• 8/01 - Orange County Round Table
• 8/07 - Silicon Valley Round Table
• 8/08 - San Francisco / Bay Area Round Table
• 8/09 - East Bay / Bay Area Round Table
• 8/16 - Sacramento Round Table
• 8/17 - Los Angeles Round Table

• CMS Proposes Slashing Clinic Visit Payments in Site-Neutral Policy
• House Passes Bills to Delay Health Insurance Tax, Expand HSAs
• Verma: "Medicare for All" Would Become "Medicare for None"
• CMS Restarts Risk Payments, Will Pay Out $10 Billion to Insurers
• Pay Schedule Changes Bolster 'Patients Over Paperwork' Initiative
• Bill Allows Medicare Negotiations & Patent Sidestep If Talks Fail
• Azar Taps Innovation Center Head to Lead Value-Based Care

• AHA Blasts Pharma Industry for Price Hikes
• Pharma Giants Agree to Freeze or Lower Some Prices
• SF Health Plan Adds 'Health Homes' for Eligible Medi-Cal Members
• Costs Decrease When Providers Have Medical Liability Immunity
• Aggressive BP Reduction May Reduce Cognitive Impairment, Dementia
• U.S. Running Out of Family Caregivers - When It Needs Them Most

In GDPR for California: California's Consumer Privacy Protection Act, Alvaka Networks' Oli Thordarson notes that the State of California recently passed AB 375, which mandates the nation's most comprehensive privacy rights for consumers. It's very similar to the General Data Protection Regulation, the European Union's approach to privacy for its citizens. In this article, Oli provides a bullet-point summary of AB 375. Other recent articles from Alvaka include How Does GDPR Affect Companies Doing Business in California?, which reports that the GDPR applies to any company or organization anywhere in the world that employs 250+ people and processes the personal data of at least one EU citizen, and Steps for an Effective Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan. (Oli Thordarson, Orange County)

Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Health Plan has launched a new Health Homes Program, designed to serve eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions or severe mental illness who have frequent hospital or ER visits, or who are homeless. Anthem will partner with community clinics and community-based organizations to provide a full range of services to address needs related to physical and behavioral health, and community-based long-term services and supports. A care coordinator will be assigned and responsible for providing comprehensive care coordination across health providers and can assist in finding and applying for community programs and services, such as food and housing. (Jack Asher, Silicon Valley)

Covered California has announced that it expects to increase its health insurance premiums by a statewide average of 8.7% in 2019, almost double what it would have been if Congress had not dropped a tax penalty that encouraged U.S. citizens to maintain health insurance. It's the fifth straight year that premiums are rising for such health plans. The increase applies to the 1.1 million lower-income Californians who receive federal financial assistance to buy plans on Covered California, as well as the 1.2 million residents who buy plans without subsidies. The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Meanwhile, other areas of the country have not been as fortunate: A Kaiser analysis shows, for example, that the average premium in Maryland will increase 30% next year, with a 24% spike in New York and 19% in Washington. (California Healthline, 7/20/18) (Kathy Keeshen, Sacramento)

Dignity Health and UCSF Health are collaborating to develop a state-of-the-art digital engagement platform that will provide information and access to patients when and where they need it as they navigate primary and preventive care, as well as acute and specialty care. The platform, which ultimately aims to serve as a model for health systems nationwide, will be hosted by Dignity Health. The two organizations will leverage technological expertise and cloud-based infrastructure that Dignity has developed for its 40 hospitals. As one of the nation's top-ranked academic medical centers, UCSF Health will contribute its extensive knowledge of the patient experience in specialty care. (Marvin O'Quinn)

El Camino Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology's NCDR ACTION Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2018, one of only 203 hospitals nationwide to do so. The award recognizes El Camino's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for patients experiencing a heart attack. It also signifies that the hospital's cardiovascular team has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to optimal levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations. (Cecile Currier & Jeff Gruer, both Silicon Valley)

On September 11, in San Rafael, ElderConsult Geriatric Medicine will present an ElderConsult Dementia Conference: Protecting Your Loved Ones and Their Finances. Suitable for families and elder care professionals, topics will include: How do medications play a role in helping or harming elders? Who preys financially on elders and how do they do it so well? What protections can elders have for preventing elder financial abuse? (Elizabeth Landsverk MD, Bay Area)

In CMS Aims to Restore Doctor Relationship with Payment Rule & MAQI Demonstration, Gorman Health Group's Dave Sayen discusses CMS Administrator Seema Verma's recent "Dear Doctor" letter that accompanied the annual proposed physician fee schedule rule. He says: "She is promising to cut red tape, get doctors back to practicing medicine, simplify things, and put a chicken in every pot. Problem is, the red tape was created for a reason. Most of it is there to patch up structural vulnerabilities in the fee-for-service program that can result in fraud, waste, and abuse." Dave then touches on the most significant recent developments, highlighting what is important to health plans in particular. (Dave Sayen, Bay Area)

On the evening of September 24, the Friends of Hospice Rossmoor and Creekside Grill will present the annual Art & Wine Benefit, a fundraiser for Hospice East Bay's Rossmoor Respite Fund. The event will feature local artwork, fine California wines, delicious appetizers, and a silent auction. (Cindy Hatton, Bay Area)

Piedmont Gardens' skilled nursing center, a HumanGood facility, earned a national five-star quality rating from CMS, the highest possible rating, based on state-conducted health inspections, staffing, and quality measures of medical care. Skilled nursing care at Piedmont Gardens, known as The Village, received the highest rating in the top four major areas of focus for CMS. In addition, The Village earned a five-star rating for staffing of registered nurses, which is displayed separately on the Nursing Home Compare website. Piedmont Gardens was also recently named the best in senior living for 2018 in Oakland Magazine's Readers' Choice awards. (Tara McGuinness, Bay Area)

Kaiser Permanente Southern California has received the Women's Choice Award designation of "California's Most Recommended Health Insurance Plan," and its medical centers throughout the region received multiple "America's Best Hospitals" awards, including: Best Patient Safety, Best Hospital for Obstetrics, Best Stroke Care, America's 100 Best Hospitals, Best Bariatric Surgery, and Best Breast Center. Also, Kaiser was ranked among Forbes' recent list of the best employers for women. (Walt Meyers, Bay Area)

Kindred Healthcare recently opened 44-bed Community Rehabilitation Hospital South, near Indianapolis, in partnership with Community Health Network. Kindred now operates 22 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, in 11 states; the majority are operated in partnership with leading health systems. These hospitals care for adults recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and other conditions. Meanwhile, Humana Inc., TPG Capital, and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe have completed the previously announced acquisition of Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (Adam Darvish, Orange County)

In Judge Grants Summary Judgment in Favor of OCR for HIPAA Violations Ordering a Texas Cancer Center to Pay $4.3 million in Penalties, King & Spalding (K&S) shares that on June 18, 2018, HHS and its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced an Administrative Law Judge's (ALJ) ruling that OCR properly imposed penalties against The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for failing to encrypt laptops and USB thumb drives, in violation of HIPAA. One reason this decision is significant is that it may resolve an unsettled question: Is the use of encryption mandatory in the Security Rule? HHS's short answer has been "No," but based on the ALJ opinion, its long answer equates to "Yes" - at least when covered entities and business associates decide that encryption is necessary.
          And, in DC Circuit Clears the Way for Hospitals to Challenge Base-Year Factual Determinations, K&S reports on the broad implications of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently holding in Saint Francis Medical Center v. Azar that Medicare's reopening regulation, which prohibits providers from seeking to revise payment determinations after three years, including the predicate facts that support those determinations, does not apply to cost report appeals.
         Meanwhile, K&S has published a recap of its recent International Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Forum, and announced its 11th Annual Medical Device Summit, to be held on September 6, in Chicago. (Marcia Augsburger, Sacramento, & Travis Jackson, Los Angeles)

The Business Intelligence Group recently named the winners of its 2018 Sustainability Awards, which included Mazzetti for its work with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in the "Sustainability Service of the Year" category. Meanwhile, in Future Childbirth Facilities - Ideating to Solving, Mazzetti notes that earlier this year, it hosted a workshop to reimagine childbirth facilities, with input from clinicians, architects, engineers, facility owners, and others. The article provides a "small taste" of the ideas, so that "we can expand the dialogue and further question and develop ideas into solutions." (Walt Vernon, Bay Area)

Nelson Hardiman (NH) has been named to Vault's 2019 "Top 150 Under 150," a national list highlighting "the best and most sought-after law firms with fewer than 150 attorneys." NH was ranked #1 best midsize law firm for hours; #2 to work for; #2 for quality of work; and #2 for diversity. Also, NH's Harry Nelson was recently interviewed on Voice of America: International Edition about the ever-growing drug addiction epidemic, including the recent development of pop-star Demi Lovato's apparent drug overdose. Meanwhile, NH provided regulatory licensing and enrollment advice on a $163 million acquisition of a home health agency and two specialty infusion pharmacies that operate in 47 states. (Harry Nelson, Los Angeles)

Registration is now open for NorthBay Healthcare's annual Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research Symposium, open to all healthcare professionals who are interested in exploring the challenge of delivering evidence-based care and attempting to keep pace with the latest recommendations for excellence in clinical practice. The event is scheduled for August 24, in Fairfield. (Elnora Cameron, Bay Area)

OneLegacy recently announced a new one-month record of organs and tissues recovered and transplanted. With 55 organ donors, 168 lifesaving organ transplants, and 281 tissue donors in May, OneLegacy saw a 28% increase in organ donors, 20% increase in organs transplanted, and nearly 11% more tissues recovered, as compared with the same numbers from May 2017. (Tom Mone, Los Angeles)

NFL Alumni recently announced its partnership with PriceMDs, whose platform enables workers compensation benefactors and third-party administrators to significantly reduce the cost of elective surgical procedures. The platform gives NFL Alumni members and their families unlimited access to high-quality healthcare providers, ambulatory surgery centers, and imaging facilities at a lower cost through exact bundled pricing. (Marc Grossman, Orange County)

Satellite Healthcare recently announced the key findings of its 2018 Extramural Grants Symposium aimed at research that improves care for people who suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recognizing the importance of supporting applied clinical research, each year Satellite Healthcare grants funding for projects that seek to improve the lives of those living with CKD. The symposium offers the opportunity for grant recipients to present their work and evaluate new research applications. (Rick Barnett, Silicon Valley)

In What to Look For in an Outsource Medical Billing Company, SAVI Group's Sumit Mahendru discusses the key factors of level of expertise, technological proficiency, medical reporting, and customer service. And, in How Technology is Revolutionizing the Patient Care Model, Sumit delves into remote monitoring care strategies and turnkey billing solutions. (Sumit Mahendru, Orange County)

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) recently hosted an on-campus visit from members of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine along with administrators and faculty from Beijing Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Professors at the Hospital's National Center of Gerontology, were particularly interested in learning more about the integrative approach to patient care, specifically chiropractic care, and to learn about SCU's College of Eastern Medicine and its groundbreaking interprofessional educational model. (John Scaringe, Orange County)

VivaLNK, a leading provider of connected healthcare devices, has announced some exciting solutions built on its developer program. AlacrityCare is currently developing clinical-grade digital monitoring solutions that connect patients, providers, and caregivers throughout the cancer treatment journey. Using VivaLNK's Fever Scout and an ECG recorder for remote continuous temperature and ECG monitoring, AlacrityCare offers better insights into what is happening throughout the treatment journey and helps to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations due to more proactive care. And Myia, which is developing an intelligent health platform for managing chronic conditions, is using the VivaLNK ECG recorder software development kit to gather the real-time data that powers the analytics behind its actionable insights for preventing costly and avoidable medical events. (Jiang Li, Silicon Valley)

Eckert & Ziegler AG (EZ) has been selected as the manufacturing partner for the clinical supply of Bayer's innovative Targeted Thorium Conjugates (TTCs) in Europe. EZ will provide the infrastructure for handling, manufacture, and distribution of the TTCs for the purpose of clinical trial testing. TTCs are a versatile, next-generation targeted alpha therapy. The approach uses tumor targeting molecules, such as antibodies, that carry alpha-particle emitting Thorium-227 to the tumor. TTCs have the potential to be used in a broad range of tumors, and also for patients who are refractory to chemotherapy or conventional targeted oncologics. (Frank Yeager, Downtown Los Angeles Technology)

As a recently added member service, PCIHIPAA is now helping to protect New Mexico Dental Association (NMDA) members from the onslaught of ransomware attacks, HIPAA violations, and data breaches. NMDA announced that PCIHIPAA's OfficeSafe Compliance Program is the right solution for its members, noting that the program takes the guesswork out of HIPAA compliance and is easy to implement. (Jeff Broudy, West Los Angeles Technology)

Intellect's Romeo Elias has written recent blogs: Mobile and FDA Compliance: New Regulations in 2018, which examines groups of apps regulated by the FDA; and Best Risk Management in Laboratories, which delves into risk identification, assessment, management plans, and quality management systems. (Romeo Elias, West Los Angeles)