Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: 7 Health Systems Form Group Purchasing Organization; Report Finds Ga. Falls Short On Housing For People With Mental Illness
Modern Healthcare: Northeast Providers Form Regional GPO
Members of a Northeast alliance of health systems are forming their own group purchasing organization to better manage procurement and sourcing of supplies. AllSpire Health Partners, an alliance of seven health systems in New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania, announced Wednesday that it would form AllSpire Health GPO. (Rubenfire, 6/29)
Georgia Health News: Report Scolds Georgia On Housing For People With Mental Illness
Georgia is not meeting its court-supervised obligations for creating housing for people with serious mental illness, according to a recently released report. State-run psychiatric hospitals, in fact, have discharged dozens of patients to homeless shelters, and many of them wind up being re-hospitalized, the report from an independent reviewer says. (Miller, 6/29)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Study Shows Pharma Payments To Doctors At Area Hospitals
More than nine out of 10 doctors at the Hospital of the Fox Chase Cancer Center received payments from drug and medical-device firms in 2014, an analysis of Medicare payments data by ProPublica found. Its rate of 92 percent ranked Fox Chase highest in the Philadelphia region for the percentage of affiliated doctors accepting payments from pharmaceutical or medical-device firms, the data showed. (Brubaker, 6/30)
iNewsource: Many San Diego Hospitals Don’t Restrict Drug Industry Payments To Doctors
Doctors have accepted free meals, gifts, travel expenses and other payments from the drug and medical device industry for years. But because of concerns those payments might influence treatment decisions, the Affordable Care Act requires public disclosure. Now, investigative journalists with ProPublica have sorted the payments by each doctor’s primary hospital. Not only does the data show wide variation across the country, but the extent to which doctors accept those payments depends greatly on the hospital with which they’re affiliated. (Clark, 6/29)
The Texas Tribune: Abbott Appointee To Acupuncture Board Resigns Under Scrutiny
After questions about his own medical practice came to public attention, a member of one of Texas’ medical licensing boards has resigned from the position to which Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him last month. Daniel Brudnak, a family medicine and acupuncture physician from Gorman, last week resigned from the Texas Board of Acupuncture Examiners, one day after The Texas Tribune requested records about his appointment. Among other issues, Brudnak “inappropriately” prescribed stimulants and anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines without adequate evaluations, according to a 2011 order by the Texas Medical Board. (Walters, 6/29)
The Columbus Dispatch: 'Safety Net' Recommended To Keep Parents From Surrendering Kids
Saying that no family should have to surrender custody to obtain care for a child, a joint legislative committee put forth a series of recommendations on Wednesday to better serve Ohio youths with complex behavioral and developmental needs. Among the measures is a call for a "safety net of state level funding" that could be used to offset care and treatment costs not covered by private or public health insurance. The committee, which began meeting in January, heard the stories of families who had to sign their sons and daughters over to the child-protection system because there was no other way to pay for their expensive care. (Price, 6/29)
The Dallas Morning News: Woman Who Claimed To Blow Whistle On Health Care Fraud Is Herself Accused Of Fraud
Christine Craighead says she blew the whistle on a large health care fraud committed by a Dallas attorney who worked for her company, which has resulted in federal indictments. But the government refuses to acknowledge that fact, she says. That's because Christine Craighead and her brother-in-law, Garry Craighead, are themselves accused of plotting a large health care fraud at their former company. (Krause, 6/29)
Houston Chronicle: Vibrio-Related Infections In Texas Are Rare But Very Serious
Dr. Gregory Buck knows the potential danger posed by Vibrio vulnificus, the marine bacteria responsible so far this year for almost 30 cases of life-threatening infections in Texas and topic of concern among many of the hundreds of thousands of Texans anticipating visiting beaches and bays during the coming July Fourth weekend. (Tompkins, 6/29)
Wyoming Public Radio: 'The Aleppo Evil' Is Making A Comeback
When the first cases were reported in Syria 275 years ago, it was called "the Aleppo boil" or "the Aleppo evil." And for good reason: The parasitic illness spread by sand flies causes nasty skin lesions that leave victims scarred for life physically and can leave emotional scars as well. The disease, now known as Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis, or CL, is not unique to Syria. (Hallett, 6/29)
