First Edition: July 26, 2023

KFF Health News: A Year With 988: What Worked? What Challenges Lie Ahead?
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s 988 hotline marked its one-year milestone this month. Mental health experts say the three-digit number made help more accessible than before. The hotline was designed with the idea that people experiencing emotional distress are more comfortable reaching out for help from trained counselors than from police and other first responders through 911. (DeGuzman, 7/26)

KFF Health News: Pain Clinic Chain To Pay $11.4M To Settle Medicare And Medicaid Fraud Claims
The owner of one of California’s largest chains of pain management clinics has agreed to pay nearly $11.4 million to California, Oregon, and the federal government to settle allegations of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice and the states’ attorneys general say Francis Lagattuta, a physician, and his Lags Medical Centers performed — and billed for — medically unnecessary tests and procedures on thousands of patients over more than five years. It was “a brazen scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid of millions of dollars by inflicting unnecessary and painful procedures on patients whom they were supposed to be relieving of pain,” Phillip Talbert, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said in a statement this month. (Thompson, 7/26)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
“KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (7/25)

Reuters: Ohio Voters To Decide Whether To Protect Abortion Rights In November 
The measure will be closely watched by groups on both sides of the abortion debate, as activists consider pursuing referendums in other states after the U.S. Supreme Court last year stripped away national abortion rights. Ohio is likely to be the only state to vote on abortion rights this fall. (Ax, 7/26)

The Hill: Ohio Abortion Ballot Measure Meets Signature Requirement For November
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) certified petitioners received a total of 495,938 valid signatures, exceeding the required minimum of 413,446 signatures — equal to 10 percent of the total votes cast for the governor’s office in the last election. These signatures were collected from 55 counties in Ohio, also surpassing the minimum requirement of at least 44 counties. The coalition said earlier this month they submitted over 700,000 signatures to place the measure on the ballot. (Nazzaro, 7/25)

The Hill: Ohio Secretary Of State Says Contraception Would Not Be Banned If Amendment Threshold Raised
The Ohio Secretary of State said Tuesday that Republican lawmakers would not try to ban contraception if the threshold for passing a state constitutional amendment is raised. Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) made the comment during a debate, hosted by WCMH-TV in Columbus, over Issue 1, a ballot proposal that would raise the threshold for passing future changes to the Ohio Constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent. The move comes as Ohio is set to vote on a measure in November that would amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. (Suter, 7/25)

AP: Block On Iowa's Strict Abortion Law Can Be Appealed, State Supreme Court Says
Gov. Kim Reynolds can proceed with an appeal on a temporary block on the state’s new, restrictive abortion law, the Iowa Supreme Court said Tuesday. Reynolds announced her intentions to appeal last week and said it was “just a matter of time” before lawyers for the state filed the request, which they did Friday. The Iowa Supreme Court had to say whether the request could move forward. (Fingerhut, 7/25)

The Hill: Tuberville Signals He Won’t Release Holds On Military Promotions Before August Recess
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R), who is holding up more than 280 senior military promotions over the Pentagon’s abortion policies, said Tuesday he’s not likely to change his position before the Senate departs for a five-week August recess. “No, I’m not going to change my mind,” Tuberville told “The Hill on NewsNation” when asked whether he would drop his holds before the long break from Washington. (Bolton, 7/25)

NPR: Phoenix Melts In A Record Streak Of Days Over 110 Degrees. And It's Not Over Yet
So far this year, 18 people have died from heat-associated deaths, and 69 more deaths are under investigation, according to Maricopa County's weekly heat report. "It feels like an oven," says Eric Brickley, of Feed Phoenix. The community organization has been setting up hydration stations around the city, delivering ice and water to the homeless population, and anyone who needs it. "It is basically the only thing that keeps someone from perishing. Some of the places people are living are so hot and deadly that without ice, even in the shade, they will die." (Lim and Marquez Janse, 7/25)

The Washington Post: Heatwave Causes Texas Deaths, Tests Power Grid And Swelters The South
Much of the United States felt like a blazing inferno on Wednesday, as record heat attacked the South like a blowtorch, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the Great Lakes region, and triple-digit temperatures threatened to wallop California for the first time this year. (Werner, Stillman and Selig, 7/25)

USA Today: Florida Water Temperatures Climb To Stunning New Highs
No hot tub needed in South Florida this week. Water temperatures in the bays between the mainland and the Florida Keys were so warm Monday that meteorologists say they were among the hottest ocean temperatures ever recorded on Earth. Water temperature at a buoy in Manatee Bay south of Miami reached an incredible 101.1 degrees Monday evening. That could be a new world record, besting an unofficial 99.7 degree temperature once reported in Kuwait. But meteorologists say the Florida gauge's location in dark water near land could make that difficult to determine. (Voyles Pulver, 7/25)

The Boston Globe: Homeless Shelters In Boston Aim To Provide Respite In The Heat
Temperatures continue to rise in Boston this week, with the city expected to see 90-degree days to mark the end of an already hot and humid July. Thursday and Friday are expected to top 90 degrees in Boston, possibly beating this year’s record high for the city of 91 degrees, set on July 17. Mayor Michelle Wu has declared a heat emergency for Thursday and Friday when “the heat index [is] expected to reach the mid-90s to 100 degrees,” her office said in a statement. A heat advisory will be in effect Wednesday through Saturday, when residents should also take steps to stay safe from the heat, the statement said. (Scales and Smilgius, 7/25)

Politico: Texas Dem Leads Thirst Strike For Worker Heat Protections
As temperatures soar across the country, Texas Democratic Rep. Greg Casar is leading workers and civil rights leaders in an all-day hunger and thirst strike Tuesday to highlight the need for updated federal workplace heat standards and protections. Casar will have no water, food or breaks until nurses require him to stop, according to a release. The event is intended to call for a federal workplace heat standard, including protections for rest and water breaks. (Alvey, 7/25)

AP: Transgender Patients Sue The Hospital That Provided Their Records To Tennessee's Attorney General 
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is being sued by its transgender clinic patients, who accuse the hospital of violating their privacy by turning their records over to Tennessee’s attorney general. Two patients sued Monday in Nashville Chancery Court, saying they were among more than 100 people whose records were sent by Vanderbilt to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. His office has said it is examining medical billing in a “run of the mill” fraud investigation that isn’t directed at patients or their families. Vanderbilt has said it was required by law to comply. (Matisse, 7/25)

USA Today: Vanderbilt Sued After Turning Over Transgender Health Records To AG
The attorney general's office said it is investigating potential medical billing fraud related to VUMC's transgender care, alleging a doctor publicly described manipulating billing to evade "coverage limits." Skrmetti's office called it a "run-of-the-mill" fraud investigation that is focused on providers, not patients, and said private patient health information would remain closely guarded. The lawsuit states the plaintiffs face "significant threats of harassment, harm, and bodily injury from being transgender or perceived as transgender." (Brown, 7/26)

AP: Families Sue To Block Missouri's Ban On Gender-Affirming Health Care For Kids
Families of transgender children on Tuesday sued to block a new Missouri law banning gender-affirming health care for minors from taking effect as scheduled on Aug. 28. The law will prohibit Missouri health care providers from providing puberty blockers, hormones and gender-affirming surgeries to minors. Minors prescribed puberty blockers or hormones before Aug. 28 would be able to continue to receive those treatments. (Ballentine, 7/26)

AP: The Biden Administration Proposes New Rules To Push Insurers To Boost Mental Health Coverage
“I don’t know what the difference between breaking your arm and having a mental breakdown is — it’s health,” Biden said in an East Room event highlighting the announcement. “We must fulfill the promise of true mental health parity for all Americans now.” (Miller and Megerian, 7/26)

The Hill: White House Puts Insurance Companies On Alert For Mental Health Care
Insurance companies, however, have previously not been found to conduct these analyses as thoroughly as the federal government might hope. The Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services reported to Congress in 2022 that 40 percent of insurance companies requested extensions of time when asked to provide comparative analyses on the limits they place on mental health benefits, like preauthorization requirements. (Choi, 7/25)

Politico: Health Insurers Are Dodging Mental Health Bills, White House Says 
President Joe Biden wants to force health insurance companies to pay for mental health care. Biden administration officials on Tuesday accused insurers of failing to comply with a 2008 law requiring them to put mental health care on the same footing as physical care. They proposed new rules that would ensure that insurers pay their share of the costs of psychological treatment. (Leonard, 7/25)

Politico: Biden Urges Senate To Pass Kids Online Privacy, Safety Bills
President Joe Biden called on the Senate to pass kids online safety and privacy bills that are getting a committee vote this week — which continues to put the pressure on Congress to advance stronger online protections for children. “We’re taking steps to address the harm that social media is doing to our kids,” Biden said during Tuesday remarks on expanding access to mental health care. “We’ve got to hold these platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.” (Kern, 7/25)

Politico: Top House Democrat Wants More From CMS On Medicare Advantage
House Democrats said the Biden administration must do more to rein in overpayments and increase transparency of Medicare Advantage plans. Lawmakers spoke during a press conference Tuesday highlighting issues with care denials and quality in the popular Medicare Advantage program. Democratic lawmaker anger over the program has been simmering in recent months after reports of insurers using algorithms to deny Medicare claims that should have been approved. (King, 7/25)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Lawsuit Over Algorithm Allegations Could Be First Of Many
"PXDX is a simple tool to accelerate physician payments that has been grossly mischaracterized in the press," a Cigna spokesperson wrote in response to a request for comment. "The facts speak for themselves and we will continue to set the record straight." As alleged in court documents, Kisting-Leung’s doctors recommended she receive ultrasound screenings for ovarian cancer twice last year, and Cigna denied both claims by arguing they lacked medical necessity, leaving Kisting-Leung to pay nearly $750 out-of-pocket. Kisting-Leung appealed the denials but has yet to hear back from Cigna about the status of the bills, the complaint alleges. (Tepper, 7/25)

Reuters: Lawyer Can't Shield Identity In FDA Inspection Report, US Says
An attorney should not be allowed to shield information that would identify them in a U.S. food and drug inspection report that questioned a company's regulatory compliance, the U.S. Justice Department on Monday told a federal judge. The Justice Department asked U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., to dismiss what it called "threadbare allegations" that would stop the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from revealing the attorney's identity in a public report. (Scarcella, 7/25)

AP: Court Says OxyContin Maker's Bankruptcy And Protections For Sackler Family Members Can Move Ahead
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma can start executing a settlement that protects members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids, a court ruled Tuesday. The ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York allows the company’s transformation to start — though it’s still subject to approval from another court. (Mulvihill, 7/25)

The Hill: Salmonella Outbreak Affecting Multiple States Linked To Ground Beef: CDC 
While investigators are still reviewing the incidents, they say nine patients reported eating ground beef before falling ill. Those who remembered the ground beef they purchased identified it as 80% lean beef purchased at ShopRite locations in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Among the 16 people who became ill, nine live in New Jersey. Five are from New York, and Connecticut and Massachusetts have each confirmed one case of salmonella that was linked to this outbreak. The CDC warns there could be more sick people, in these states or others, who recovered without medical care and are therefore not tested for salmonella. For those who are tested, it can take up to a month to determine whether they are linked to this specific outbreak. . (Bink, 7/25)

Indianapolis Star: Truck Accidents Driving Increase In Hazmat Spills In Midwest
USA TODAY analyzed a decade's worth of data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration about the movement of hazardous chemicals across Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Here are the most important takeaways revealed in the data, as well how reporters evaluated the information. (Oung, 7/25)

Fox News: Colorado Reports Its First West Nile Virus Case In Humans This Year
The Department of Public Health & Environment said the case was found in an individual from La Pata County, as well as in mosquitoes in seven counties. "Mosquito populations are at historic levels in some parts of the state due to the high rainfall this year. This unusually high mosquito activity along with known presence of the virus has caused an elevated risk of West Nile virus transmission to humans," the department warned. (Musto, 7/25)

Bay Area News Group: West Nile-Positive Mosquitoes Found In Palo Alto, Stanford
The Santa Clara County Vector Control District is set to spray parts of Palo Alto and Stanford after mosquitoes there tested positive for West Nile Virus. The infected insects were collected in the 94301, 94304, 94305 and 94306 ZIP codes, the district said in a news release. (Green, 7/25)

ABC News: Black Women Saw Fetal Mortality Rates Fall 4% In 2021, But Still Twice As High As National Average: CDC
Fetal mortality rates declined among Black women in 2020 but were much higher than other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S., new federal data shows. A report, published early Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, looked at data from the National Vital Statistics System. Fetal deaths are deaths that occur at 20 weeks' gestation -- about five months of pregnancy -- or later and affect 1% of all pregnancies in the U.S. (Kekatos, 7/26)

Fortune: Bronny James' Cardiac Arrest Reignites COVID-19 Vaccine Debate
At the time, Dr. Michael Emery, cardiologist and co-director of the sports cardiology center at Cleveland Clinic, told Fortune, “The [suggested] link between the COVID-19 vaccine [and cardiac arrest] is wildly and irresponsibly speculative from a very vocal minority.” According to The Sports Institute, roughly one or two in every 100,000 young athletes experience a sudden cardiac arrest each year, with African American males being at greater risk (nearly six in 100,000). (Thompson Payton, 7/25)

NBC News: Eczema To Hay Fever: The ‘Allergic March’ Shows How Allergies Can Progress In Kids
Eczema in young babies could be a sign that a child will go on to develop more allergies. New research, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics, confirms a phenomenon known as the “allergic march” — a pattern that describes the way allergies tend to develop and progress in children, beginning in infancy through age 3. (Sullivan, 7/25)

CIDRAP: Study: 17% Of US Children Do Not Finish Vaccine Series
Yesterday in Pediatrics researchers mined vaccine records of 16,365 US children ages 19 to 35 months in 2019 to determine how many complete the seven common multidose vaccine series given in infancy and early childhood. They found 1 in 6 US children had incomplete vaccine series. Currently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends several vaccine series, each consisting of 1 to 4 doses, to protect against 15 diseases in the first 2 years of a child's life. (Soucheray, 7/25)

CIDRAP: Trial Suggests Bacterial Test Could Reduce Antibiotics In Kids With Sinusitis
The results of a randomized clinical trial suggests testing children who present with symptoms of acute sinusitis for three specific nasal bacterial pathogens may be a strategy for reducing unnecessary antibiotic use. The results, published today in JAMA, showed that children without the nasopharyngeal pathogens did not benefit from antibiotics as much as children in whom the pathogens were detected. The authors of the study estimate that if children with symptoms of acute sinusitis were tested for these pathogens, unnecessary antibiotic use could be significantly reduced. (Dall, 7/25)

CIDRAP: Coinfections Most Common In Young Adults With COVID-19
Today during the 2023 American Association for Clinical Chemistry Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, researchers presented new data on SARS-CoV-2 confections in the US, and showed among 26,000 samples, 1.33% of positive cases were also infected with another virus, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or influenza. (Soucheray, 7/25)

CIDRAP: Study: COVID Deaths Fell 84% In UK Cancer Patients After Vaccine Rollout
SARS-CoV-2 deaths in UK cancer patients dropped 84% after the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, estimates a University of Birmingham-led team today in Scientific Reports. The UK Coronavirus Cancer Programme study assessed rates of hospital evaluation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death among 127,322 UK cancer patients and 15,801,004 controls without cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 from November 2020 to August 2022. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in December 2020. (Van Beusekom, 7/25)

Bloomberg: Eli Lilly’s Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Sees Shortage Of Higher Doses
Shortages of Eli Lilly & Co.’s Mounjaro have expanded to include all of the higher doses, showing just how strong demand is for the drug before it even gets formal approval for use in obesity. Just last month, US regulators said that three of the higher doses of Lilly’s drug were experiencing “intermittent backorders” through July due to increased demand. The latest update adds a fourth dose to that list and extends issues with another, higher-dose option through September, according to a Food and Drug Administration website. Only the two lowest doses of the drug remain fully available. (Muller and Cattan, 7/25)

Modern Healthcare: General Catalyst-Backed Hippocratic AI Lands New Partners
Hippocratic AI, a generative artificial intelligence company focused on healthcare, said Monday it has raised $15 million in funding and added 10 healthcare partners. Launched by venture capital companies General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz in May, Hippocratic AI is setting out to build a large language generative AI model for healthcare across various sectors, said co-founder and CEO Munjal Shah. (Turner, 7/25)

Modern Healthcare: Universal Health Services Raises 2023 Earnings Outlook
Universal Health Services is upping its 2023 guidance range after posting a strong first half of the year. The for-profit health system said Tuesday it is revising its adjusted earnings per share outlook for the year to $9.85 to $10.50, compared with $9.50 to $10.50. (Hudson, 7/25)

Modern Healthcare: Teladoc Health Q2 Earnings Show Growth
Teladoc Health elevated key guidance following revenue gains in the second quarter, the virtual care company announced Tuesday. Revenue rose 10% to $652.4 million as integrated care membership grew 7% during the second quarter, Teladoc reported. Although the company recorded a $65.2 million net loss, or 40 cents per share, Teladoc advised investors that it had raised its low-end revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization guidance for the year. (Turner, 7/25)

The Boston Globe: Biogen To Cut About 1,000 Jobs As It Prepares For Rollout Of Alzheimer’s Drug
Biogen said Tuesday it will cut about 1,000 jobs, roughly 11 percent of its global workforce, as part of a plan to lower costs as the Cambridge biotech starts to roll out the new Alzheimer’s drug it codeveloped and prepares for the possible approval of a treatment for depression next week. Biogen, which had 8,725 employees worldwide at the end of last year, didn’t specify where the cuts will take place. But chief executive Christopher Viehbacher told reporters after the company’s second-quarter earnings call that “there will be an impact in Massachusetts, and it’s a little too early yet to say exactly how many.” (Saltzman, 7/25)

CBS News: SF COVID-19 Response Led To One Of Lowest Death Rates About U.S. Cities, Study Finds
San Francisco's response to the COVID-19 crisis resulted in one of the lowest coronavirus-related death tolls among U.S. metropolitan cities, a study has found. According to the study conducted by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), the city implemented "one of the most intensive, inclusive and multi-pronged" COVID responses in the U.S., leading to one of the lowest fatality rates among U.S. cities across all ages and ethnicities. (7/25)

AP: Covered California Health Insurance Premiums Will Go Up Next Year, But Many Consumers Won't Feel It
Monthly health insurance premiums for roughly 1.7 million people in California will go up an average of 9.6% next year — the largest increase in five years — but state officials said many consumers won’t feel those hikes because taxpayers will pay for them. The federal Affordable Care Act lets people who don’t get health insurance from their job buy coverage from a marketplace. Most states let the federal government run their marketplaces for them. But California runs its own marketplace called Covered California. (Beam, 7/26)