stakeholder surveys in 2011.
“We were gratified to see how important the Rideout legacy is
In Brief: Arbitrator Says Marin General Won Case
Free
Sep 5, 2012
Marin General Hospital received a fraction of what it was seeking from Sutter Health to settle a years-long dispute over siphoned revenues. Nevertheless, Marin was declared the “prevailing party” earlier this week by the arbitrator who decided the case earlier this year.
SCAN Pays $323.7 Million To Settle Suit
Free
Sep 5, 2012
Long Beach-based Medicare Advantage insurer SCAN Health Plan has agreed to pay $323.7 million to state and federal regulators to settle claims of overpayments for care provided to dual-eligible seniors.
Kids Medi-Cal Program Cuts Costs
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Sep 5, 2012
A program that concurrently provides curative and palliative care to children enrolled in Medi-Cal has significantly cut spending per child, according to new data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
CDPH Fines 14 Hospitals $825,000
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Sep 5, 2012
The California Department of Public Health levied $825,000 worth of penalties against 14 hospitals late last week for serious safety breaches that led to the deaths of five patients. However, the agency had scant details about plans to speed up a painfully slow appeals process that has delayed the collection of about $1.4 million in fines.
In Brief: Premium Regulation Initiative Resurrected
Free
Aug 29, 2012
An initiative that failed to quality for the November ballot that would more closely regulate insurance premium increases in California if approved by the voters will appear on the 2014 ballot instead.
Firms More Bullish On Coverage
Free
Aug 29, 2012
A new survey by the benefits consulting firm Towers Watson reveals significantly more companies are likely to retain employer healthcare benefits after the primary components of the Affordable Care Act are deployed in 2014.
Regulators Win $4.6 Million ACA Grant
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Aug 29, 2012
Three California agencies that play a large role in regulating and monitoring the state’s healthcare market have received a $4.6 million federal grant to beef up consumer protections and education.
