News From Around the Web:
> California's exchange, Covered California, mailed flawed eligibility letters to 114,000 people between Nov. 22 and Dec. 7 that included one paragraph saying the consumer is qualified for coverage and another paragraph saying they're not qualified, reported the Los Angeles Times. Exchange officials said the computer error has been fixed and they are sending out new notices to the affected consumers. Article
> State insurance regulators want the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to make broker and navigator information publix, Bloomberg BNA reported. Article
> Medical costs in New Hampshire are rising even though utilization has decreased, a state insurance report found. Meanwhile, consumers are paying a larger share of those costs, reported the Concord Monitor. Article
Health Provider News:
> A new report predicts there will be 1,000 accountable care organizations across the nation--double the current 500 ACOs--by the end of next year. Article
> Few internal medicine residency programs feature curricula aimed at teaching residents to be more cost-conscious, according to a new research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Article
Health IT News:
> Karen DeSalvo, who currently serves as the City of New Orleans Health Commissioner and Senior Health Policy Advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, will be the next National Coordinator for Health IT. Article
> Patients who undergo robotic colon surgery fare about the same as those who have minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery--but their bills are much heftier, according to research from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Article
And Finally... Now you can have Santa and his elves for dessert. Article