In Brief: Abortion Scope of Practice Expanded; Aetna Expands ACO-Like Pact With Sharp
Abortion Scope of Practice Expanded
At a time when reproductive rights are being restricted in many parts of the nation, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill into law that will allow non-physician medical professionals to perform certain types of abortions.
The bill, AB 154, authored by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, would allow nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and specially trained physician assistants to perform an aspiration abortion, a common procedure restricted to the first trimester of pregnancies. The legislation passed the Assembly and Senate mostly along party lines, with no Republican support at all.
California has been one of the few states that has not moved in recent years to restrict abortion rights. An aging population of physicians still perform the procedure, but it is typically an optional skill for recent medical residents, creating a shortage of abortion providers.
Along with AB 154, Brown also signed a bill that repeals specific sections of the California Buildings Code that hold outpatient clinics to higher construction standards if they perform abortions.
Aetna Extends ACO-Like Pact With Sharp HealthCare
Aetna has expanded its accountable care organization-like agreement with San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare to cover members of Sharp's Rees-Stealy Medical Group, officials announced.
Sharp entered into an agreement to more closely coordinate the care of Aetna enrollees in 2011 through its Sharp Community Medical Group. The agreement with Rees-Stealy adds about 19,000 lives.
“Adding the Sharp Rees-Stealy clinics and physicians along with the Sharp hospitals and ancillary facilities will allow us to continue to improve the care for our members in San Diego County and ensure that they live healthier, more productive lives,” said Brian Ternan, Aetna’s Southern California president.
The initiative will introduce a variety of clinical performance measures, including improvements in metrices involving hypertension, cholesterol control and breast cancer screenings, among others.
Known as an accountable care collaboration, the agreement does not contain all the components of an official ACO, officials said.
Brown Signs Medi-Cal Fee Into Law
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill to reverse the pending 10% cut in Medi-Cal payments to nursing homes attached to acute care hospitals.
SB 239, co-authored by Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, would also hike the self-imposed hospital fee used to draw Medi-Cal matching fund payments from the federal government. The new fee will is estimated to draw down $10.6 billion in Medi-Cal matching payments between now and 2016. That's compared to the $4.6 billion drawn down by the current fee, which went into effect in 2009 and expires on Dec. 31.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would have to approve a portion of the fee plan that includes returning $2.4 billion to the state's general fund in order to fund children's healthcare. services.
