Raising the smoking age to 21 could reduce tobacco use among next generation A report released today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) said that raising the smoking age to 21 could reduce smoking by as much as 12 percent in the next generation. In addition, smoking-related deaths could be cut by nearly 10 percent. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in this country. The U.S. Surgeon General estimates that 5.6 million youth alive today will lose their lives prematurely if we don’t do more to reduce current smoking rates. Roughly 90 percent of daily smokers first tried a cigarette before ... March 17, 2015 General Smoking Age, Tobacco, Institute of Medicine, Smoking 0 0 Comment Read More »
United Healthcare introduces Group Medicare Advantage PPO product Effective June 1, 2015, United Healthcare (UHC) will be introducing its Group Medicare Advantage PPO product in several southern California counties. The California Medical Association (CMA) has learned that contract amendments were mailed on February 24 to over 10,000 currently contracted UHC physician practices in Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties that the payor intends on including in its provider network for this new product. The insurer states that the new product, offered exclusively to employer/union group retirees, will offer greater access to a national ... March 17, 2015 Medicare Contract Amendment, Payor Contracting, United Healthcare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Growing aging population will result in a shortage of 90,000 doctors by 2025 The U.S. could face a shortage of as many as 90,000 physicians because of a growing elderly population, according to a report published last week by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The report also predicts that the greatest physician shortfall will be in the demand for surgeons who treat diseases in the elderly. The report says the growth in the insured population due to the Affordable Care Act will have little impact on the need for more physicians – just two percent of the projected growth in demand, ... March 17, 2015 General Physician Workforce, Residents and Fellows, Aging 0 0 Comment Read More »
We Care for California coalition introduces legislation to increase Medi-Cal rates to Medicare levels Senate Health Committee Chair Ed Hernandez and Assembly Health Committee Chair Rob Bonta joined health care providers, medical students, patients and advocates on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday to introduce AB 366 and SB 243, legislation that would not only restore a 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates, but would also place reimbursement on par with Medicare, increasing payments rates for inpatient hospital services and most outpatient services. The proposals would also require the Department of Health Care Services to pay Medi-Cal managed care plans at ... March 9, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare Medic-Cal Cuts, We Care for California, Legislative Advocacy, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physician groups urge CMS to create contingency plans for ICD-10 transition The California Medical Association (CMA), American Medical Association (AMA), and 98 other state and specialty societies urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to put contingency plans in place for the October transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 to avoid possible failures that could result in significant disruptions for physicians and Medicare patients. Now that CMS and the chairmen of the three Congressional health committees have announced they will not support a further delay in the implementation of ICD-10, organized medicine has turned its attention to CMS to ... March 9, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, ICD-10, ICD-9, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS extends PQRS reporting deadline for some reporting methods The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the submission deadlines for two Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) reporting methods from February 28 to March 20 at 8 p.m., EST. The two affected reporting methods are: Direct electronic health record (EHR) submission or submission via a vendor using certified EHR technology Qualified clinical data registry (using the QRDA III format) reporting for PQRS and the clinical quality measure component of meaningful use for the EHR Incentive Program Submission timeframes for other PQRS reporting ... March 9, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare EHR, Physician Quality Reporting System, PQRS, CMS, Meaningful Use 0 0 Comment Read More »
Brown appoints Napa public health officer to head CDPH Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Karen Smith, M.D., a Napa County public health officer and deputy director of Napa County Health and Human Services for more than 10 years, to be head of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). She will replace Ronald Chapman, M.D., who announced in December that he would resign as the department’s director. Dr. Smith earned her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and master’s of public health degree from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She held positions at the ... March 9, 2015 General Public Health, Department of Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health care coalition joined by Sen. Hernandez, Assemblymember Bonta to reignite Medi-Cal legislation, reduce health care inequality Sacramento – Preceding today’s joint legislative informational hearing to address pitfalls within California’s Medicaid system (Medi-Cal), Senate Health Committee Chair Ed Hernandez and Assembly Health Committee Chair Rob Bonta joined health care providers, patients and advocates on the steps of the Capitol. Newly introduced, legislation to restore a 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal reimbursement goes a step further than in past efforts by proposing that Medi-Cal payments to providers be on par with what Medicare pays for the same services. “Expanding access to health care coverage, as we have done ... March 9, 2015 Medi-Cal State Legislative Advocacy, Timely Access, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Gallup poll finds U.S. uninsured rate at lowest level in seven years. According to a nationwide Gallup Poll, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has steadily reduced the number of people without insurance across the United States. The group conducted phone interviews (landline and cell) in 2013 and 2014, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, with a random sample of 178,072 adults in 2013 and 176,702 adults in 2014. The survey found that the nationwide rate of uninsured adults declined from 17.3 percent in 2013 to 13.8 percent in 2014. The lowest uninsured rates continue to be primarily in the Northeast and ... March 9, 2015 Managed Care Insurance, Uninsured, Affordable Care Act 0 0 Comment Read More »
Bill to eliminate the use of tobacco products at California baseball venues introduced in Assembly A bill (AB 768) that would eliminate the use of all tobacco products – including smokeless tobacco – at all baseball venues in California in an effort to protect the health of players and to set an effective example for children was introduced Tuesday by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond). A similar local measure was also introduced in San Francisco by Supervisor Mark Farrell. Public health advocates, including the California Medical Association (CMA) and youth baseball players, joined Assemblymember Thurmond and Supervisor Farrell at the respective announcements in Sacramento and San ... March 9, 2015 General State LEgislation, Tobacco, California Legislature 0 0 Comment Read More »
