Health Care System Gets High Rating

Orange County’s Cal-OPTIMA health care system earned generally high performance marks in its first full year of existence, according to an audit released by the managed health care agency Tuesday.

The audit, conducted by the state Department of Health and Human Services, gave its highest rating in seven of 10 areas and found none of the remaining three areas in noncompliance with state standards.

Overall, Cal-OPTIMA received a rating of 94.8% for a sampling of patient care at scattered locations within the system. The audit did not specify finding deficiencies in Cal-OPTIMA’s handling of disabled patients, which has come under sharp criticism in recent months.

Cal-OPTIMA was created in 1995 under a controversial mandate by Gov. Pete Wilson that urban counties shift their Medi-Cal programs from traditional fee-for-service medicine to managed care.

The agency, which contracts with doctors, hospitals and other providers for medical care at set rates, has about 240,000 clients.