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Policy or Politics?
A HASC Blog

August 21, 2013

Policy or Politics is a blog composed and posted by HASC’s advocacy team. Check back soon for insights into issues affecting Southern California hospitals and health systems.

 

 

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In the Spotlight: CLC’s Susan Harrington

December 11, 2019

Susan Harrington is executive director of Communities Lifting Communities — the HASC initiative aimed at health disparities and upstream factors affecting diabetes, preterm births and other public health challenges. 

She recently sat down with the HASC Strategic Communications team to discuss the initiative’s goals and work. 

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HASC Blog

The Costs of an Internship

May 4, 2017

Most of us can recall being an intern — and the struggle of clocking those needed clinical or experiential hours to obtain a degree. 

Students facing challenges with paying for school and training are often eligible for financial aid and grants through state and federal programs. In addition, when students complete their training and become licensed, they frequently become employees of the training host — and often with loan forgiveness programs and tuition reimbursement should the student wish to further his or her education and training. 

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Blog entry

HASC/CHA Release Ballot Positions Summary Sheet

November 1, 2016

With the California Hospital Association, the Hospital Association of Southern California backs state ballot Proposition 52, which would extend a hospital fee program that draws state matching funds to support Medi-Cal services. Tested. Tried. True. Vote Yes on Prop. 52.

The associations also endorse propositions 55 and 56, and oppose propositions 53 and 64.

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Blog entry

Working Group Promotes Medi-Cal Accessibility, Sustainability

October 4, 2016

Medi-Cal now covers one in three Californians. But do one in three Californians have access to primary care, preventative care or anything other than emergent care?  Not really.  Simply put – the costs of care are not adequately covered. Safety-net providers and traditional medical providers, now taking on an even greater share of the Medi-Cal population, are struggling to adapt. 

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David Kindig of the University of Wisconsin (left) and Greg Stoddart of McMaster University published one of the first definitions of population health in "What Is Population Health?," a 2003 paper in the American Journal of Public Health.
2016 Ballot Positions

Understanding Population Health

June 7, 2016

The complex world of modern health care cannot have a single definition of population health.

As the term population health grows in strength and as providers grapple with how to build networks and deploy services to implement it, one can’t help but ask, what exactly is population health?

Early on, it was simply defined as trying to understand the determinants of health of populations. Now, let’s fast forward to today’s world of the Triple Aim, rapid system collaboration models, ACOs and new payment delivery incentives. 

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Photo: Wikipedia
2016 Ballot Positions

Coverage Does Not Equal Access

April 7, 2016

Hospital emergency departments are overwhelmed by patients who cannot get the care they need. And, some patients stay in hospitals longer than necessary due to the lack of available providers willing to accept low Medi-Cal reimbursement. Here are a few facts to chew on: 

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California counties provide a range of health services, including mental health support, to residents across the state. (L.A. County Department of Public Health)
2016 Ballot Positions

The Mental Health of Counties

March 2, 2016

California law, Welfare and Institutions Code Section 17000, has required counties to provide health care for the poor since 1933. Counties have done so in a variety of ways with varying programs led by county boards of supervisors in partnership with public health officers. The law requires counties to provide relief and support, for incompetent, poor, or indigent persons and those incapacitated by age, disease or accident. 

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Close to 1,000 individuals are on 5150 holds in California hospitals on an average day, data shows.
2016 Ballot Positions

It’s Time to Modernize the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act

February 17, 2016

In 1967, California Gov. Ronald Reagan signed into law the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act, co-authored by Assemblymember Frank D. Lanterman ( R) and State Senators Nicholas C. Petris (D) and Alan Short (D). The intent of the LPS Act was to end the inappropriate lifetime commitment of people with mental illness; and firmly establish the right to due process in the commitment process while significantly reducing state institutional expense.

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A patient met with a psychiatrist in this 1950s photo from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. As of last summer, the U.S. demand for psychiatrists had reached "an all-time high," physician recruiter and HASC endorsed business partner Merritt Hawkins said in a 2015 report. (Photo: U.S. National Library of Medicine)
2016 Ballot Positions

Social Determinants of the Mental Health Crisis

January 27, 2016

The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

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U.S. Commander Leroy Chiao performed an ultrasound bone scan on the elbow of Kyrgyzstani Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov aboard the International Space Station in 2005. The drill was designed to prepare spacefarers for injuries and illnesses, as well as for ongoing medical research. (NASA photo)
2016 Ballot Positions

Telemedicine: From Space Station to You

January 13, 2016

Imagine you are on the International Space Station and in need of medical attention – where do you turn? NASA has mitigated the risk of medical emergencies aboard the space station by using on-board ultrasound and earth-based telemedicine consultation. This is not some novel sci-fi concept reserved for elite astronauts. Rather, a technology occurring at lightning speed in rural communities across the U.S. 

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  • NASA's Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) experiment.
2016 Ballot Positions

Explicable Costs of Care…

June 18, 2015

David Lazarus’ column in the Los Angeles Times (June 5) highlights the complex system of Emergency Department costs of care, not only in California, but also across the country. Indeed, it can be confusing and frustrating for patients.

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2016 Ballot Positions

An Optimally Healthy Society…

January 29, 2015

The United States spends more on health care than any other country. Yet Americans die sooner and experience more illness than residents in many other countries. Why? And how do we improve this nation’s health performance? This question has been studied at great length and the results are frustrating… The problem is not a matter of large numbers of uninsured or social and economic disadvantage; and cannot simply be explained away by the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population.

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Blog entry

California’s Hospitals Are Safer Than One Might Think

January 14, 2015

Beginning this year, the Hospital Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, requires CMS to reduce hospital payments by 1 percent for hospitals that rank among the lowest-performing 25 percent with regard to HACs. Penalizing hospitals that fall within the worst-performing quartile, this program is based on measures of adverse events occurring during hospital stays, such as pressure ulcers, pulmonary embolisms and certain types of health care associated conditions.

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2016 Ballot Positions

Reforming Health and Health Care – Part 1
Payment Reform to Drive Delivery System Change

December 10, 2014

The financial picture for many hospitals is getting bleaker. Currently more than 50 percent of California’s hospitals lose money on operations and that number is expected to increase without systemic intervention. Medicare and Medi-Cal underpayments remain the biggest part of the overall problem.

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2016 Ballot Positions

Learning from Mistakes

September 24, 2014

There is growing evidence that the role of culture, especially the culture of patient safety, pays in an organization’s ability to improve and sustain those improvements over time. Improvement work is new to many leaders who find themselves in quality roles, and new improvement teams charged with harm elimination are often not familiar with the necessary tools to impact change.

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2016 Ballot Positions

September is National Preparedness Month

September 10, 2014

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake that rattled Napa County on August 24th served as a good reminder that California is earthquake country and that we all must be prepared for whatever Mother Nature sends our way. Only 44% of individuals have a household emergency plan in place, according to the recent FEMA Personal Preparedness in America Survey. Americans, myself included, would much rather plan for vacations, work, social activities and even a marathon; than prepare for an event that could keep us from enjoying said activities, our homes and loved ones.

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2016 Ballot Positions

Legislators Sprint to the Finish…

August 27, 2014

With the August 31 deadline looming, legislators remain focused on completing pending legislative actions. Lawmakers will now be focused on passing bills and concurring in amendments. This period of time is characterized by daily late-night sessions with legislators sitting through debate on pieces of legislation, while lobbyists and special interests work feverishly to influence lawmakers to support or oppose their items of great importance. Adjournment will depend on how quickly legislators can work through the hundreds of remaining bills awaiting final action…

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2016 Ballot Positions

Sick and homeless…

August 13, 2014

No doubt that many of the 55,000 plus homeless in L.A. County would concur that living on the streets will make a person sick.  Among 20,000 homeless people surveyed nationally, more than one in five lives with a chronic health condition alongside a substance addiction and mental illness. These co-occurring conditions are then exacerbated by the harsh realities of life on the streets. Medical respite care – known locally as recuperative care – is a critical component of the continuum of health care for people experiencing homelessness. 

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2016 Ballot Positions

Protect Senior Services from Medi-Cal Cuts…

July 16, 2014

Here’s a quick recap of events: 2011’s AB 97 reduced Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for Distinct Part Skilled Nursing Facilities (DP/SNFs) to rates applicable in the 2008-2009 rate year, less 10%, resulting in effective rate decreases for most facilities of about 25%. In 2013, the Legislature recognized the devastating impact these cuts would have and acted to restore the rates on a prospective basis. However, these essential providers still face the prospect of retroactive recoupment of millions for services provided from June 1, 2011 to September 2013.

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2016 Ballot Positions

On Our Way to Relieving the Mental Health Crisis…

June 18, 2014

Stories from media outlets across the nation covering violence and chaos in our communities have a common thread – timely intervention and lack of access to appropriate mental health treatment services for those in crisis. Similarly, I can’t help but note much of the health policy discussions of late focus on the same need for increased access to such services. Whether the issue is wall-time/boarding, emergency department overcrowding or homelessness – lack of access to appropriate mental health treatment services in our communities is at the core.

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Blog entry

Caring for the Aging Population—We Have Our Work Cut Out for Us

May 28, 2014

It’s a fact everyone in health care is well aware of—the aging population is increasing and in the coming years, will dramatically affect the delivery of health care.

According to the CDC’s The State of Aging & Health in America 2013 report, the growth in the number and proportion of older adults is unprecedented in the history of the United States. Two factors—longer life spans and aging baby boomers—will combine to double the population of Americans aged 65 years or older during the next 25 years to about 72 million. By 2030, older adults will account for roughly 20 percent of the U.S. population.

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2016 Ballot Positions

Historic Agreement with SEIU-UHW Paves the Way for Smoother Hospital – Labor Relations

May 13, 2014

Earlier this month, the hospital industry, led by the California Hospital Association (CHA), and the state’s largest union of hospital workers, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (UHW), signed a breakthrough agreement to form a strategic relationship set to change the face of health care in California while at the same time serving as a new national model for how employers and unions interact.

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2016 Ballot Positions

What Have You Done for Me Lately? In the Case of Hospitals…A Lot

April 29, 2014

We hear every day about the challenges hospitals face in this climate of health care reform. It can be hard in the midst of the current health care transformation to take a moment to celebrate hospitals’ victories, but it is important every now and then to do just that.

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Blog entry

The Seven-Year Itch…It’s Time to Tackle Homelessness Again

March 26, 2014

It’s been seven years since the passage of AB 2745, which mandated that the regional hospital associations invite key stakeholders to planning meetings to improve the post-hospital transition of homeless patients and then compile the recommendations into a document. Sadly, the issue of homelessness and how to handle homeless patients once they leave the hospital has not gone away. The problem is very much alive and present.

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Blog entry

Let’s Help, not Hurt, California Hospitals’ Mission of Keeping Us Healthy

March 13, 2014

If you or a loved one suddenly needs expert treatment at a hospital, you need that care now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. That axiom is even truer with the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act. Health care reform has raised expectations, along with the need to expand access to health care for more than 3 million California residents.

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Blog entry

A Powerful Labor Union Threatens Your Health Care

February 26, 2014

In November 2013, Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) filed two anti-hospital ballot initiatives. The first initiative would limit not-for-profit (NFP) hospital/health systems executives’ total compensation (salary, bonus, pension, etc., excluding health and disability insurance) to $450,000 per year.

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Blog entry

Legislation by Ballot

February 14, 2014

The state Attorney General’s Office is currently reviewing at least 32 proposed ballot initiatives and you can bet that we will likely see more than two dozen qualify for the November ballot. California, where voters cast their opinion via the ballot box, enacts many laws – some controversial, and the state continues to allow and promote the initiative and “direct legislation” routes to address problems being ducked by the legislature.

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Blog entry

Hospitals…The Cure for Homelessness?!?!

January 29, 2014

This question has been top of discussion for the better part of the past decade. Hospitals across the state (and country for that matter) have struggled with the difficult challenge of finding appropriate shelter settings for homeless patients no-longer in need of acute medical care. The problem has been exacerbated by graphic media coverage of so-called “patient dumping” on LA’s Skid Row.  I think we all know that these pictures do not tell the whole story.

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Blog entry

Gearing Up for the 2014 Legislative Session: Top Priorities for Health Care

January 15, 2014

The New Year has begun and so has the new legislative session. As with each new session we anticipate no less than the usual 400 plus bills impacting hospitals and health care delivery… Several high-priority health care bills are already looming in the Legislature, dealing with issues such as charity care, workplace safety and implementation of health care reform.

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Blog entry

Hospital Community Benefit Programs – ‘Tis the Season…

December 11, 2013

Here we go again, more attacks on hospitals’ community benefit programs – first with AB 975 in the legislature earlier this year, and now, a recent report from the Greenlining Institute uses faulty assumptions in evaluating hospitals’ community benefit programs. And during this holiday season of giving, it seems an opportune time to further counter the thought process of AB 975 by putting forth our members’ first and foremost mission of providing quality health care services to residents of their community.

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Blog entry

Most Appropriate Care Initiative

November 14, 2013

How can HASC member hospitals play a meaningful role in curbing non-value added treatments, thereby helping to eliminate some duplicative costs, wasted services, and clinical complications so often associated with these treatments?

The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently presented a five-pronged approach with suggestions on achieving this goal. Critical steps include:

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Blog entry

Still Uninsured

October 16, 2013

Enrollment is all the buzz and kudos to the many hospitals and community partners assisting in the massive outreach efforts across Southern California.  Minimizing the number of uninsured is everyone’s goal.  However, despite massive enrollment efforts, many will remain without coverage with as many as six-out-of-10 uninsured residing in Southern California.

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Blog entry

Saving Lives

October 2, 2013

Do you know what your hospital is up to? Health care professionals are coming together; setting aside their competitive tendencies to help one another improve patient care. How? Hospitals are helping each other excel in a unique peer learning format where best practices are shared in critical care, surgical care, perinatal care and infection prevention.  As a result of this collaboration, in the last three years, more than 3,500 lives have been saved and $63 million in costs avoided by hospitals participating in the Patient Safety First (PSF) Collaboratives. 

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Blog entry

SB 239 Delivers Much Needed Relief for Hospitals, Patients

September 18, 2013

During the final hours of this year’s legislative session, at 10:50 p.m. on Sept. 12 to be exact, a final vote was taken on a critical piece of legislation for hospitals in California.

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Blog entry

AB 900: Protecting the Most Vulnerable

August 28, 2013

Last week, patients of distinct-part skilled nursing facilities (DP/SNFs) in rural areas of the state, and their families, were spared from the loss of access to vital services when an agreement was reached to prevent proposed cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursement for those facilities.Had the cuts moved forward, these very vulnerable patients would have faced the prospect of having to find care at other skilled nursing centers, located, in many cases, far from their homes and family support system. Thankfully for those patients, reasonable minds reached a compromise to not only avoid the cuts

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