HASC Briefs summarizes news and events impacting the
association’s members. Get the latest on key policy issues, legal
developments, business opportunities, HASC Board actions,
educational programs and other association activities.
Prime Healthcare Services and Cottage Health System were
recognized in the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study. Read
more about this and other breaking news, including the CalOptima
Board’s approval of a recommendation to serve as a dual eligibles
demonstration site, in this week’s Briefs.
The pilot project for the Inland Empire Health Information
Exchange, consisting of six hospitals, seven medical groups and
one health plan, has launched. Read more about this and several
upcoming educational programs in this week’s Briefs. And don’t
forget to register for the 4th Annual Palliative Care Conference,
Feb. 29; see this month’s Briefs Focus for more
information.
Congratulations to the 2012 HASC Board. This week’s top news: The
CalOptima Board of Directors received an informational
presentation from its staff on potential uses for $12.7 million
that may be coming to the agency through an Intergovernmental
Transfer (IGT) with the University of California, Irvine Medical
Center. Also read more about upcoming educational events in this
week’s Briefs.
HASC Executive Vice President Jim Lott was named chairman of
Charles Drew University. Read more about this, as well as other
news from the HASC region, in this week’s Briefs.
The newsletter will resume publication in January 2012.
Early bird registration for HASC’s Annual Patient Safety
Colloquium is now through Dec. 16. Read more about this
conference and other breaking news from HASC — including
adoption of the revised CalOptima Ordinance and the 2011 Hospital
Emergency Code Survey Results — in this week’s Briefs.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted this week to approve
revisions to the County’s CalOptima Ordinance. Read more about
these revisions in this week’s Briefs. Please also see the
Chair’s Report, as well as View of the Future, a Briefs Focus
report by HASC President/CEO Jim Barber that explains HASC’s
strategic initiatives for 2012.
HASC’s fourth annual Southern California Patient Safety
Colloquium, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 at the
Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport, will focus on Transforming
Research Into Practice. Register for this program, and read about
other upcoming events, including HASC’s new leadership training
program, in this week’s Briefs.
HASC’s Hospital Operations and Performance Excellence (HOPE)
initiative announces a new comparative database tool and an
initiative to help hospitals improve quality of care and reduce
costs in the operating room. Read more about this, and register
for the upcoming SCPSC Colloquium and 2012 HR Issues: Are You
Ready seminar, in this week’s edition of Briefs.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors appointed Lee Penrose of
St. Jude Medical Center to fill the open provider seat on the
CalOptima Board of Directors. Read more breaking news from HASC,
and register for upcoming programs such as the Southern
California Patient Safety Collaborative Nov. 15 meeting, in this
week’s edition. This week’s Focus from AllHealth Security
Services indicates the recent statewide survey shows a move
toward uniformity in hospital emergency codes.
Coinciding with the beginning of the flu season, the Los Angeles
County Department of Public Health has published its first issue
of Influenza Watch for the 2011-2012 season. This and other
news, including the upcoming Game Changers Educational Series
addressing the post-reform landscape, is available in this week’s
Briefs.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a
reimbursement rate reduction for the Physician Services for
Indigents Program. Read more about this, as well as a host of
upcoming educational programs, in this week’s Briefs. Also please
note the location changes for the upcoming November CalFresh
orientations.
HASC testified last week before the Ad-Hoc Committee on Waste
Reduction and Recycling for the City of Los Angeles regarding the
city’s Waste Shed Proposal, which will affect as many as 45
hospitals located within the Los Angeles city limits. Read more
about this, as well as scheduled speakers for HASC’s 2012 Annual
Meeting, in this week’s Briefs.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a revised budget,
cutting millions in planned appropriations for hospitals, public
safety and others in order to get to a balanced budget. Read more
about this and other breaking news in this week’s Briefs. Also
this week is the HASC Chair’s Report.
HASC is seeking hospitals to participate in the Southern
California Operating Room Excellence (SCORE) Initiative. Read
more about this results-oriented program, as well as upcoming
educational events, in this week’s newsletter. Also this week is
a Focus article, by guest authors Jeffrey Hall, Keenan
Healthcare, and Scott Ponaman, Ponaman Healthcare Consulting, on
the 340B Drug Discount Program and how particularly
not-for-profit safety net providers can optimize cost savings
under this program.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is
proposing a reduction in the Physician Services for Indigents
Program reimbursement rate from 18 percent to 12 percent for all
outstanding claims FY 2010-2011. Read more about this issue, as
well as several upcoming educational programs, in this week’s
News Briefs.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an
agreement with the State of California this week that will ensure
county funds are matched federally for providing medical services
to the uninsured. Read Briefs for more about this, plus
information about upcoming educational programs, including the
Nursing Leadership Council’s annual conference on Oct. 24.
Los Angeles County Supervisors voted this week to accept
allocation of the 2010 Urban Area Security Initiative, which will
allow for greater preparedness measures for incidents of
terrorism and natural disasters. Read more about it and upcoming
educational programs on bundled payments and managing grief in
the workplace in Briefs.
The CalOptima Board approved an interim Medi-Cal budget for the
period of July – December 2011 last week, putting the Board on
record to not implement provider cuts until January 2012. Read
about this and other news, including an executive forum on Lean
Transformation coming up on Sept. 28, in this week’s Briefs.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued a
health alert to area hospitals in an effort to detect potential
acts of terrorism as we near the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Read
more about this, managing the revenue impact of clinical process
redesign and other news in this week’s Briefs.
Hospitals are invited to participate in an informational forum on
improving critical care, Sept. 14, with two locations to choose
from: Los Angeles and Riverside. Read more about this event and
other news in this week’s Briefs.
The first annual Hospital Wellness Conference was a success,
drawing 133 attendees statewide. Read more about this and other
news in this week’s Briefs.
Support your local health care heroes and the National Health
Foundation’s work in the community at the 2011 Hospital Hero
Awards. Read more about the upcoming event and other news in this
week’s Briefs.
The Recuperative Care Program, which serves both Los Angeles and
Orange Counties, has resulted in estimated savings of $495,720
for participating Los Angeles County hospitals. Read more about
the program and upcoming events in your region in this week’s
newsletter.
Carenow is hosting free clinics in the greater Los Angeles area
that will provide medical, dental and vision services to
thousands of patients. Read more about it and the upcoming HASC
educational programs in this week’s Briefs.
HASC announces a new software product aimed at streamlining
the patient financial services application process. Read about
the new initiative, an upcoming PDS seminar on contract
negotiations and more.
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