In Brief: DMHC, Blue Shield Disclose Data Breach; Kaiser Links HIV To Stroke Risk

DMHC, Blue Shield Disclose Breach Of Provider Data

Blue Shield of California and the Department of Managed Health Care were involved in a data breach involving the Social Security numbers of about 18,000 physicians and other healthcare providers.

The data was included in the San Francisco-based Blue Shield's ongoing filings to the DMHC, which monitors the financial and other performance points of the health plans it regulates. DMHC then apparently released the reports to members of the public after they made specific requests for the information under the state's public records law. Published reports suggest that DMHC released the data as part of 10 different public record requests to members of the media, other insurers and some attorneys.

The data was in filings made in the first half of last year, and included Blue Shield's roster of providers, which are updated monthly in filings with the DMHC.

Blue Shield and Anthem Blue Cross are currently under investigation by the DMHC regarding complaints by consumers about gaps in their published provider networks, leaving them with potentially large out-of-pocket costs. However, the published reports suggested that at least some of the requests were likely made by other insurers for competitive reasons.

This week, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog filed suit against Anthem, claiming its network roster had deliberately misled enrollees who purchased coverage through the Covered California insurance exchange, including not informing them of policy changes regarding out-of-network coverage.

Kaiser Finds Link Between HIV, Ischemic Stroke Risk

A new study by Kaiser Permanente researchers has found a connection between being HIV positive and the risk of ischemic stroke.

Kaiser scientists pored over the medical records of nearly 25,000 HIV-positive patients enrolled with the organization's health plan between 1996 and 2011. Those who were HIV-positive had a 40% greater risk of having an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blood vessel plaques that obstruct the flow of blood into the brain.

However, those HIV-positive individuals who had relatively high levels of CD4 white blood cells – suggestive of a still-strong immune system – had a risk of stroke in line with those who do not have the HIV virus, the researchers concluded.

“Our results suggest that maintenance of immune function may protect against ischemic stroke,” said the study's lead author Julia L. Marcus, of Kaiser's research division. “Given recent calls to reduce or abandon CD4 monitoring among HIV-positive individuals with viral suppression,our data suggest that the CD4 cell count may be useful beyond its role in HIV disease monitoring.” 

The researchers concluded that the use of antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV-positive patients may have a long-term impact on their vascular health.

The study was published in the journal AIDS, a publication of the International AIDS Society.