First Edition: January 12, 2018

Kaiser Health News: Banding Together To Stop Opioid Addiction Where It Often Starts — In Hospitals
Doctors at some of the largest U.S. hospital chains admit they went overboard with opioids to make people as pain-free as possible, and now they shoulder part of the blame for the nation’s opioid crisis. In an effort to be part of the cure, they’ve begun to issue an uncomfortable warning to patients: You’re going to feel some pain. Even for people who’ve never struggled with drug abuse, studies are finding that patients are at risk of addiction anytime they go under the knife. (Farmer, 1/12)

The Hill: CMS Pressed To Give More Time For Comment On Medicaid-Work Changes
The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) is pressing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to give the public more time to comment on state proposals to impose work requirements in the Medicaid program. NHeLP sent a letter to the agency just hours after CMS unveiled guidance letting states apply for waivers requiring certain Medicaid enrollees work or participate in community engagement in order to get health coverage. The guidance marked a major policy shift in the joint federal-state health program for low-income and disabled Americans. (Roubein, 1/11)

NPR: President Donald Trump To Undergo His First Physical Exam Since Taking Office
President Trump is set Friday to undergo his first physical exam since taking office — a move that could offer a rare public snapshot of the 71-year-old leader's health. "I think it's going to go very well," Trump told reporters Thursday. "I'll be very surprised if it doesn't." The exam will be overseen by Dr. Ronny Jackson, a Navy rear admiral who directs the White House medical unit. Earlier information about Trump's health came from his personal physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein, who famously declared in 2015 that Trump would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." (Horsley, 1/12)

Bloomberg: Trump Predicts Clean Bill Of Health In First Presidential Exam 
Presidential physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson will release a written statement Friday following the exam and take questions from reporters on the president’s health on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. (Pettypiece, 1/12)

Politico: Dozens Of Experts Urge Doctor To Examine Trump's Neurological Health During Physical
A group of more than 70 psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s physician on Thursday, imploring him to include an evaluation of the president’s neurological health in a physical examination scheduled for Friday. The White House has said tests of mental fitness will not be part of the president’s physical. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday that the physician, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, would issue a statement following the exam and answer questions from the media next week. (Nussbaum, 1/11)

The New York Times: Health Insurer Centene Is Sued Over Lack Of Medical Coverage
People who bought policies from Centene, a large for-profit health insurance company, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday claiming the company does not provide adequate access to doctors in 15 states. “Members have difficulty finding — and in many cases cannot find — medical providers,” who will accept patients covered under policies sold by Centene, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington State. (Abelson, 1/11)

The Hill: Lawsuit Filed Against ObamaCare Insurer Over Coverage
According to the lawsuit, Centene targets low-income customers who qualify for substantial government subsidies “while simultaneously providing coverage well below what is required by law and by its policies.” A spokeswoman for the company told The Hill they have not been served papers and only learned of the lawsuit Thursday morning. “We believe our networks are adequate. We work in partnership with our states to ensure our networks are adequate and our members have access to high quality health care,” Marcela Manjarrez Hawn said in an email. (Weixel, 1/11)

The Hill: GOP Chairman Eyes Floor Action For CHIP Next Week 
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said on Thursday that he is aiming to bring a six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to the floor next week. Speaking to reporters, Walden pointed to new Congressional Budget Office estimates as the catalyst that broke the logjam over funding for the program, which covers 9 million children. (Weixel, 1/11)

CQ: House Weighs Six-Year Children's Health Funding Extension
The House is weighing a longer-term funding renewal of the Children's Health Insurance Program after a new preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that the program would not have to be offset. The offsets had been a point of contention between both parties. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden said lawmakers are now discussing a six-year reauthorization of CHIP, which may have no cost to the federal government. It was not immediately clear whether a package would be included on a Jan. 19 spending bill or could move separately. (Raman and McIntire, 1/11)

The New York Times: Baltimore Hospital Patient Discharged At Bus Stop, Stumbling And Cold
A woman who appeared to be wearing nothing but socks and a hospital gown was discharged from a Baltimore hospital on a cold winter night and left alone at a bus stop. A passer-by filmed the woman late Tuesday evening and posted several videos on Facebook shortly after midnight. In them, people in dark uniforms can be seen walking into the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Midtown Campus with an empty wheelchair, leaving the woman alone on the sidewalk. (Fortin, 1/11)

The Washington Post: Social Media Fury Follows Video Of Dazed Woman Put Out In Cold By Baltimore Hospital
The man hurried up the Baltimore sidewalk with a camera in his hand as four black-clad hospital security guards walked toward him, then past him. One of them was pushing an empty wheelchair. “So wait, y’all just going to leave this lady out here with no clothes on?” said Imamu Baraka, referring to a dazed woman wearing only a thin hospital gown whom they had left alone at a bus stop Tuesday night in mid-30s temperatures. Her face appeared bloody, her eyes empty. It was the latest incident of “patient dumping,” which has sparked outrage around the country — and one that, according to an expert, probably violated a 1986 federal law that mandates hospitals release those in their care into a safe environment. (Cox, Vargas, Moyer, 1/11)

NPR: Why Was A Baltimore Patient Discharged At A Bus Stop In Just A Gown?
Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of the hospital, said at a news conference Thursday that he was confident the incident was isolated and that individuals throughout the organization would be held accountable for the woman's treatment. Suntha said he has tried to reach the man who intervened to thank him for helping the woman and for making the incident public. He said the woman had been treated and not been turned away because she couldn't pay. He said the hospital has a responsibility to address the "social needs" of patients, working with outside agencies. (Kennedy, 1/11)

The New York Times: Opioid Addiction Knows No Color, But Its Treatment Does
On a street lined with garbage trucks, in an industrial edge of Brooklyn, dozens of people started filing into an unmarked building before the winter sun rose. Patients gather here every day to visit the Vincent Dole Clinic, where they are promised relief from their cravings and from the constant search for heroin on the streets. Robert Perez exited the clinic on a recent Wednesday and walked toward the subway, along the Gowanus Canal. Within the clinic’s antiseptic blue walls, he had just swallowed a red liquid from a small plastic cup. The daily dose of methadone helps Mr. Perez, 47, manage withdrawal symptoms as he tries to put decades of drug abuse behind him. (del Real, 1/12)

Stateline: Injection Sites Provide Safe Spots To Shoot Up
In about one hundred locations across Canada, Europe and Australia, supervised drug injection facilities allow visitors to inject heroin and other drugs in a clean, well-lighted space under the watchful eye of trained personnel who can rescue them if they overdose. Tens of thousands of drug users have visited the facilities, thousands have overdosed and, researchers say, no deaths have been reported. Studies show that a substantial number of drug users who visit safe injection sites end up in treatment, which is routinely offered to them. Research also has shown that the facilities help contain hepatitis C and HIV infections and are a cost-effective way to save lives. (Vestal, 1/12)

The Associated Press: Federal Judge Invites States To Discuss Opioid Crisis
A federal judge who’s overseeing lawsuits from around the country against the pharmaceutical industry has invited state attorneys general to join discussions and provide input. Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland is overseeing a consolidated case involving dozens of suits filed by communities against drugmakers and drug distributors. Polster told The Associated Press Thursday he invited representatives this week from two groups of attorneys general to attend a hearing later this month. (Welsh-Huggins, 1/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Ohio Takes Steps Toward Resolution Of Opioid Litigation
Ohio has begun settlement talks with opioid-painkiller makers it has sued alleging illegal marketing, and will meet with a federal judge urging settlement of hundreds of similar suits, in early steps toward resolution of the sprawling litigation. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said his staff held separate meetings with Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Wednesday. He described the meetings as “settlement discussions.” (Whalen and Randazzo, 1/11)

The Washington Post: FDA Warns Against Giving Kids Cough And Cold Medicines With Codeine Or Hydrocodone
The Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday that children and adolescents should not be prescribed cough and cold medicines containing codeine and hydrocodone because of serious safety risks posed by the opioid ingredients. The agency said it is requiring manufacturers to change the wording on their labels to make clear that such products should not be used for anyone younger than 18. Common side effects of opioids include headache, dizziness and vomiting. Greater dangers include breathing difficulties and even death. (McGinley, 1/11)

The Hill: Officials Defend Ending 'Flawed' Mental Health, Drug Abuse Program Registry
The Trump administration ended a national database for evidence-based mental health and substance abuse programs because it was "flawed" and potentially dangerous, officials said Thursday. The administration announced earlier this month it would discontinue the database, which was created in 1997 to help people, agencies and organizations identify and implement evidence-based programs and practices in their communities. (Hellmann, 1/11)

The Washington Post: New Study On Abortion Pill Shows High Success, Low Rate Of Complications
Ever since the abortion pill RU-486 began to hit the market in the 1980s, questions have lingered about its safety, especially for women who take it in countries where terminating an unwanted pregnancy is restricted and they cannot openly seek help from a medical professional if something goes wrong. As reports of deaths and injuries grew in the early 2000s and the pill became a big political issue, studies were launched to try to get more data on the safety question. The results are starting to come out. (Cha, 1/11)

The Hill: Trump Admin Moves To Block Abortion For Fourth Undocumented Minor
The Trump administration has moved to block a fourth undocumented minor from receiving an abortion, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The woman, known to the court as Jane Moe, has requested an abortion but has been prevented from getting one by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an office within the Department of Health and Human Services. (Hellmann, 1/11)

The New York Times: For Serena Williams, Childbirth Was A Harrowing Ordeal. She’s Not Alone.
The need to ensure that medical professionals are responsive to new mothers’ concerns has gained attention in recent years. The “Stop. Look. Listen!” campaign, for example, which was introduced in 2012, aims to empower women to report pregnancy-related medical issues and to increase awareness and responsiveness among health care practitioners. About 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complications affect more than 50,000 women annually. And the risk of pregnancy-related death is three to four times as high for black women as it is for white women, the C.D.C. says. (Salam, 1/11)

Bloomberg: Colonoscopy? How About A Blood Test?
Nobody likes getting a colonoscopy. For the people who catch colon cancer early thanks to that bowel camera, the standard screening—every 5 to 10 years from age 50 to 75—proves invaluable. For the 993 people in 1,000 who don’t test positive following a colonoscopy, the pain (and for the uninsured, the expense) can be enough to make them skip the next one. People who’ve shirked their exams often number among the 50,000 Americans who die from colon cancer each year. “More non-​invasive ways of screening are needed,” says Matthew Kalady, co-director of the colorectal cancer program at the Cleveland Clinic. “If you could pick up colon cancer early and noninvasively with a simple blood test, that would be just fantastic.” (Tullis, 1/11)

Stat: Baby Boomers Destroyed Their Hearing. Biotech Is Trying To Fix It
Baby boomers grew up with music blasting from dorm room turntables, car stereos, and arenas where the sound of a band at full throttle could rival the roar of a jet engine. Volume became an act of generational defiance. As rocker Ted Nugent put it: “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” Turns out, it was too loud. Millions of boomers are now grappling with hearing loss — some of it caused by turning the volume to 11 — prompting companies to develop treatments that improve upon the expensive and often limited-value hearing aids and surgical implants that have been around for decades. (Weisman, 1/11)

Stat: Genome Sequencing Turns Up New Drivers Of Drug Resistance In Malaria
Hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria every year — and as drug-resistant strains of the parasite grow more common, there’s an urgent need for new treatment options. New research, published Thursday in Science, points to potential targets for those novel treatments. Researchers analyzed 262 Plasmodium falciparum parasites, which cause malaria. (Thielking, 1/11)

The New York Times: Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Tied To Leafy Greens Likely Over, C.D.C. Says
A pair of fatal E. coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens in the United States and Canada appear to be over, health experts said on Wednesday. American officials said that the outbreak in the United States was most likely caused by “leafy greens,” and their counterparts in Canada specifically identified romaine lettuce as the source of the infections there. (Chokshi, 1/11)

NPR: Many Workers Already Have A Standing Desk Called Their Job
The standing desk is having a moment among office workers, but not everyone needs to stand more at work. A study published Thursday in the latest issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report finds that many U.S. workers are already active on the job. Researchers analyzed the 2015 National Health Interview Survey — the most recent data available — and found that two-thirds of employed adults reported frequent standing at work. (Wilhelm, 1/11)

Los Angeles Times: Nature Boosts Your Mental Health, And You Don't Even Have To Leave The City To Reap The Benefits
Good news, urbanites! New research suggests that you don't have to leave the city to reap some of the benefits of being in nature. Simply listening to the chirping of birds, glimpsing the sky and even noticing a scrawny city tree can boost your mental well-being, according to a report published Tuesday in the journal Bioscience. (Netburn, 1/11)

NPR: Medicaid Won't Cover Medical Marijuana For Pain
Recent scientific reviews have found substantial evidence that marijuana can be useful in easing at least some types of chronic pain. Yet even for the majority of Americans who live in states that have legalized medical marijuana, choosing opioids can be much cheaper. "I can get a bottle of opioids for a dollar on my state insurance," says MaryJane Sarvis, a textile artist in Shaftsbury, Vt. Instead, Sarvis says, she spends around $200 each month on medical marijuana. (Corwin, 1/11)