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DHCS Releases New Hospital Directed Payment Data Sets

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Last week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released two new hospital directed payment data sets, available via the Secure File Transfer Protocol site (the site is only intended for file transfers, and uploaded files will be deleted within 45 days). The data cover state fiscal year (SFY) 2017-18 Phase 2 (Jan. 1, 2018 – June 30, 2018) and SFY 2018-19 Phase 1 (July 1, 2018 – Dec. 31, 2018). 

CHA Secures Amendments to Nurse Staffing Ratio Bill, Continues Advocacy to Oppose

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One of CHA’s highest legislative priorities this year has been Senate Bill (SB) 227 (Leyva, D-Chino), which would create duplicative and mandatory fines for hospitals if they do not meet required nurse staffing ratios. With help from member hospitals, our advocacy generated key amendments last week, including:

An exemption for hospitals that — in response to an unforeseeable and uncontrollable fluctuation — promptly make an effort to maintain staffing requirements
A 50% reduction in the fines (now $15,000 for the first violation and $30,000 subsequently)
A reduction in the length of time required to revert to a first violation (lowered from six years to three)

Health Care Leaders Praise Expansion of Postpartum Mental Health Care

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Health care leaders are praising Gov. Gavin Newsom after he signed a budget bill that expands Medi-Cal services for low-income women diagnosed with postpartum depression from two months post-birth to a full year post-birth. The expansion will help those without health insurance and undocumented immigrants who are ineligible for full Medi-Cal benefits. Reaction from health care leaders:

Sneaky deals are keeping cheaper generic medicines off the market

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It’s bad enough drug companies charge sky-high prices for brand-name prescription meds and raise those prices with regular frequency. Some also cut secret deals to keep cheaper generic alternatives off the market — a practice known as pay for delay.

It’s a bad-faith ploy that affects millions of people, potentially endangering the lives of patients who can’t afford needed medicine.

And it could become illegal in California.

A bill — AB 824 — now making its way through the Legislature would prohibit agreements among drug companies involving “anything of value” changing hands to delay introduction of a generic alternative to a brand-name medicine.

Area Wage Index Battle Presses On

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In a little more than a month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will issue a final rule of significant importance for California’s hospitals: a decision that could alter the way Medicare adjusts hospital payments for geographic differences in labor costs (known as the Area Wage Index).

Their proposal? Take money from hospitals in California with high wages to give to hospitals in states with lower wages. CMS suggests this is an effort to address longstanding inequities in the wage index and to help rural hospitals.  

House Ways & Means Committee Passes CHA-Supported Opioid Workforce Act of 2019

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On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee passed a measure that would increase graduate medical education slots for academic medical centers with existing pain and addiction training programs. H.R. 3414 — the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 ­— is supported by CHA as it would benefit numerous academic medical centers throughout the state. It will now move to the full House for consideration.

New Data Highlight Teen Mental Health

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The Health and Human Services’ Office of Adolescent Health has updated its national and state data sheets, which measure a range of adolescent health factors and behaviors. The analysis draws on large, nationally representative surveys, and measures include physical activity and nutrition, mentorship, family meals, cigarette and e-cigarette use, driving under the influence, depression systems, bullying, dating violence, and more.

State budget invests in health care workers

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Is this the start of a new era for California’s health workforce? It sure looks like it.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to sign the largest, most comprehensive set of proposals in years to expand California’s health workforce pipeline—tapping $300 million in the 2019-20 budget to address an often overlooked threat to our health care system: a shortage of qualified health professionals.

Our state has been acting boldly for years now on a variety of fronts to improve health and health care—from cutting the uninsured rate in half to reducing medical costs.

Democrats can beat Trump on health care if they focus on high costs and economic security

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The firing pistol went off on the 2020 election and the incumbent President Donald Trump aimed it in a strange direction — directly at his own health care record.

“If we win back the House, we’re going to produce phenomenal health care,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News on the eve of his 2020 kickoff rally in Florida. “And we already have the concept of the plan. And it’ll be much better health care.”

As Democrats enter the presidential primary debate season, this presents an opportunity.They would be smart to talk about health care as a core economic issue facing Americans, not a theoretical debate on how to cover more people. 

Board of Registered Nursing to Host Enforcement Workshop July 8

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On July 8 from 10-11:30 a.m. (PT), the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) will host a webinar about its enforcement program, covering:

What constitutes a violation
Complaint intake and investigative processes
Types of discipline that can be imposed on a licensee
The intervention program and different types of probation

Questions should be directed to WebmasterBRN@dca.ca.gov.