CAPH Supports Chronic Care Bill; Measure Promotes Better Health, Patient Satisfaction and More Efficient Medical Care; Urges Governor to Sign AB 1736.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- California public hospital and non-profit community clinics are dramatically improving care for chronically ill patients, and a new bill to support those efforts now sits on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk awaiting his signature.

"With a pen stroke, Governor Schwarzenegger can support the improvement of health care for some of California's most afflicted residents," said Denise K. Martin, President and CEO of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. "Many people with chronic illnesses suffer needlessly as their conditions rage out of control."

One in three Californians have at least one chronic illness, such as diabetes, asthma or high blood pressure. Already, California's public hospitals and non-profit community clinics throughout the state are using the nationally recognized Chronic Care Model to improve the health of chronically ill patients. This state-of-the-art approach includes such proven methods as group visits for patients with the same ailments, disease self-management and patient education classes. The problem is California's Medi-Cal program only reimburses for care provided during a physician visit, leaving many of these innovative approaches unfunded. AB 1736 (Levine) would change that by establishing pilot projects where Medi-Cal would pay for the care offered through the Chronic Care Model.

"This new approach helps patients manage their diseases better and allows the health care system to operate more efficiently," Martin said. "For instance, diabetic patients treated under the model show dramatic improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol levels. These patients also have fewer hospital admissions, ER visits and physician appointments, because their diseases are under better control. That means better patient health and lower health care costs."

Patients in clinics operated by the following public hospitals and health systems are benefiting from this new form of care: Alameda County Medical Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Contra Costa Health Services, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, San Francisco General Hospital and Community Health Network, San Mateo Medical Center, and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Teams of doctors and nurses from these clinics will present the results of their work at the CAPH annual conference December 9 in Sonoma.

CAPH, a non-profit trade association, has represented the state's public hospitals through policy and advocacy work, member service and public education since 1983.