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Effect of Proposition 187 on mental health service use in California: a case study.

In this DataWatch we examine whether the passage of California's Proposition 187 affected the use of mental health services in San Francisco County. Using time-series analyses, we identified a 26 percent decrease in the initiation of outpatient mental health services by younger Hispanics at selected service sites after the passage of Proposition 187 in November 1994. Further analyses suggest that decreased use of outpatient mental health services by young Hispanics was associated with their subsequent increased use of crisis services. Other studies of Proposition 187's effect on mental health service use in California are needed to corroborate the findings of this case study.

Adolescent↗

Managed competition and California's health care economy.

There is evidence in California of a broad decline in health care costs to employment groups adopting managed care and managed competition--premium reductions up to 10 percent. National comparisons and utilization data generally confirm the beginning of lower costs. Large California medical groups and health systems have responded to pressure by finding ways to reduce costs and improve quality. While examples are encouraging, there is room for improvement. Two levels of competition have emerged and continue to evolve: carrier competition and delivery system competition. Each model has strengths and limitations, but the existing mix is driving down costs.

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California's tobacco control saga.

The California tobacco control program known as Proposition 99 was established in 1989 using a portion of a twenty-five-cent increase in the cigarette tax. With an initial availability of more than $150 million, tobacco control was the state's single most important public health activity. Health and medical care programs also were supported by the tax. Despite sustained public support, the tobacco control component was weakened by political actions of the tobacco industry and also by the competing efforts of organized medicine and the lack of support from the executive and legislative branches of government. Nevertheless, Proposition 99 succeeded in reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, cigarette consumption, and smoking prevalence among adults in California.

Adolescent↗

The managed care backlash and the task force in California.

Signs of a managed care backlash in California are increasing. This paper reports and interprets the recently completed work of the California Managed Health Care Improvement Task Force, focusing on the managed care backlash and the state's regulatory response. Although cost containment was a contributing factor, the causes of and solutions to the backlash differ among consumers, physicians, health care workers, politicians, and health plans. The recommendations of the task force could improve the market for health insurance. However, lasting solutions to the profound problems causing the backlash will require fundamental cultural and systemic change.

California↗

Physicians' perceptions of autonomy and satisfaction in California.

This study compares levels of satisfaction and autonomy among California physicians using data from a 1991 survey of physicians and a 1996 survey of California physicians. The surveys measured physicians' perceived freedom to undertake eight common activities that may be threatened by marketplace changes, satisfaction with current practice, and inclination to attend medical school again. Young physicians in 1996 were significantly less likely to report that they were able to spend enough time on the eight identified patient-care activities. They also were significantly less satisfied with their current practice and less likely to say that they would go to medical school again. Satisfaction also declined for older physicians between 1991 and 1996.

Adult↗

Scale and structure of capitated physician organizations in California.

Physician organizations in California broke new ground in the 1980s by accepting capitated contracts and taking on utilization management functions. In this paper we present new data that document the scale, structure, and vertical affiliations of physician organizations that accept capitation in California. We provide information on capitated enrollment, the share of revenue derived by physician organizations from capitation contracts, and the scope of risk sharing with health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Capitation contracts and risk sharing dominate payment arrangements with HMOs. Physician organizations appear to have responded to capitation by affiliating with hospitals and management companies, adopting hybrid organizational structures, and consolidating into larger entities.

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Physician organization in California: crisis and opportunity.

Many of the 250 physician organizations that provide care to California's sixteen million health maintenance organization enrollees are in a state of crisis, squeezed between constrained revenues, rising practice costs, and consumer sentiment that favors unconstrained choice over integrated delivery. Medical groups and independent practice associations are retrenching to their core geographic areas, reducing capitation for drug benefits and hospital services, and abandoning dreams of displacing health plans. Consolidation is accelerating in some areas, as medical groups join with hospitals to extract higher payment rates from insurers and employers. The conjunction of consumerism and premium inflation creates new opportunities for organizations that truly can manage health care, but the challenges roiling California's medical groups may preclude meaningful efforts to seize the initiative.

California↗

Models and momentum for insuring low-income, undocumented immigrant children in California.

Undocumented immigrant children are an underserved, vulnerable population that has not benefited from the recent expansion of publicly funded children's health insurance programs. The California Endowment funded a two-year demonstration project to provide subsidized health insurance coverage to more than 7,500 children through five nonprofit organizations. Sustaining and promoting coverage for this population will require continuing subsidies through a mix of private and public funding. Locally based, comprehensive initiatives are in place or emerging in a growing list of California counties.

Adolescent↗

The cost of health insurance administration in California: estimates for insurers, physicians, and hospitals.

Administrative costs account for 25 percent of health care spending, but little is known about the portion attributable to billing and insurance-related (BIR) functions. We estimated BIR for hospital and physician care in California. Data for physician practices came from a mail survey and interviews; for hospitals, from regulatory reporting; and for private insurers, from a consulting company. Private insurers spend 9.9 percent of revenue on administration and 8 percent on BIR. Physician offices spend 27 percent and 14 percent, and hospitals, 21 percent and 7-11 percent, respectively. Overall, BIR represents 20-22 percent of privately insured spending in California acute care settings.

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How different is California? A comparison of U.S. physician organizations.

Data from a national study of medical groups and independent practice associations are used to examine the extent to which California physician organizations are different from physician organizations in the rest of the United States. California physician organizations are different in many ways: most notably, they are more likely to have external incentives to improve quality and more likely to use recommended care management processes for treating patients with chronic illnesses. The implications of these differences for policy and practice are discussed.

California↗

Emergency care in California: no emergency?

Glenn Melnick and colleagues' analysis of emergency department (ED) capacity and access in California is fatally flawed because the authors do not consider the operational constraints that severely compromise ED functioning. Simple counts of ED beds and distance to the closest hospital ED are virtually meaningless without considering, for example, the operational impact of loss of inpatient bed capacity, the nurse shortage, declining availability of on-call specialists, lack of access to primary care, and growing numbers of uninsured people. Other surveys indicate that ED overcrowding and ambulance diversion are serious and growing problems-not only in California, but nationwide.

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Emergency capacity in California: a look at more recent trends.

The dynamic environment in California is changing the world of hospitals at an increasing pace. The paper by Glenn Melnick and colleagues concludes that there is a "robust market" for emergency department (ED) services in California. The paper's economic conclusions are drawn from averages and unverified assumptions about ED patients who are admitted as inpatients. In addition to the limitations imposed by evaluating only capacity, the study did not acknowledge or take into account new ED nurse-to-patient ratios, sky-rocketing costs of on-call physicians, seismic compliance costs, technology, or a host of other separate but vital variables that must be evaluated and integrated.

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Local variation in public health preparedness: lessons from California.

Since September 2001 Congress has allocated approximately dollars 3 billion to strengthen the public health infrastructure. To achieve this goal, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allocates funding to states, which distribute funds to local jurisdictions. Evidence-based measures to assess public health preparedness are lacking. We used an expert-panel process to develop performance measures, based on the ten essential public health services. We developed and conducted tabletop exercises in California to evaluate preparedness to detect and respond to a hypothetical smallpox outbreak based on those measures. There was wide variation of readiness in California. While the sources of variation are often different, common infrastructure gaps need to be addressed.

California↗

Knowledge and attitudes among California dental care providers regarding child abuse and neglect.

The authors surveyed California dentists about their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding child abuse and neglect. Only 16 percent of the respondents claimed to have seen or suspected a case of child abuse or neglect during the preceding five years, and only 6 percent claimed to have reported such a case. The authors also found that the respondents had little knowledge of California law regarding the reporting of such cases and little information or training in diagnosing and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Unique challenges to preventing perinatal HIV transmission among Hispanic women in California: results of a needs assessment.

To identify rates and factors associated with timely prenatal care (PNC) initiation, HIV test counseling, test offering, and test offer acceptance, we conducted a semistructured survey of a convenience sample of pregnant/recently delivered Hispanic women (n=453, 418 with analyzable data) in four California counties in 2000. Only 68.4% and 43.5% of Hispanic women reported receiving an HIV test offer and counseling, respectively, though 88.8% of those offered a test accepted. After controlling for the effects of age, education, years lived in the United States, health insurance coverage, delivery status, and parity, Hispanic women who initiated prenatal care in the first trimester were 1.7 times more likely to be offered an HIV test and almost 3 times more likely to receive counseling than women with a later prenatal care start or no prenatal care. Factors associated with timely PNC initiation on multivariate analysis were private/HMO insurance (OR=10.7, p < .001), Medi-Cal insurance (OR = 4.32, p < .001), being 25-30 years old (OR = 3.0, p = .008), and completion of high school (OR = 2.07, p = .01). Key opportunities to prevent perinatal HIV transmission are being lost for Hispanic women in California. Interventions to increase timely PNC initiation, and to improve test offering by health care providers, may help to improve counseling and testing rates for this population.

Adult↗

A comparison of perinatal HIV prevention opportunities for Hispanic and non-Hispanic women in California.

Using a semi-structured survey and convenience sample of pregnant/recently delivered Hispanic (n = 453) and non-Hispanic (n = 904) women in four California counties, this study compared rates of timely prenatal care (PNC) initiation, HIV test counseling, test offering, and test acceptance in PNC between Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. Hispanic women were less likely to report timely PNC initiation (69.3% vs. 80.4%, p < .0001), receiving test offer (69.5% vs. 76.7%, p = .002), and ever having been tested (77.3% vs. 87.9%, p < .0001) than non-Hispanic women. Hispanic women were more likely to report not knowing where to go (p = .04) and having no insurance (p < .001), transportation (p = .001), and child care (p = .007) as reasons for late PNC start. Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women most commonly accepted a test offer for their health/health of their baby; Hispanic women were more likely to accept based on doctor/nurse recommendation (80.1% vs. 62.7%, p < .001). A quarter of Hispanic and non-Hispanic women reported they didn't feel they had a choice or that test was done automatically. Efforts to improve perinatal HIV prevention opportunities for all women in California are required. Furthermore, Hispanic women may have disparities in receipt of prenatal care and HIV test offer that need additional attention.

Adolescent↗

Self-reported intoxication among Hispanics in northern California.

Self-reported intoxication among Hispanics in northern California was studied through three independent surveys of the general population conducted between 1977 and 1980 in three counties of the San Francisco Bay area. All of the surveys followed the same sampling plan and only probability techniques were employed. A total of 634 adult respondents who identified themselves as Hispanics served as subjects. In the sample, 20% of the men and 5% of the women reported becoming intoxicated at least once a month, rates twice as high as in the general U.S. population. Consistent with this increased frequency of intoxication, Hispanics also had attitudes toward intoxication more liberal than those found in another study of the California general population. Intoxication was more frequent among the young and among heavier drinkers, and it was also a significant predictor of alcohol-related problems. It is suggested that intoxication be studied carefully because of its association with alcohol-related problems.

Adolescent↗

Newborn early discharge revisited: are California newborns receiving recommended postnatal services?

CONTEXT: Responding to safety concerns, federal and state legislation mandated coverage of minimum postnatal stays and state legislation in California mandated coverage of follow-up after early discharge. Little is known about the postnatal services newborns are receiving. OBJECTIVE: To describe rates of early discharge and of timely follow-up for early-discharged newborns. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective, population-based cohort study using a 1999 postpartum survey in California. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2828 infants of mothers with medically low-risk singleton births. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of early discharge (<or=1-night stay after vaginal delivery and <or=3-night stay after cesarean section) and untimely follow-up (no home or office visit within 2 days of early discharge). RESULTS: Overall, 49.4% of newborns were discharged early. Of these, 67.5% had untimely follow-up. The odds of early discharge were greater with lower incomes: the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) (with 95% confidence intervals) were 2.06 (1.50-2.83) for incomes <or=100% of poverty, 2.20 (1.65-2.93) for incomes from 101%-200% of poverty, and 2.24 (1.63-3.08) for incomes from 201%-300% of poverty. Untimely follow-up was more likely for infants of women with incomes <or=100% of poverty (AOR = 1.89 [1.13-3.17]) and 201%-300% of poverty (AOR = 1.78 [1.09-2.91]), Medicaid coverage (AOR = 1.73 [1.20-2.47]), Latina ethnicity (AOR = 1.47 [1.02-2.14]), and non-English language (AOR = 1.72 [1.16-2.55]). CONCLUSIONS: Despite an apparent decline in short stays after legislation, many newborns--particularly from lower-income families--continue to be discharged early. Most newborns discharged early--particularly those with Medicaid and those from low-income, Latina, and non-English-speaking homes--do not receive recommended follow-up. The most socioeconomically vulnerable newborns are receiving fewer postnatal services.

Adolescent↗