Inter Valley Health Plan

Forget all that talk about Orange County being a saturated market for managed care. Most county residents older than 65 haven't signed up for an HMO yet. About 65% of the population of 265,000 local seniors get their benefits directly through the federal government's Medicare program, rather than a Medicare HMO, according to government figures.. No wonder Inter Valley Health Plan, a pint-sized, nonprofit HMO in Pomona, wants to expand its plan for seniors in the county.

Saying the case provided a "compelling picture of the problems and pitfalls" of managed care, an arbitration judge has slapped a small Pomona-based HMO with a $1.1-million judgment for failing to properly diagnose and treat a woman with kidney disease. The private judge found that Inter Valley Health Plan and its medical director, Dr.

Saying the case provided a "compelling picture of the problems and pitfalls" of managed care, an arbitration judge has slapped a small Pomona-based HMO with a $1.1-million judgment for failing to properly diagnose and treat a woman with kidney disease. The private judge found that Inter Valley Health Plan and its medical director, Dr.

Forget all that talk about Orange County being a saturated market for managed care. Most county residents older than 65 haven't signed up for an HMO yet. About 65% of the population of 265,000 local seniors get their benefits directly through the federal government's Medicare program, rather than a Medicare HMO, according to government figures.. No wonder Inter Valley Health Plan, a pint-sized, nonprofit HMO in Pomona, wants to expand its plan for seniors in the county.

When you go to a county fair, the last thing you want to be reminded of is what all that fried and sugar-laden food is doing to your body, not to mention the beer. But there's a cautionary tale waiting at this year's Los Angeles County Fair (Sept. 3 to Oct. 2), at the "Our Body: Live Healthy" show. Featured are actual human bodies that have been preserved via plastination and reveal muscles, bones and internal organs. An attraction at the fair last year, this time there is a special section dedicated to showing what a whole lot of bad living will do. Included will be lungs, kidneys, brains and livers of people who have squandered their life on too many cigarettes, too much booze and too many chili dogs.

The 1.4 million California seniors who belong to Medicare HMOs are getting more bang for their buck this year, reversing a two-year period during which benefits had eroded, according to a new study released today. "We're finally seeing some good news," says Dr. Mark Smith, president of the California Healthcare Foundation, an Oakland-based philanthropic group that along with Consumers Union produces the annual survey. "The past two years haven't been easy for seniors."

From large employer alliances to small senior citizen groups, an increasing number of consumers want to know how California's health maintenance organizations are spending their health-care dollars. They want to know how much goes to providing medical care as opposed to paying for salaries, advertising, paperwork and profits. How much an HMO spends on doctors, hospital and other direct medical expenses is not, by itself, an accurate gauge of of overall medical quality, health-care experts say.

For about 1.5 million California seniors enrolled in Medicare health maintenance organizations, the task of selecting a health plan has been daunting. Many people rely on recommendations from friends, feel-good advertisements or finding their doctor in the HMO's booklet. What's been needed is information that would allow people to directly compare how Medicare HMOs throughout California measure up on costs and services.

Michael Harper, a Silver Lake resident who is a Type 2 adult onset diabetic and requires insulin to control his blood sugar levels, was delighted to read last January that a state law had gone into effect requiring HMOs to cover diabetic supplies. The law by state Sen. Hilda Solis (D-La Puente) specifically includes the test strips and meter to monitor blood sugar several times a day and needles for insulin delivery devices.

When this truck pulls into rest stops--Ralph Lauren's Double RL Truck shop--even truckers' heads turn. On the outside, it's an 18-wheeler brightly painted with a herd of wild horses running across the side. On the inside, it's a Ralph Lauren shop on wheels--stuffed from floorboard to ceiling with Lauren's newest collection of men's jeans and casual wear. It comes complete with vintage American memorabilia, four fitting rooms and a sales staff of seven.