ABL HEALTHCARE ONLINE  
MARCH 27, 2012
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ABHOW Noted for Technology
In recognition of American Baptist Homes of the West's leadership in utilizing technology, Joe Gerardi has been invited to speak in Washington, D.C., at the “What’s Next: Boomer Business Summit,” an annual event that brings together businesses and organizations that are focused on the baby boomer-and-beyond marketplace. This article details technologies that are enhancing ABHOW community life.  Meanwhile, two Los Angeles ABHOW communities will serve as intervention groups for a University of Michigan study on whether service and support interventions provided in a retirement community improve outcomes for moderate and low-income seniors as much as for those with greater means. (leadingage.org, 3/23/12)  (Dave Ferguson, Silicon Valley, & Joe Gerardi, Leadership Round Table)

AIM Specialty Health is the New Name
American Imaging Management, a specialty benefit management company serving 42 health plans and 32+ million members, has changed its name to AIM Specialty Health, reflecting its evolution to a specialty benefit management company delivering a growing portfolio of clinical solutions, including radiology, cardiology, specialty drugs, oncology, and sleep medicine. (David Soffa, San Francisco)

Aperio & Dell Create Cloud-based Pathology Services
In a new strategic collaboration, Dell will host Aperio's ePathology Network solution, which will provide secure, compliant, worldwide access to pathology consultations via the cloud. Dell and Aperio are also collaborating to develop the world's leading repository of characterized digital slide images and cases.  Meanwhile, Psyche Systems Corp. and Aperio have teamed to offer the most advanced anatomic pathology information system available. (Dirk Soenksen, San Diego)

CalEndow Presents $7.5M in Loan Awards
The California Endowment announced organizations funded in the second year of its Program-Related Investments initiative, who will receive low-interest loans totaling $7.5 million, a $250,000 increase over 2011: Vista Community Clinic ($2M); Corporation for Supportive Housing ($2M); LINC Housing Corporation ($1.2M); Capital Link: Community Health Center Capital Fund, Inc. ($1M); Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation ($750K); and La Maestra Family Clinic, Inc. ($550K). (Kathlyn Mead, Los Angeles)

CareMeridian to Open New Colorado Facility
A new state-of-the-art, subacute, inpatient rehabilitation facility from CareMeridian will open in Littleton, CO, on June 1, 2012, with 27,000 square feet and 36 beds in a natural, home-like environment, providing Colorado with a new alternative for post-acute healthcare services. (Jim Ashby, Orange County, & Dan Larson, Silicon Valley)

Catasys Program Reduces Costs by Over 50%
Health plan members enrolled in Catasys’ OnTrak program to date are showing substantial reductions in substance use and cravings, as well as strong improvements in depression, anxiety, and stress levels, the company announced. Cost reductions were primarily driven through a 58% reduction in inpatient admissions and a 52% reduction in ER visits as compared to the base period prior to enrollment. (Rick Anderson, Los Angeles)

Cigna Recognized for Reducing Healthcare Disparities
The National Business Group on Health has honored Cigna with its annual “Award for Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities,” in recognition of Cigna's programs that target diverse populations among its 11 million customers. Cigna's Health Disparities Council, comprised of 200+ employee volunteers, works to identify internal and external opportunities to address healthcare disparities in culturally sensitive and medically appropriate ways. (Chris De Rosa, Orange County)

CMS Demo to Help Train RNs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a call for applications for the Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration, in which CMS will provide hospitals working with nursing schools to train advanced practice registered nurses with payments of up to $200 million over four years to cover the costs of clinical training. More information (Dave Sayen, San Francisco)

Gallagher Among World's Most Ethical Companies
The Ethisphere Institute, a business ethics think tank, has recognized Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2012. Ethisphere reviewed hundreds of companies and evaluated a record number of applications, naming the companies that surpassed their industry peers to the list. (Dave Brown, San Francisco)

HeartMath Technology Used in Addiction Treatment
The Camp, a residential drug and alcohol treatment center located in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, is now utilizing HeartMath's emWave2 in its teen treatment program.  Also, ESPN The Magazine highlighted HeartMath's emWave technology in a recent article.  And, Bruce Cryer is presenting "The Regenerative Power of Heart Intelligence: Restoring Balance, Harmony and Resilience with the HeartMath System" in Montefalco, Italy, Sept. 13-18, 2012. (Bruce Cryer, Silicon Valley)

Health Management Associates Provides "Weekly Roundup"
A recent HMA Investment Services Weekly Roundup - Trends in State Health Policy, from Health Management Associates, includes: In Focus: CMS Releases Final Medicaid Eligibility Rule; and RFP Calendar: California Dual Eligible Site Selection Expected Soon. (Greg Buchert, MD, Orange County)

Independa Integrates Telcare Glucose Monitoring
Telcare’s Blood Glucose Meter has become the first fully mobile monitoring system adopted by Independa. Instant transmission of Telcare’s results to Independa’s care management cloud will immediately deliver measurements to professional and family caregivers. (Kian Saneii, San Diego)

Keenan Details Final SBC Requirements
A new Briefing from Keenan, Health Care Reform: Q&A on Final SBC Requirements, summarizes the final regulations and guidance from the Federal Departments of Labor, HHS, and Treasury regarding the provision in the federal healthcare reform law that requires health plans to provide covered persons with a uniform summary of benefits and coverage. (Steve Richter, Los Angeles)

Kaiser Tops Member Satisfaction Rankings
Members in Kaiser Permanente's California, Colorado, South Atlantic, Virginia-Maryland-Washington D.C., and Northwest regions rated KP’s health plans highest in member satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2012 Member Health Insurance Plan Study.  Also, KP received the highest customer loyalty ranking in the health insurance category based on Satmetrix 2012 Net Promoter industry rankings. (Dan Edmonds-Waters, San Francisco, & Chris Boyd, Silicon Valley)

Lindora's CEO Honored for Entrepreneurial Success
Cynthia Stamper Graff, CEO and executive board chairperson of Lindora Medical Clinics, was honored at the Orange County Business Journal's recent 11th annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards, which spotlighted individual start-up success stories and the determination of the entrepreneurs behind them. (Cynthia Stamper-Graff, Orange County)

NCHS Announces Exceptional Obstetric Stats
The obstetric program at North County Health Services has reported outcome statistics on the 607 births the group attended at Oceanside's TriCity Medical Center between April 1st and Feb 29th, which includes a primary cesarean birth rate of 11% and a total cesarean rate of 22%. The National Center for Health Statistics' most current data reports a national cesarean birth rate of 32.5% with a primary cesarean rate (first time cesarean versus repeat) of almost 24%. (Irma Cota, San Diego)

Newport Medical to be Acquired
Covidien, a global provider of healthcare products, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Newport Medical, expected to close in the second quarter of 2012. Newport will be integrated into Covidien’s Respiratory Solutions business. (Hong-Lin Du)

PerfectServe Implemented in CA & GA
Fullerton, CA's St. Jude Medical Center, a member of St. Joseph Health System, and WellStar Health System, of Marietta, GA, have both selected PerfectServe's intelligent clinical communication platform to standardize communications system-wide between physicians and nursing, pharmacy, and ancillary teams.  Meanwhile, PerfectServe has expanded its suite of mobile access apps with full versions for BlackBerry and Android smartphone devices. (Gene Barduson, San Diego)

Sutter & UMass Amherst Team on MBA Program
A new MBA opportunity is available to Sutter Health network employees via a collaboration with the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, including online MBA courses at discounted tuition rates. In addition, graduates of Sutter Health’s Leadership Academy benefit from waived elective credits in pursuit of an MBA with a Focus in Medical Management; the program will credit completed coursework in Sutter’s year-long academic and experiential learning program. (Ron Marshall, San Francisco)

WLSA Chief Looks at the Promise of Wireless Health
Rob McCray, CEO of Wireless-Life Science Alliance, recently blogged Why Wireless Health Matters, in which he posits that "Just as the Internet has made everything from books and music to the physical properties of subatomic particles instantly accessible to anyone with computer access, the same can be done for the world’s medical knowledge. Access to knowledge will pave the way for the deployment of the incredible wearable, swallowable, injectable, and otherwise passive sensors that will enable personal biofeedback to be an affordable service for everyone." (Rob McCray, San Diego)

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

Health Reform in Action
Healthcare Executives Workshop
March 28, San Francisco

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4/4 - Orange County Round Table
4/10 - Silicon Valley Round Table
4/11 - San Francisco Round Table
4/12 - Leadership Round Table (OC)
4/17 - San Diego Round Table
4/20 - Los Angeles Round Table

Supreme Court Hearings Begin with Tax Rule Debate
Members of the U.S. Supreme Court waded Monday into the constitutional challenge to President Obama's healthcare overhaul. The hearing, which lasted just under 90 minutes, was the first of three days' worth of proceedings to determine whether justices will hear the case regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. While protesters outside the Supreme Court focused on the heart of the issue before the judges, whether it is constitutional to require citizens to get healthcare or be penalized, inside the court arguments focused on whether the mandate should be considered a tax. If a 19th-century law is called into play, it would bar the court from hearing challenges to the law until it goes into effect in 2014, when the penalties would be first implemented. "That it's being applied or if it's being collected in the same manner as a tax doesn't automatically make it a tax," said Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Much of the justices' questions echoed Justice Breyer's comment, giving many the impression, including the attorneys general representing the 26 states challenging the law, that the court will be prepared to deal with the constitutionality issue this year, rather than putting it off until April 2015.
     On Tuesday, the court will hear arguments over the individual mandate, which requires Americans to buy or get health insurance through their jobs starting in 2014 or face a penalty. On Wednesday, lawyers will debate whether the rest of the law can take effect even if the mandate is declared unconstitutional. The court will also hear arguments over whether the law goes too far in making states expand Medicaid by threatening to cut off federal aid if they do not comply. A decision is expected in late June. There is no television coverage in the court, but audio recordings of the arguments are being posted each day online at www.supremecourt.gov. (NY1 News, 3/26/12)

Nurse Anesthetists Don’t Need Doc Supervision
Nurses who are trained as anesthetists do not need a doctor's supervision to give anesthetics to California hospital patients, a state appeals court has ruled. Nursing and hospital organizations argue that surgery, obstetrics, and emergency healthcare, all dependent on anesthesia, would become more expensive and less available if physician attendance was required. Doctors contend their supervision is essential for patient safety. A lawyer for the California Association of Nurse Anesthetists countered that numerous studies have found no difference in the safety of anesthesia administered by doctors and nurses, with or without supervision. "The cost of educating and training a nurse anesthetist is a fraction of the cost of educating an anesthesiologist and they provide the same safe care," said attorney Philip Recht. The expanded role of trained "advanced-practice nurses," he said, is part of modern medicine's effort to "provide more services more cost effectively." Federal law denies Medicare reimbursements to hospitals that allow nurses to give anesthesia without supervision, but allows a state's governor to opt out of that requirement after consulting with the state's medical board. California is one of 16 states to opt out, an action taken by Gov. Schwarzenegger in June 2009 and supported by his successor, Gov. Brown. The law explicitly authorizes nurses to administer medications "ordered by ... a physician" and does not require in-person supervision, said Presiding Justice Ignazio Ruvolo in the 3-0 ruling, which upheld a December 2010 decision by a judge in San Francisco. He said the state Board of Registered Nursing, which regulates the profession, had reached the same conclusion. (San Francisco Chronicle, 3/19/12)

Cal eConnect: Kremer Withdraws; Landry Appointed
The Cal eConnect Board of Directors has announced that Ted Kremer has decided to withdraw as CEO. Laura Landry, who has been interim CEO, will assume the top post. (Cal eConnect release, 3/19/12)

ONC to Award Videos Starring Health IT
Electronic health records and consumer health electronics will star in videos as part of a contest the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is promoting to reduce heart attacks. ONC, in sponsoring its Beat Down Blood Pressure Video Challenge, is working with HHS' Million Hearts initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over a five-year span, offering $5,500 in prizes to the winners. Healthcare providers are being called to produce videos on how they use health IT to better manage high blood pressure with their patients. And it’s also “an open call for the public to create and submit short, compelling videos sharing how they use health IT or consumer e-health tools to manage high blood pressure,” said ONC. (modernhealthcare.com, 3/23/12)

Cal Seeks Limit on Small-Biz Self-Insurance Trend
California insurance officials are seeking new limits on a controversial form of health coverage insurers are selling to small employers. At issue is a new type of self-insurance for small businesses with as few as 25 workers. Critics said insurers are using these new plans to game the system and cherry-pick companies with healthier workers. They said this could undermine a key goal of the federal Affordable Care Act to lower premiums by pooling together more healthy and sick Americans into insurance exchanges. Premiums could continue to escalate without a diverse pool of consumers. That prospect has federal health officials weighing action against this practice as well. Insurance officials say that they are responding to employer demands for more affordable coverage and that regulators shouldn't interfere in the market. Some insurers are pursuing much smaller customers with new plans designed to limit employer payouts for big claims using stop-loss policies. This guarantees that businesses won't be responsible for anything over a certain amount per employee, perhaps as low as $10,000 or $20,000, with the rest paid by an insurer. Regulators and health-policy experts say this arrangement undercuts the notion of self-insurance since employers aren't bearing much of the risk, and it allows companies to circumvent some state insurance rules. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones will unveil proposed legislation soon that would bar insurers from selling stop-loss policies below a certain amount. The specific dollar figure is still under consideration, but some experts recommend a minimum of $40,000 per worker. (Los Angeles Times, 3/23/12)

Groups Push for Tough Spending Targets in MA
Even as Massachusetts celebrates a dip in the growth rate of healthcare costs, state lawmakers are still working feverishly on cost-control bills. Recently, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and the state's largest employer group, Associated Industries of Massachusetts, posted the same goal: GSP -2. While healthcare spending has been growing at least twice as fast as the rest of the state's economy, these groups say the state must hold all healthcare spending - including both government and private - to a rate of two percentage points below the state's gross state product (GSP -2). But the Massachusetts Hospital Association says GSP -2 is "a really bad idea" that would force massive layoffs and the closure of some hospitals. A coalition that includes at least two dozen hospitals, physician groups, health plans, and employers has another idea: hold the costs to GSP +1. The difference between GSP+1 and GSP-2 is roughly $7 billion in 2015, when total healthcare spending in Massachusetts would hit roughly $89B. By 2020, the difference would grow to about $21B. House Speaker Robert DeLeo said that he would propose healthcare spending "more in line with state economic growth" which is currently 3.7%. Legislation from the Massachusetts House and Senate is expected in April or May. Paul Ginsburg, of the Center for Studying Health System Change, says the goal Massachusetts sets for controlling healthcare costs will get a lot of national attention. But he says the target is not as important as "what they (regulators) do if the goal isn't met. That will be the most instructive thing" for the country. Governor Deval Patrick has suggested that state regulators review and reject contracts between insurers and providers that exceed whatever target the state sets. There's no word yet from the House and Senate on proposed consequences. (Kaiser Health News, 3/16/12)

Industry Not Ready for ICD-10: Survey
A new poll regarding ICD-10 implementation found that nearly half of health providers don't know when they will complete their impact assessment, a key milestone that should have been met in 2011, according to the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI). The poll took place in February and interviewed nearly 2,600 respondents, including 2,118 providers, 231 vendors, and 242 health plans. Results showed that although one-third of providers expected to begin external testing in 2013, another half of respondents said they didn't know when testing would occur. The poll also found that most health plans do not expect to begin external testing until 2013, and although more than a third of health plans have completed their assessment, one-quarter are less than halfway through. Furthermore, about one-half of vendors said they are less than halfway through their product development cycle. Respondents cited many reasons for the delays in planning and implementing ICD-10 code sets. Almost two-thirds said competing priorities are the issue, and almost half indicated other regulatory mandates were an issue. About a third said staffing was an issue, and a third said customer readiness was a concern. About a fifth said they were anxious about vendor readiness. In February HHS announced its intention to postpone the date "by which certain health care entities have to comply with ICD-10," but has not as yet set a new deadline. (informationweek.com, 3/23/12)

Possible Strategies to Prevent Alzheimer’s
Oli Thordarson, CEO of Alvaka Networks, and a Member of ABL’s Technology Executives Group, has shared with us an email he received from a friend, detailing some strategies that are thought to help prevent, or slow down, Alzheimer’s disease.