From californiahealthline.org.
The creators’ goal is to reduce medical expenses by 2 percent to 3 percent, with savings coming from such things as eliminating duplicate laboratory and imaging tests when a patient transfers care to another hospital. But only one system — San Francisco-based Dignity Health — has so far agreed to join the health information exchange.
Two of California’s largest insurers are trying to build one of the country’s most comprehensive health information exchanges, but they’re facing reluctance from providers who are hesitant to share their data. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California—the second- and third-largest insurers in the state, respectively, after Kaiser Permanente—teamed up in 2014 to establish Cal Index. Their goal is to create a complete, longitudinal health record for every California resident. (Kutscher, 3/2)
Officials with California’s Kaiser Foundation Health Plan have formally applied to acquire Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative, the next step in the controversial proposal, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said Wednesday. The application launches a review of the proposed deal, which would make the Northwest co-op part of Kaiser Permanente’s 10.1 million members in eight states and Washington, D.C. (Aleccia, 3/2)
Startup Oscar Health Insurance Corp. lost $105.2 million in its New York and New Jersey businesses last year, a sign that insurers of all sizes are struggling in the new markets created by President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul. (Tracer, 3/2)
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations.
