Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
ER Docs Sue Employer, Say They Were Told To Work Sick, Avoid Covid Tests
Houston Chronicle: Houston ER Doctors Say They Were Urged To Work Through Illness And Avoid COVID Testing In New Lawsuit
Several Houston emergency room doctors say representatives for their employer compelled them to work through illnesses and discouraged them from testing for COVID-19 during the most recent surge, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Harris County. American Physician Partners, a Tennessee-based hospital management company, independently staffs and manages emergency room doctors at 15 Houston Methodist facilities through a contract with the hospital system. The petition in the 113th District Court centers on a financial dispute between APP and eight doctors, who allege the organization violated its contract, in part, by underpaying them to save money. (Gill, 4/27)
Covid cases are surging across the U.S. —
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Reports An Increase In COVID-19 Cases And Rising Hospitalizations
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Wednesday reported 1,479 cases of COVID-19 in Alaska over a seven-day period. That averages around 211 cases per day. This data does not include at-home tests, which do not get reported to the state and have grown in popularity this year. By Wednesday, there were 32 COVID-positive patients hospitalized statewide, 12 more than last week. Less than 3% of Alaska’s hospital patients were COVID-positive, including one person on a ventilator. (4/27)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Cases Climb In California. Will Hospitalizations Follow?
Coronavirus cases are continuing to climb in California, but it remains unclear whether hospitalizations will also begin to tick upward, as is already happening nationally. California is now reporting an average of about 5,000 new coronavirus infections a day, up nearly 85% from last month. Statewide, the coronavirus case rate has risen to 95 cases a week for every 100,000 residents. A rate of 100 or more is considered a high rate of transmission — the worst of four categories defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Lin II and Money, 4/27)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Case Rate Ticks Up In Las Vegas Area, As Hospitalizations Decline
New COVID-19 metrics released Wednesday showed Clark County’s case rate increasing, but hospitalizations continued to drop throughout the state and county. The county’s 14-day moving average of daily new cases stood at 145 on Wednesday, a notable increase from last week’s mark of 98. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also showed an increase in an important tracking metric, the case rate per 100,000 people. That number increased to 44.38, about seven higher than this time last week. (Dylan, 4/27)
Des Moines Register: COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Up In Iowa In Weekly Update
New reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations both went up in Wednesday's data update from the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There were 84 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa on Wednesday, up from 63 last week and the most since mid-March, according the health and human services department. Of those, six patients required intensive care for COVID-19 complications. That's up from just two last week, but remains about as low as that number has been since the start of the pandemic. (Webber, 4/27)
The Washington Post: Princess Cruise Ship Under CDC Investigation For Coronavirus Outbreaks
A Princess Cruises ship that reported two recent coronavirus outbreaks had passengers test positive again while it docked in San Francisco last week. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the public health agency is investigating the Ruby Princess and placed the ship under observation. (Diller, 4/27)
In other pandemic news —
AP: Hawaii Shifts From Treating COVID Pandemic Like An Emergency
Hawaii’s top public health officials said Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still active but is moving into a new phase of the disease, in which people can test themselves at home and ideally avoid serious illness thanks to vaccination and the use of therapeutic treatments. Gov. David Ige described the change as a transition from “emergency response” to “public health management.” He said at a news conference that state officials would be handling COVID-19 more similarly to how it copes with other diseases. (McAvoy, 4/28)
Politico: ‘It's Insanity’: Providers End Covid Care For Uninsured In The Wake Of Congressional Inaction
Community Health Development, a Texas clinic, announced it is cutting back Covid-19 care for uninsured patients after federal pandemic funding for testing, treatment and vaccines ran out in recent weeks. The health center in Uvalde, about 60 miles from the Mexican border, serves a population that is majority Hispanic and uninsured. It now offers free Covid-19 vaccines one day a week instead of six. It has restricted testing and may have to eliminate services, increase patient fees or even lay off staff if Congress doesn’t soon approve additional Covid money. (Messerly and Mahr, 4/27)
AP: Once Dead, Twice Billed: GAO Questions COVID Funeral Awards
The Federal Emergency Management Agency may have been double-billed for the funerals of hundreds of people who died of COVID-19, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report Wednesday. The GAO identified 374 people who died and were listed on more than one application that received an award from the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance fund. That amounts to about $4.8 million in assistance that could have been improper or potentially fraudulent payments, the report said. (McDermott, 4/28)
