http://www.lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/index en vcalderon@lahealthaction.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-16T22:04:34-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3958/ Policy brief detailing the process and recommendations of more than 75 researchers who came together to identify a core set of standardized measures to evaluate the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). The report focuses on two domains of medical home outcomes: cost/utilization and clinical quality. The Commonwealth Fund established the PCMH Evaluators' Collaborative in 2009 to align evaluation methods, share best practices, and exchange information to improve evaluation designs. Health Care Delivery Systems, Ambulatory Care, Health Professionals 2012-05-16T22:04:34-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3957/ Report providing the 2012 Milliman Medical Index measurements of 14 American cities, including Los Angeles, on total cost of healthcare for a typical family of four covered by a preferred provider plan (PPO). The report finds that family healthcare spending in 2012 reached a new high averaging $20,728, a cost roughly equivalent to that of a basic mid-size sedan. The report provides scenarios detailing potential outcomes of the Supreme Court ruling on ACA and how the different rulings may effect future PPO payments for Americans. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Employment-based Health Insurance, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Financing, Costs of Health Care 2012-05-16T20:56:33-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3960/ Notice to every Health Deputy advising that on May 22, 2012 the DPH Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) intends to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Community Centered Emergency Room Project (CCERP) services. The purpose of this RFP is identify an agency to provide CCERP services in L.A. County's SPA 4, specifically in the area surrounding the LAC+USC Medical Center. The CCERP will complement integrated health care efforts to manage and reduce the large number of persons with chronic homelessness and co-occurring disorders who are frequent visitors of the LAC+USC MC Emergency Department. Approximately $200,000 in funding will be provided to the selected agency each fiscal year. Health Care Delivery Systems, Emergency Services and Trauma Care, Ambulatory Care, Homelessness and Health Care, L.A. County Documents 2012-05-15T23:04:15-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3959/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing an update on Budget Reconciliation Legislation (HR 5652) in Washington D.C. On May 10, 2012 the House passed HR 5652 which repeals and replaces certain automatic sequestration spending cuts that would otherwise take effect in 2013. The Obama Administration strongly opposes H.R. 5652 mainly because it represents an "unbalanced" approach which "undermines critical domestic priorities, such as efforts to prevent hunger and support low-income families and communities; and to expand health care access and implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA)." Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion 2012-05-15T22:31:19-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3952/ Report providing a funding breakdown of Health and Human Service programs as proposed in the 2012-13 May budget revision by Governor Brown. State Budget, Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Financing, Costs of Health Care 2012-05-14T18:08:26-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3951/ Policy brief addressing the May Revision of Governor Jerry Brown's proposed 2012-2013 budget proposal. The May Revision estimates a two-year budget gap of $15.7 billion, up from a $9.2 billion gap as estimated in January. The Governor outlines $16.7 billion in “solutions” to close the budget gap and provide a $1.0 billion reserve. The May Revision assumes that voters pass a tax measure that the Governor is attempting to place on the November 2012 ballot. The measure would temporarily increase personal income tax rates on very-high-income Californians and boost the sales tax rate by one-quarter cent, raising an estimated $8.5 billion in 2011-12 and 2012-13 combined. Regardless of whether voters pass the tax measure, the May Revision proposes $8.3 billion in spending reductions; a $1.2 billion cut to Medi-Cal, an $879.9 million reduction to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Program, and deep cuts to IHSS, child care, the courts, and the Cal Grant college financial aid program. State Budget 2012-05-14T17:17:14-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3961/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing the County's opposition to AB 2002 (Cedillo), which as amended April 30, 2012, would codify and expand the definition of a safety net provider, and change the formula in which a Medi-Cal beneficiary is assigned to a Medi-Cal managed care plan when a beneficiary fails to select a plan. AB 2002 would substantially expand the definition of an outpatient safety net provider to include clinics that may not dedicate any portion of their business to serving medically indigent populations. DHS fears it would significantly impact the number of future default auto-assignments to health providers in populations newly covered by Medi-Cal managed care and could impact existing and future programs that are intended to target safety net providers resulting in adverse fiscal implications. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Health Care Delivery Systems, Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver 2012-05-12T00:08:26-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3950/ Report on a survey measuring consumer assistance in four state health agencies (California’s Department of Insurance, Department of Managed Health Care, Department of Health Care Services, and Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board) performed in providing assistance to Californians. They asked for help in filing for Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Programs, or they also presented themselves as covered by health insurance, but asking for guidance about how to find a primary care physician, get a second opinion, or obtain a prompt referral to a specialist. For the most part, the surveyors got useful, timely, and accurate answers. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization 2012-05-11T22:11:04-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3941/ Policy brief designed to help voters reach an informed decision based on the merits of the Proposition 29 issues. The brief presents an overview of the Poposition, describes existing tobacco tax revenues, provides a comparison to other state tobacco tax laws, describes the impact the new tobacco tax would have on California residents, and presents policy issues raised, and cases argued by both the proponents and opponents of the initiative. State Budget, Health Status and Issues, Health Behaviors 2012-05-02T21:11:35-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3944/ Notice to the Board of Supervisors of the DPH's intent to enter into a sole source agree with the Alliance for Housing and Healing for the delivery of services under the Collaborative for Housing Integrated with Supportive Services (CHISS) program and a request to delegate authority to approve increase or decrease in funding up to 25 percent above or below the sole source agreement's annual base maximum. The goals and objectives of the CHISS program are to increase the amount of housing assistance provided to eligible persons, establish or maintain housing stability, reduce the risk of homelessness for eligible persons and to improve access to health care and other support services. Health Status and Issues, Homelessness and Health Care 2012-05-02T00:14:25-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3943/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing a status update LAC+USC Medical Center's census trends and emergency department indicators to include the month of March 2012. Health Care Delivery Systems, Hospitals, Emergency Services and Trauma Care 2012-05-01T23:54:57-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3942/ Memorandum providing pursuits of County position on legislation related to funding for local ombudsman programs and creation of the Basic Health Program State option; a report on legislation of County interest regarding the definition of a safety net care provider for purpose of determining default enrollment into a Medi-Cal managed care provider; and the status of realignment budget trailer bill language. State Budget, Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems, Hospitals, Ambulatory Care 2012-05-01T23:21:41-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3945/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing an update on the recent House vote, 215 to 195, passing H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, which would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) to pay for a one-year extension of the current subsidized student loan interest rate of 3.4 percent. The tax is due to double for all new loans on July 1, 2012. The Obama administration, however, is threatening to veto H.R. 4826 and proposes the Senate Democrats' student loan bill (S. 2343) to end a corporate tax break as the offset to pay for the extension. Health Status and Issues 2012-04-30T20:27:39-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3935/ Report providing results of a study on the undergoing transformation of primary care from physician-centered practices to patient-focused teams. Visiting seven primary care clinics to understand how they adapted their practices to put the patient at the center; the authors found six key characteristics considered to be the building blocks of the new model of health care delivery: data-driven improvement, empanelment and panel size management, team-based care, population management, continuity and availability of care, and prompt access to care. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems, Ambulatory Care, Health Professionals 2012-04-24T23:53:06-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3937/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing a status of the work that the CEO and DHS have engaged in with the MLK Board and its Interim Chief Executive Officer to address commitments in the Coordination Agreement of the New MLK, Jr. Hospital including a provision of a physical plant through a lease of hospital property and supplication of financial support to establish ongoing hospital operations. The scope of the Inpatient Tower Renovation Project will include renovating 194,000 square feet of the existing Tower Building to create a new 120-bed community hospital. The project also includes construction of a new ancillary building that will house the main entry and lobby to the hospital, campus cafeteria and hospital administration. Health Care Delivery Systems, Hospitals, Emergency Services and Trauma Care, Martin Luther King, Jr.-Harbor Hospital 2012-04-24T18:21:07-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3934/ Presentation from the April 23, 2012 DHCS Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting providing key information on California's dual eligibles demonstration proposal including requirements from a proposed demonstration model and counties selected for the demonstration under current law. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems, Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver 2012-04-23T19:16:32-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3933/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing that the evaluation process for the DHS EHR System acquisition has concluded, with the two final proposers being ranked in the following order: first ranked proposer is Cerner, and the second ranked proposer is Epic. DHS anticipates that contract negotiations will begin with Cerner in May and continue through June. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems 2012-04-23T18:15:00-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3931/ Report providing research findings on a study of dually eligible Medicaid-Medicare beneficiaries (duel eligibles) cost impact on Medicaid and Medicare expenditure. The report finds that there is a large spending difference within the diverse dual eligibles population, some relying more on Medicaid spending, others on Medicare depending on the kind of services most pertinent to their care. This large spending difference will make dual eligibles an important policy focus. Decision makers will need to take a multidimensional approach to improving the value, efficiency, and quality of care provided to duel eligible beneficiaries. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver 2012-04-20T19:02:49-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3930/ Policy brief providing findings from the recent Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults and insight as to how the ACA will help end the insurance gaps and consequent interruptions in care that so many Americans experience every year. The findings of the survey underscore the need for federal and state policymakers to press ahead with their work implementing the law. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Employment-based Health Insurance, Public Health Insurance Coverage Programs, Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization, Health Care Reform and Expansion 2012-04-19T18:16:16-08:00 http://lahealthaction.org/index.php/library/full_entry/3932/ Memorandum to the Board of Supervisors providing an update on the progress to date for developing five potential Integrated School Health Center (ISHC) projects. The plan was intended to leverage several revenue opportunities, including Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Integration (PEI) funds in developing these pilot sites for the integration of behavioral health services with County-funded primary care services at school-based health center sites. Updates include results from the Education and Health Policy Summit, progress of MHSA PEI fund allocations, and next steps to be taken. Health Insurance and Coverage Programs, Health Care Reform and Expansion, Health Care Delivery Systems, Ambulatory Care, Children's Health and Coverage 2012-04-18T17:14:29-08:00