State Highlights: Bill Would Make Volunteer Medical Work Across State Lines Easier; Texans’ Health Data Exposed For Months
Media outlets report on news from Tennessee, California, Massachusetts, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin and Colorado.
Nashville Tennessean:
Bill Would Ease Rules On Charity Health-Care Providers
In 1985, [Stan] Brock founded a charitable organization that hosts free medical clinics for people who live in underserved, isolated or impoverished communities. Then he discovered another problem: Many states have laws that prohibit medical personnel from crossing state lines and working at his clinics...Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, has filed legislation that would provide $1 million to any state that allows licensed medical professionals to travel from other states and offer their services to those in need. The money would be a one-time allocation and, while the bill does not say how it would be used, the intent is to help states pay any costs associated with allowing outside doctors to volunteer within their borders. (Collins, 6/23)
San Antonio Press-Express:
Aetna: Health Information Of About 500 Texans Was Temporarily Available Online
Protected health information of about 522 Texas residents was available online, and some information was online for months, Aetna said Friday. The earliest evidence Aetna has of URLs being catalogued by search engines is Feb. 1, said Ethan Slavin, a spokesperson for Aetna, via email. (Ehlinger, 6/23)
California Healthline:
You Are Now Protected From Nasty Surprise Bills
Before Kevin Powers underwent lung cancer surgery last October, his girlfriend, Agi Orsi, meticulously checked and double-checked to be sure his Santa Monica, Calif., hospital and surgeon were in his health plan’s network. They were. Even in the hospital, Orsi dutifully wrote “No out-of-network doctors” across the top of Powers’ admission paperwork. Her diligence was for naught. (Bazar, 6/26)
Boston Globe:
Minuteman Health Shifting To For-Profit Status
Minuteman Health Inc., an insurer launched with millions of taxpayer dollars, said Friday it is seeking to ditch its nonprofit structure next year and sell plans under a new for-profit entity. Executives of the Boston-based company said the change is necessary because the company faces regulations that are too burdensome. (Dayal McCluskey, 6/23)
The CT Mirror:
Prolonged CT Budget Standoff Will Hurt Towns, Disabled, Needy
Connecticut spends another $1.3 billion each year hiring community-based nonprofit agencies to provide the majority of social services offered to the disabled, the mentally ill, abused children, the poor and others... And while the administration won’t order layoffs while the concessions deal is pending, it will freeze vacant state jobs of all types and reduce consulting, legal and service contracts. (Phaneuf, 6/26)
California Healthline:
Kaiser Permanente Fined — Again — For Mental Health Access Problems
Despite three warnings and a multimillion-dollar fine, Kaiser Permanente still fails to provide members with appropriate access to mental health care, according to a recent survey of the HMO by the state of California. The routine survey, released by the state Department of Managed Health Care, found that Kaiser Foundation Health Plan did not provide enrollees with “timely access” to behavioral health treatment, in violation of state law. (Gold, 6/26)
Richmond Times-Dispatch:
"I've Seen Way Too Many Fatalities": Providers Urge Parents To Talk About Gun Safety
Last week, the children’s hospital educated parents at its Children’s Pavilion downtown about not only gun safety but also how to ask other parents if they have a gun in the home in recognition of ASK — or Asking Saves Kids — Day, which is a collaboration of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the American Academy of Pediatrics... Children in the U.S. die by gun 11 times as often as children in other high-income countries, according to the Brady Campaign. (O'Connor, 6/25)
Texas Tribune:
Why Don’t Local Police Departments In Texas Pay For Rape Kit Testing?
The Department of Public Safety reported a backlog of 20,000 untested rape kits ahead of the 2013 session, and lawmakers pumped $11 million into addressing it. But more than 3,500 of those identified kits are still untested — meaning they haven't been analyzed in more than five years. (Samuels, 6/23)
Columbus Dispatch:
ERs Adding Palliative Care To Treat Seniors' Chronic Conditions
Historically, emergency departments have treated victims of gunshots, crashes and other traumatic injuries, plus people who have heart attacks, strokes and other medical emergencies. But as the nation’s elderly population has swelled, emergency departments have been flooded by seniors and others with chronic and, sometimes, fatal illnesses who often need more or different things than just the traditional “life-extending” care provided there. (Pyle, 6/26)
Miami Herald:
Gables Cop Shot Him With A Taser. Six Months Later, There's No Cause Of Death.
But the revelation of Gutierrez’s death comes amid increased scrutiny of fatal confrontations with police officers, in South Florida and across the United States. Some of those cases include people who die after being zapped by police Taser stun guns, a weapon hailed by authorities as a less-than-lethal way to stop violent offenders, but criticized by others as a weapon that too often proves deadly. (Ovalle, 6/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Sniffing Dogs Are Being Trained To Detect Cancer In Urine
A small Japanese city is set to use a unique method to help cancer patients. WBAL TV in Baltimore reports that Kaneyama, a town of about 2,200 people, will be the home for a group of dogs that can detect cancer in humans by sniffing urine. (Harris, 6/25)
Sacramento Bee:
Mt. Shasta Issues Boil Water Warning Due To E. Coli Bacteria
The city of Mt. Shasta put out a notice warning residents to bring all water to a boil for a minute before drinking it, cooking with it, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes. City officials said in the notice they expect to resolve the problem in seven to 10 days, meaning the issue could continue through the Fourth of July, when the city hosts some of its most popular events. (Garrison, 6/25)
Tampa Bay Times:
Legalized Medical Marijuana Signed Into Law By Rick Scott
Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed into law a broader medical marijuana system for the state, following through on a promise he made earlier this month. Lawmakers passed the measure, SB 8A, in a special session after failing in their regular session that ended in May to implement a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug, which was supported by 71 percent of voters last year. (Auslen, 6/23)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Mobile Market Rolls Groceries Into Milwaukee's Food Deserts
First started in 2015 as an initiative between Pick 'n Save and the Milwaukee-based Hunger Task Force, the store makes fresh and healthy foods available to people who would otherwise have limited access to those options. The store supplements other efforts to expand food access in the city by addressing the question of "how do we give people dignity," Hunger Task Force executive director Sherrie Tussler said. (Liu, 6/25)
Denver Post:
Fort Collins Podiatrist Guilty Of Fraud.
A Fort Collins podiatrist has been sentenced to prison for billing Medicare for trimming clients’ toenails, which is not covered by the national social insurance program. Dr. Michael Thomas, 55, pleaded guilty to eight counts of health care fraud, according to a news release from the Acting U.S. Attorney, District of Wyoming. Thomas, who was sentenced to six months in prison and a $20,000 fine, fraudulently billed Medicare from December 2011 through November 2016. (Nicholson, 6/23)