In Brief: The Camden Group Acquires Illinois Consulting Firm

Payers & Providers Staff

The Camden Group Acquires Illinois Consulting Firm

The Camden Group, an El Segundo-based hospital and medical group consulting firm, has acquired Illinois-based Health Directions LLC

All 17 of Health Directions' employees were retained, and its offices in Chicago and Austin, Texas will continue to operate under the Camden name. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Health Directions is a highly respected and well-regarded national healthcare consulting firm, dedicated to assisting healthcare systems and physician groups," said The Camden Group President Steven T. Valentine. "The firm is a great cultural fit, and given the evolving needs of our clients and our commitment to assist in their successful transformation, this acquisition strengthens our capabilities to provide the best solutions that fit the broad range of client needs for migrating this change, as well as expand our footprint in Chicago and establish our presence in the Texas market." 

Valentine, who is a member of the Payers & Providers editorial board, added that the deal would add population health services to the The Camden Group's portfolio, while bolstering its development of clinical integration programs, accountable care organizations, and the implementation of population health models.

Two other deals involving The Camden Group and other entities are currently being evaluated, Valentine said, although he did not disclose any additional details.

 

Developmental Services Dept. Undercollecting Millions Of Dollars

California Auditor Elaine Howle has released a report this week claiming that the Department of Developmental Services may be failing to collect as much as $1.1 million every year from parents whose children receive around-the-clock care.

Bowen’s report concluded that the department only collects about 60% of the fees owed from parents, who are billed on a sliding scale based on income. And when parents do appeal an assessed fee, it is reduced 95% of the time. The report concluded that some families are treated unfairly in the process, primarily due to the lack of relevant information about determining which household should be levied charges.

Howle’s office reached that conclusion after auditing 45 households who went through the fee-levying process with Developmental Services between 2011 and last year.

“The root cause of these program deficiencies appears to be a lack of management oversight and policy development,” Howle wrote to Gov. Jerry Brown and other legislative leaders.

In a response to Howle’s audit, Developmental Services Director Santi Rogers said he mostly agreed with her findings.

As a result, Developmental Services has undertaken a variety of corrective actions, including closer monitoring of determinations regarding how fees are assessed, redrafting of department regulations to ensure that the fee assessment process is “more transparent,” and improved training and accountability of departmental staff.

News Region: 
California
Keywords: 
The Camden Group, California Department of Developmental Services