Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
California to use Blue Shield for something
#1
I'm not sure what to make of this...

News reports indicate
"Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California will be the outside administrator tasked with ramping up the state's coronavirus vaccine delivery system"

First, Operation Warp Speed was delivering (minimum 100, now I guess 120) doses to any/every distributor, as requested by the state.  There really doesn't need to be any delivery system within the state, only allocation of the limited request capacity.

Second, Blue Shield, though a non-profit, is one of the competitors who want to give as many vaccinations as possible in order to increase income (for whatever purposes).  Being in charge puts them at a considerable advantage.

Third, all this alleged confusion about how many doses went to whom is silly.  I presumed the state provided that info to the health authorities of the counties. If not, why not.  The counties ordered providers to give them test info.  Why is vaccine info different?   Texas (with more than four times as many counties as California), for one, makes it public to the world of how much goes to each pharmacy, clinic, school. or hospital.  No confusion, no distribution hidden from view.

I know California makes it complicated by supplying to "Multi-County Entities" separately from the counties.  I get the idea that Kaiser and Blue Cross are in multiple counties and patients from San Benito County may be in a Kaiser facility or (single county) El  Camino Hospital.  IMO, it would be far easier to allocate by county alone and the MCEs get it allocated to them by the patient's county after the fact.   (Go look at the 300 vaccinators for San Mateo County residents, from all over the state.)

Fourth, Blue Shield has no access to anyone's private data except their own patients.  They don't know if I have diabetes or not.  So there is no benefit from their being a provider.

Fifth, Blue Shield holds no legislative authority over anyone, at least no more than any other health company who tightens the screws on the hospitals over whether they'll pay a bill or not.  If there is a dispute, Blue Shield has no power directly.

It feels to me like more middle steps & middle men to slow things down, especially if California doesn't take advantage of direct shipments by the US Government.  More dollars on administration.
Reply
#2
I also do not understand this. The only thing I can think of is that California never put an administrative entity together to coordinate distribution and reporting so they are outsourcing it. Or at least what they did put together was inadequate. Sounds like my employer. Totally inadequate preparation. Until I started causing friction they were on a schedule to finish vaccinating their front line health workers in mid March. Now likely to finish in mid February. I earned a reprimand from my CMO for my trouble, but a ton of thanks from my coworkers.
Reply
#3
Good for you. Your response also informs the discussion about how many health workers are getting or are declining the vaccine. I had presumed that major medical facilities would have finished their vaccinations for Phase 1A by now. I can understand how the 6-bed nursing homes might not have figured it out.

(Your note isn't clear whether first doses finish mid-February, or whether that is 2nd doses finish in mid-Feb)
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)