Doctors and Hospitals
The California Association of Health Plans' Policy Unit provides research and data on the major health policy issues facing the industry today. In this section, you can access fact sheets, issue briefs, and other resources to learn more about topics of interest to insiders and the public alike.
Doctors, Hospitals
"Never Events": Industry Policy Statement In Support Of State Action (June 2008) - Document memorializes the health plan industry's statement in support of legislation furthering a policy of nonpayment for preventable medical mistakes - "never events." The industry supports a policy similar to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with events to be added to the list according to standards established by the National Quality Forum.
Medical Mistakes (May 2008) - Fact sheet highlights the fact that medical mistakes result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year. Mistakes are often the product of innocent human error but also come in the form of overuse, underuse and misuse of care. The chasm between the care patients receive and the care they deserve can be closed if providers would rely more on evidence-based medicine.
"Never Events": Medicare's and Health Plans' Policies On Providing Payment For Serious and Preventable Hospital Errors (March 2008) - Issue brief outlines the history behind "never events" and the prevalence of differing policies of nonpayment for these egregious and preventable hospital errors.
Hospital Costs In California (January 2008) - Fact sheet summarizes the Pacific Business Group on Health's "Cost Efficiency at Hospital Facilities in California: A Report Based on Publicly Available Data" and highlights the acceleration of hospital costs, which continue to comprise the largest portion of the insurance premium price.
