Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pilot Program Uses Telemedicine To Treat Appalachia’s Painkiller Addiction Crisis
Kaiser Health News: Video-Chat? In Rural Areas Combating Drug Addiction, A New Way To Connect With Help
An older, unemployed man with chronic back pain recently visited Dr. Robert Devereaux, a family physician in this Southwest corner of Virginia. Devereaux recalled that months earlier, during a routine exam, he found crushed fragments of painkiller pills inside the patient’s nose. Though he refused to prescribe more, Devereaux worries that the man is still getting the drugs and has not recognized his problem or gotten treatment for his addiction. (Luthra, 10/3)
Sacramento Bee: Baxter Medical Center To Monitor Patients Via Telehealth
A $320,538 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture is helping Baxter Regional Medical Center reduce its readmission rate while implementing a Complex Care Management, allowing staff members to better manage patients' care. The Baxter Bulletin reports that the grant was primarily developed around the telehealth, a remote patient monitoring device that will be placed into patients' home. The telehealth device will benefit patients who are high-risk to return to the hospital, such as the ones who've suffered from pneumonia, a heart attack, congestive heart failure and others. (Louis, 10/1)
The Mercury News: Marin Patients’ Medical Data Lost After Cyber Attack
The Marin Healthcare District and Prima Medical Foundation are notifying more than 5,000 patients that some of their medical data was lost due to a glitch that followed a ransomware attack in August. Prima Medical Foundation supports the Prima Medical Group, many of whose doctors work closely with Marin General Hospital. The computer records of Marin Medical Practice Concepts, a Novato company that provides medical billing and electronic medical records services to many Marin physicians, were hacked on July 26. (Halstead, 9/30)
