As the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom continue negotiations for the 2023-24 budget, which will be adopted on July 1st, Timi Leslie, leader of BluePath Health and Connecting for Better Health, seeks to overcome challenges of the lack of funding for health information exchanges (HIEs). Leslie told State of Reform that Connecting for Better … Read more
Through his work in the Utah Legislature, Republican Rep. Raymond Ward (R – Bountiful) is primarily focused on increasing health data interoperability in the state. In this “What They’re Watching” interview, Ward outlined his work on this front and how he plans to pursue the issue during the interim. A bill he sponsored during this … Read more
The deadline for Washington bills to pass out of their original chamber passed last week, so most bills that didn’t receive a floor vote will no longer be considered this session. Several health-related bills passed their house of origin, and are now awaiting votes in the opposite chamber. The following bills passed in … Read more
In this month’s edition, we focus on the legislature, where lawmakers have been hard at work developing legislation related to behavioral healthcare, older Utahns’ health, health information sharing, and much more. This year’s legislative session ends one week from today, on March 3rd. Six rural Utah hospitals were recently named among the best in the country … Read more
We want to thank everyone who attended for our 2023 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference last month! It was so great to be back in-person in Hawaii, and we already can’t wait for next year’s event! To see a recap of the day, you can watch this “What You Missed” video that our Digital Media … Read more
In this edition of “What They’re Watching,” we sat down with Shruti Kothari, Director of Industry Initiatives for Blue Shield of California, to hear about her focus on health data sharing in California. As part of the Connecting for Better Health Coalition, Kothari and her organization are committed to advancing the exchange of … Read more
I hope you’re gearing up for a great holiday season! In today’s edition of “5 Things,” you’ll find information about California’s new, first-of-its kind Data Sharing Agreement, the large-scale Medi-Cal Population Health Management program slated for January, and how dually eligible Californians can be more effectively served through DHCS’s upcoming Medicare Medi-Cal Plans. Thanks for reading! … Read more
California has made progress building health data networks across the state for years now — data systems that securely deliver information on your medications, health history, and hospitalizations in real time between your different healthcare providers (imagine never having to fill out that clipboard before your medical appointment again!). While those technology systems are significantly … Read more
Accessing health care in California can be a hurdle in itself. For our low-income, unhoused and vulnerable citizens, many of whom make up the 14 million Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal, finding and returning regularly to a usual source of care can be challenging. In my region of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, about 30% of … Read more
We’ve got some important updates in this week’s newsletter, including several on-the-move bills and an overview of health funding in Gov. Newsom’s May Revise budget proposal. We also have coverage of the steps California is taking to protect abortion rights in the wake of a likely Roe v. Wade overturn, and new CHCF data showing the … Read more