In Brief: Former DMHC Attorney Agrees To Pay Fine; Blue Shield Claims It is Abiding By Care1st Terms
Former DMHC Attorney Agrees To Pay Fine For Ethics Violations
A former supervising attorney for the Department of Managed Health Care has agreed she violated state ethics rules and will pay a $3,000 fine.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission disclosed the admission by Marcie F. Gallagher and the fine earlier this week. The FPPC will vote on accepting the fine later this month.
Payers & Providers originally reported in September 2013 that Gallagher had been auditing Kaiser Permanente as a staff counsel at the DMHC and determining whether it was providing timely access to mental health services in 2012 when she accepted a job with the Oakland-based insurance giant as a health plan regulatory consultant. Among her job duties at Kaiser was to help respond to the audit she had been supervising with the DMHC. The California Political Reform Act prohibits former employees from accepting pay to assist subjects of audits or investigations when they played a role in that audit or investigation while a state employee.
In a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, Gallagher said "I was very mindful of the restrictions once leaving state service and I believed that I was in full compliance with the law. But I respect the regulatory process and have agreed to this settlement to resolve this matter."
A grievance against Gallagher had been filed with the FPPC by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents about 5,000 Kaiser employees, including psychologists, social workers and opticians.
Marin General Enters Into Medical Tech Contract With Phillips
Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae has entered into a long-term contract with the Dutch company Royal Phillips to provide upgrades to its healthcare information technology and equipment.
The 15-year pact is valued at $90 million, officials said. It’s the first of its kind in the U.S. between Phillips and a standalone community hospital.
“As an independent community hospital, we have made a conscious decision to partner with Philips, an industry leader, who can support us in taking a long-term view and quickly adopting the latest digital health technologies, while creating an exceptional experience for our patients.” said Marin General Hospital’s Chief Information and Technology Integration Officer Mark Zielazinski.
Blue Shield Claims It is Abiding By Care1st Conditions
Blue Shield of California issued a statement this week saying it was abiding by the conditions set by the Department of Managed Care for its acquisition of Care1st Health Plan.
The San Francisco-based Blue Shield said it made a $35 million contribution to the Blue Shield Foundation -- far above the $14 million annually it promised to pledge. However, that is in line with the annual contributions it has made in the past.
Blue Shield came under fire late last year for saying its normal contributions would be used to fulfill the DMHC conditions.
