Growing Numbers of Californians Are Having Problems Paying Medical Bills — and Half Say They Have Skipped or Postponed Health Care in the Last Year Due to Cost The rising cost of health care continues to be one of California’s most urgent issues, with one in four Californians saying they have struggled to pay at least one medical bill in the past 12 months — up from 20% last year — and 49% saying they have postponed care due to cost, according to a newly released statewide survey conducted by the California Health Care Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago. Of those who postponed care, the survey finds, 47% report their health condition worsened as a result, ... January 28, 2022 Healthcare, Insurance, Medi-Cal California, Health Care, Medical 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health Update: New STD Legislation and Updated CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention HEALTH UPDATE County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Health Officer 976 Lenzen Avenue, 2nd Floor San Jose, CA 95126 HEALTH UPDATE: New STD Legislation and Updated CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention DATE: January 25, 2022 TO: All Healthcare Providers FROM: Sarah L. Rudman, MD, MPH STD/HIV Controller Young people and adults in Santa Clara County continue to be affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more challenging for many communities to access care. This increases the need to ramp up screening, testing, and linkage to care ... January 27, 2022 General, Patient Care, Public Health Health Update, HIV, LGBTQ, PrEP, STIs 0 0 Comment Read More »
Order of the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara Requiring Up-To-Date COVID-19 Vaccination of Personnel in Higher-Risk Settings SANTA CLARA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT DATE OF ORDER: December 28, 2021 UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTIONS 101040, 101085, 120175, AND SANTA CLARA COUNTY ORDINANCE CODE SECTION A18-33, THE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA (“HEALTH OFFICER”) ORDERS: Background and Purpose. This Order is made in light of the emergence in Santa Clara County (“County”) of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the imminent threat that it poses to the health of vulnerable residents and the capacity of the healthcare system. Emerging ... January 11, 2022 COVID19, General, Healthcare, Public Health COVID-19, Health, Health Order, SCC, Vaccine, workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
With Sexually Transmitted Infections Off the Charts, California Pushes At-Home Tests SACRAMENTO — California has become the first state to require health insurance plans to cover at-home tests for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, chlamydia and syphilis — which could help quell the STI epidemic that has raged nearly unchecked as public health departments have focused on covid-19. The rule, part of a broader law addressing the STI epidemic, took effect Jan. 1 for people with state-regulated private insurance plans and will kick in sometime later for the millions of low-income Californians enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program. By making it easier and ... January 4, 2022 General, Public Health At-Home Test, California, Sexually Transmitted Infections, STI 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA Releases No Surprises Act Tool Kit The American Medical Association (AMA) has released an initial toolkit for physicians on the implementation of the No Surprises Act (NSA). Many of the provisions of the NSA take effect on January 1st and this document provides guidance on several of those provisions. The AMA will be updating this document as additional guidance is available, as well as developing new resources on the remaining provisions of the NSA not included in this toolkit. December 30, 2021 AMA AMA, No Surprises Act, NSA 0 0 Comment Read More »
