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June 13, 2008 - Item 5180-111-0001 of the 2008 Budget Conference Committee (page 288).
June 13, 2008 - LAO compromise for Item 5180-101-000 of the 2008 Budget Conference Committee (page 295).
June 12, 2008 - LAO Alternative: for Items 4260 and 4265 of the 2008 Budget Conference Committee (various issues and pages).
June 12, 2008 - Informational: Medi-Cal Provider Payment Reductions for the 2008 Budget Conference Committee, various pages (219-224)
June 11, 2008 - LAO Compromise for Item 4260 of the 2008 Budget Conference Committee (page 232).
May 12, 2008 - Presented to: Hon. Patty Berg
April 21, 2008 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
April 15, 2008 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommitee No. 1
March 5, 2008 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
February 20, 2008 - The cost of mental health drugs in the Medi-Cal Program continues to grow. We estimate the state can save about $5 million General Fund annually by reducing inappropriate prescribing practices. Accordingly, we recommend the Legislature consider the following two options: (1) encourage county participation in the California Mental Health Care Management (CalMEND) Program and (2) expand the use of fixed annual allocations to counties that include the cost of prescription drugs. We further recommend the Legislature approve the Governor’s CalMEND proposal to support three limited-term positions and expand program activities.
February 20, 2008 - The Legislature relies on departments to promulgate regulations to implement laws. The Department of Public Health is slow to promulgate such regulations and consequently, state laws are not being enforced or applied consistently across the state. We recommend the department report at budget hearings on the status of the development and promulgation of unissued regulations.
February 20, 2008 - The state’s current process for administration and funding of over 30 public health programs at the local level is fragmented, inflexible, and fails to hold local health jurisdictions (LHJs) accountable for achieving results. This reduces the effectiveness of these programs because these services are not coordinated or integrated and LHJs cannot focus on meeting the overall goal of improving the public’s health. We recommend (1) the consolidation of certain public health programs into a block grant. and (2) the enactment of legislation that would direct the Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a model consolidated contract for these and other public health programs (which are not consolidated into the block grant). In addition, we recommend that outcome measures for these programs be developed and that DPH work with counties in using a consolidated contract.
February 20, 2008 - As health care costs continue to face upward cost pressures, many federal, state and private health care programs have turned to pay-for-performance programs as a way of both ensuring the practice of effective and efficient medicine and of controlling costs. Our analysis indicates that the implementation of pay-for-performance program in Medi-Cal could eventually reduce General Fund costs by as much as tens of millions of dollars annually and significantly improve care for patients.