The California Association of Health Plans has a tough job,it is one of the public faces of an industry that takes heavy poundings from politicians, consumer groups and the media.
This week, the Sacramento-based group is taking a few days in Orange County to reload and continue on its mission.
The association will hold its annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel & Tennis Club in Newport Beach. The theme: “Building Partnerships for Tomorrow.”
“Too often we merely focus on the public’s negative view of this industry without determining the underlying reasons for this perception,” the association said in a conference brochure.
“How can we turn around our industry’s image? Can we develop more collaborative relationships within the industry to help us meet the expectations of those monitoring our industry, including employees, consumers, government and the media?” the group asked.
“Last year, we talked about stresses in relationships between plans, providers, employees and consumers,” recalled Bobby Pena, an association spokesman.
This year, according to Pena, the association is interested in tangible steps to build better relationships, not just “playing nice.”
“We’ve discussed the issues and the stresses. Now, we’re saying here are things we need to work on,” Pena said, naming prescription drugs, provider solvency and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations as some examples.
Other issues scheduled for discussion include how a federal patients’ bill of rights would affect healthcare in California; managing quality to control costs; and maximizing state programs to increase coverage for the uninsured.
Scheduled conference speakers include: Walter Zelman, the association’s chief executive; Daniel Zingale, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care; Beau Carter, executive director of the Integrated Healthcare Association; Don Crane of the California Association of Physician Organizations; and California Assemblyman Herb Wesson, D-Los Angeles.
The conference is followed on Thursday by the association’s annual implementation seminar, which is an introduction of new legislation that affects managed healthcare service plans.
Botox Near EU OK for Stroke Use
Allergan Inc., Irvine, said the European Commission granted its Botox botulinum toxin type A a positive opinion for approval by the European Commission for treatment of spasticity of the wrist and hand in adult stroke patients.
The opinion represents an intent to approve Botox as a treatment in 14 individual countries, according to Allergan.
Ireland served as the “reference member state” in the commission’s mutual recognition process. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden also are involved.
Post-stroke spasticity happens when the muscle doesn’t respond to the nervous system’s signal to relax. Botox injection therapy treats the condition by directly targeting the affected muscle to block the release of acetylcholine, allowing the muscle to relax.
Cardiology Advances Featured
“New Advances in Cardiology and Vascular Therapies” will be discussed Nov. 12 at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort in Anaheim. IHS Health Group, formerly Medical Data International, is the conference’s presenter.
The conference’s goal is to examine trends in interventional cardiology, restenosis prevention, arrhythmia management and endovascular technology. Speakers are from, among other places, UCLA Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, European Heart Institute and Toronto General Hospital.
Several companies (none from Orange County) are scheduled to make presentations during the event. Previous attending companies have included Cardiac Science Inc., Irvine, and B. Braun, Mallinckrodt, now part of Tyco International Ltd., and Medtronic Inc., which all have OC operations.
Bits and Pieces:
University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine recently opened its Center for Functional Onco-Imaging. The center has a high-field MRI scanner that is combined with other imaging technologies to provide detailed pictures of early cancer detection … AMDL Inc., Tustin, acquired a combination gene therapy technology designed to build the body’s immune system and destroy cancers simultaneously. AMDL bought the technology for an undisclosed price from its developer, Lung-Ji Chang, a professor at the University of Florida’s Powell Gene Therapy Center Cardiac Science Inc., Irvine, said it was selected as the exclusive supplier of automated external defibrillators to the city of San Diego. Cardiac Science and several San Diego agencies are leading a drive to install more of the devices in public places to treat people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest Dr. Laurence Wellikson, an Irvine physician and executive director of the National Association of Inpatient Physicians, was among the presenters at the organization’s Western regional meeting, held earlier this month in San Francisco. The association represents hospitalists, or doctors who provide general medical care for hospitalized patients Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a suburban Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, hosted its annual conference late last week at the Anaheim Marriott. The conference’s theme was “Communicating the Science of AD/HD: From Fiction to Fact” AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, Irvine, launched a social marketing campaign aimed at promoting safe sex among homosexual men.
