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California Public Employers Employees Health Care Coalition Submitted by: Tanya Benitez |
Best Doctors
Best Doctors is a great service that we are very fortunate to have. People can get second opinions from experts in the field they have a health issue in. After reviewing the patients file, the expert physician may change the diagnosis or modify the treatment to better serve the patient. The recent statistics are showing that even though our physicians are making accurate diagnosis’s the most useful treatments have been significantly different. These are the statistics for 2006 and 2007:
2006
Total cases: 41
17% changes in diagnosis
66% changes in treatment
Total net savings: $607,195
2007
Total cases: 56
10% changes in diagnosis
95% changes in treatment
Total net savings: $300,00
HIPPA Privacy and Security Training
HIPPA encompasses all of the privacy laws which protect patient health information. There are several laws that people must follow to protect patients, especially when they work in the insurance and medical businesses. There are interesting facts I picked up at this conference that may be of use to our members:
You are able to obtain a second opinion at any time. The first second opinion is the physician’s choice.
For an “urgent” HMO referral, an insurance company has 3 days to respond in writing
To file a complaint about a hospital’s privacy/security issues, go to www.hippa.dhs.ca.gov.
The California Department of Insurance has a wealth of information about insurance for consumers with several topics ranging from current news, health issues, fraud, etc. log onto www.insurance.ca.gov.
For valuable information about the Medical Board of California and physicians, log onto: www.medbd.ca.gov.
California Health Reform/Legislation
CA State Assembly bill ABX 1 1 did not pass in January. It was a bill that would require employers to furnish their employees with insurance or pay into a state fund. It would mandate that all California residents have coverage. Even though this did not pass, health care reform is a huge issue right now. Many people are advocating universal health care. Watch closely for a new bill to appear regarding coverage issues.