FROM THE FOUNDATION

CHCF's Top Ten of 2011

CHCF's most popular publications last year looked at the costs of health care, the benefits of using health IT to expand access and improve care, and a host of other important issues

Paying It Forward

The way health care is paid for is changing, and California health care stakeholders can help shape this transformation. This report looks at the state landscape, and some payment alternatives.

Career Opportunity: Senior Program Officer

The senior program officer will play a major role in leading and supporting the goals and objectives of the foundation's work in one of three programs: Innovations for the Underserved, Market and Policy Monitor, or Better Chronic Disease Care.

Features

02/02/2012

UC-Merced Students Tap Telehealth Tools To Treat Diabetes

Business students at UC-Merced are embarking on a telehealth initiative to monitor patients with gestational diabetes in the Central Valley. The project aims to target women without adequate access to medical care. by Alice Daniel, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

01/26/2012

L.A. Senior Advocates Stand Up to Budget Cuts

Advocates for senior health programs in Los Angeles are working on remedies to situations many thought couldn't get any worse -- until now. The governor's proposed budget prescribes more cuts for state-supported programs for low-income, vulnerable elderly residents. by Stephanie Stephens, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

01/24/2012

Bill Would Explore New Tier of Dental Provider for California

This week, the California Senate is considering a bill that would create a statewide office of oral health and launch a research project aimed at creating a new tier of dental professionals who could provide care for nearly one million underserved children in California. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor

01/19/2012

Financial Flexibility Could Be Key to Helping Seniors

California health officials have struggled with how to handle the state's burgeoning and expensive elder population -- the largest in the nation and growing quickly. One program in San Mateo County wants to take an unusual approach by launching a different financial structure that could benefit seniors and save money. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau

01/17/2012

Fresno County Projects Address Teen Drug Abuse

Teenage prescription drug abuse, considered a serious problem statewide, is the focus of Fresno County projects aimed at helping parents lock up, clean out and safely drop off unused narcotics. by Alice Daniel, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

01/09/2012

'Value' in Health Insurance Acquires New Meaning

Insurers and employers are expanding the scope of value-based insurance design, leaving their mark on customized programs that challenge the typical cost-sharing arrangements adopted by many payers. by Mari Edlin, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

01/05/2012

State Starts Year Facing Multiple Lawsuits, Hearings

California health care officials are fighting a number of lawsuits in courts ranging from the U.S. Supreme Court to federal district courts. The budget crisis in California has prompted drastic cuts in health care services, triggering more than half a dozen legal challenges. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau

12/22/2011

State Pilot Prompts Children's Hospital To Form ACO

The California Department of Health Care Services has chosen Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego to manage the care of medically vulnerable children via a newly formed accountable care organization, hoping for better care coordination and cost savings. by Lisa Zamosky, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

12/15/2011

'Freeing' Data May Be Tricky in California

The "Free the Data" movement, a national effort to encourage innovation in health care, has sparked a similar campaign to make California health data more easily available. But state laws and regulations may require some extra effort in the Golden State, experts say. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau

12/12/2011

Two Faces of Mental Health Treatment in California

County and community mental health care providers are optimistic about a major overhaul of California's mental health services that includes plans for a new state agency and a realignment of management and funding. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor

12/08/2011

Diabetes Project Tries To Reach Valley Hmong Community

Healthy House, a health and community services coalition in Merced, is using a $50,000 grant to launch a diabetes education and treatment project for the Central Valley's large Hmong community. by Alice Daniel, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

12/05/2011

Inland Empire Readies Low-Income Health Plans

Low-income individuals in San Bernardino and Riverside counties will have access to two new health insurance programs beginning in 2012. The plans have been developed in preparation for a larger expansion of Medi-Cal in 2014 as required by the Affordable Care Act. by Lauren McSherry, California Healthline Regional Correspondent

12/01/2011

Medicare Physicians Nervously Await Yearly 'Doc Fix'

In the wake of the congressional debt panel's failure to come up with long-range budget solutions, California physicians are nervously awaiting the annual holiday tradition of a temporary "doc fix" to adjust the equation that determines how much they'll get paid for treating Medicare beneficiaries. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor

11/21/2011

Settlement Sets New Course for Adult Day Health Care

The settlement of a lawsuit over adult day health care essentially reinstitutes many benefits for some of the state's most vulnerable residents in a new program, but many of the details -- such as who will be eligible and how many centers will remain open -- have yet to be worked out. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau

11/17/2011

Premium Hikes Report May Be Kindling for California Initiative

Premiums for employer-based health insurance increased by 50% nationally in the seven years before passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund. The report comes at the start of a statewide campaign for a ballot measure to give California authority over health insurance rate hikes. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor

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