How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Health
- Details
- Written by: CONGRESSMAN MIKE THOMPSON’S OFFICE
“The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that telehealth is a vital part of our health care system — expanding and modernizing telehealth is commonsense,” said Thompson. “This legislation will ensure that telehealth remains part of treatment plans for millions of Americans, especially those living in rural and underserved communities. I am proud that this bill includes provisions I wrote to eliminate geographic restrictions, expand the range of providers eligible for Medicare reimbursement, and allow the use of audio-only telehealth services. I know that this bill will improve the quality of life for countless residents of our district, and I urge the Senate to pass this bill quickly.”
H.R. 4040, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, will:
• Allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive telehealth services from any location, including their homes;
• Expand Medicare coverage of telehealth services for all beneficiaries, instead of only those in rural areas;
• Allow for more types of providers such as Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics to provide telehealth under Medicare;
• Allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive audio-only services, instead of only telehealth services with an audio and visual component;
• Delay the in-person requirements for mental health services to be provided through telehealth; and
• Allow hospice providers to conduct face-to-face requirements via telehealth.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
- Details
- Written by: Adventist Health Clear Lake
“This incredible achievement would not have been possible without the remarkable dedication and commitment of our amazing team,” said Colleen Assavapisitkul, president of Adventist Health Clear Lake. “Each member of the team was instrumental in achieving this recognition, and it truly is a testament to their devotion to provide the best possible care to our patients.”
According to CMS, the Overall Star Rating summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital.
The measures include mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care.
Each hospital has a star rating that ranges from one to five stars, with five stars signifying the highest quality.
Of the 4,500 hospitals evaluated by CMS, Adventist Health Clear Lake is the only hospital in Lake County to achieve this five-star rating. O
nly 14% of hospitals nationwide have earned five stars.
For more information about Adventist Health Clear Lake, visit www.AdventistHealthClearLake.org.
- Details
- Written by: Partnership HealthPlan of California
This brings the total to nearly $16.5 million. The grants are awarded to organizations across the 14-county region served by PHC, which administers Medi-Cal benefits for more than 600,000 members.
The grant program supports the launch and sustainability of CalAIM — California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal — a multi-year initiative by DHCS to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals on Medi-Cal by implementing broad delivery system, as well as program and payment reform.
Specifically, the grant program awards funds to providers of Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports, two key elements of the CalAIM initiative.
“We know that health and wellness are about more than a primary care provider treating a patient in a clinic,” said PHC Chief Executive Officer Liz Gibboney. “Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports are part of a broader approach to caring for our members, and we’re happy to support these providers by awarding funds on behalf of DHCS.”
The CalAIM initiative utilizes the Medi-Cal program to help address the multifaceted challenges facing California's most vulnerable residents such as individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health care access, children with complex care needs, the growing number of justice-involved populations who have significant clinical needs and the growing aging population.
More information is available at www.partnershiphp.org/Community/Pages/CalAIM.aspx.
Details on the first round of grants can be found here.
Below is a list of the organizations awarded funding in the second round of the PHC CalAIM Grant Program.
Adventist Health: $901,712
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa: $66,949
Collabria Day Program: $ 335,892
Committee on the Shelterless (COTS): $436,213
Community Action Marin: $362,116
County of Humboldt Public Health Nursing: $93,375
Nation's Finest: $252,723
Dignity Community Care: Yolo Adult Day Health Center: $281,333
Hope Center: $188,480
Lutheran Social Services of Northern California: $62,643
Marin City Health and Wellness Center: $417,498
Mendocino County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services: $339,106
Redwood Quality Management Co.: $54,272
Ole Health: $431,913
Redwoods Rural Health Center: $370,231
CommuniCare Health Center: $500,000
Long Valley Health Center: $500,000
ResolutionCare, PC Total: $519,721
Ritter Center: $761,758
Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency: $644,243
Sonoma Valley Community Health Center: $217,106
Winters Healthcare: $53,000
Yolo Wayfarer Center dba Fourth and Hope: $425,718
Partnership HealthPlan of California is a nonprofit community-based health care organization that contracts with the state to administer Medi-Cal benefits. PHC provides quality care to over 600,000 Medi-Cal members. Beginning in Solano County in 1994 PHC now provides services to 14 Northern California counties – Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity and Yolo.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“We’re truly honored at Sutter Lakeside to receive a four-star rating from CMS again. We first earned a four-star rating in 2018, and this accolade continues to reflect the pride our nurses, staff and physicians take in their work to care for and support our patients. As the only Critical Access Hospital in the Sutter network, we’re grateful to provide a high level of care to residents in our local communities,” said Pauline Orr, Sutter Lakeside chief nursing executive.
Critical Access refers to a CMS designation given to rural hospitals such as Sutter Lakeside to ensure access to healthcare in remote communities.
A Critical Access Hospital is licensed for 25 beds and must network with a hospital capable of taking high acuity patients.
Since 2016, CMS has assigned star ratings to hospitals. The rating system helps people make choices about where to receive non-emergency hospital-based care, like scheduled surgeries and procedures.
Hospitals that perform better on standard measures of quality, including readmission rates, safety and patient experience receive more stars. On average, hospitals across the nation receive three stars, but high performers can earn four or five.
The ratings reflect multiple aspects of quality. The Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes about 50 measures of healthcare quality for a given hospital in comparison with other facilities throughout the country, but some of those measures have greater emphasis.
Four heavily weighted categories ― patient experience, safety, readmissions and mortality ― account for more than 80% of a hospital’s overall star rating.
“Providing quality care and a great patient experience is our highest priority, and it’s also what makes our work in healthcare rewarding,” said Orr.