State Highlights: Calif.’s New Nursing Board Focused On Clearing Licensing Backlog; In Minn., Tensions Mount Over Nursing Strike

California Healthline: California Nursing Board Works To Whittle Down Licensing Backlog
The newly-appointed head of California’s nursing board says his ratcheted-up effort to clear a persistent licensing backlog has been successful. In early August, staff at the Board of Registered Nursing, which is charged with vetting nurses for licensing in California, had not progressed beyond applications from recent graduates filed in March. One month later, the agency appears to have cleared a substantial portion of the backlog, reporting on its website that it is now processing applications that new nurses filed in early August. (Brown, 9/13)

Pioneer Press: Tensions Continue As Nurses Strike Wears On
Twin Cities hospital operator Allina Health said Monday that 440 staff nurses have crossed picket lines or plan to do so by their next scheduled shift. Meanwhile, thousands of nurses belonging to the Minnesota Nurses Association remain on strike at Allina facilities. The strike began on Labor Day, prompting Allina to bring in about 1,500 replacement nurses hired through agencies. Even then, nearly 375 permanent staff nurses had already committed to working through the strike, Allina spokesman David Kanihan said. (Cooney, 9/12)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Nursing Home Fails Government Inspections After Failing To Feed Its Residents 
A nursing home in Festus could be forced to shut down after not providing enough food for residents and violating minimum standards for cleanliness and care, according to federal inspection reports. A lawyer for the home’s operator says he believes all the residents have already been moved. The closure is possible because the facility will no longer be eligible for Medicaid or Medicare funding because of the problems. (Bernhard, 9/13)

The New York Times: Period For Ground Zero Workers To Seek Compensation Is Extended
New York State is extending the period for workers and volunteers to seek medical benefits and lost wages resulting from their involvement in the rescue and recovery operations in Lower Manhattan after the attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, at a ceremony on Sunday for the 15th anniversary of the attack, signed legislation reopening the window for people to file claims with the state, for two years after the previous deadline elapsed. The law extends the filing deadline to Sept. 11, 2018. (Santora, 9/12)

The CT Mirror: Wade Faces Subpoena In Cigna Conflict Of Interest Question
The Office of State Ethics is taking the rare step of seeking authority to subpoena personal financial information that Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade has failed to provide the lawyer responsible for determining if Wade has a conflict of interest ruling on Anthem’s proposed acquisition of  Cigna. The Citizens’ Ethics Advisory Board will be asked Thursday to formally begin a hearing process that allows state ethics attorneys to compel Wade and others to turn over documents in an effort to determine whether Wade and her husband would profit from Wade’s approval of the deal combining the nation’s second- and four-largest health insurers. (Pazniokas, 9/12)

Houston Chronicle: Insurance Professionals Launch Local Nonprofit Group 
A nonprofit for insurance professionals is opening a Houston chapter that will provide grants and volunteer hours to organizations focused on children, education and veterans, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation announced Monday. "With the launch of the Houston Chapter, we are excited for the opportunity to extend that reach to support local communities in the Houston area via our grants program and volunteer service," Jason Warden, chairman of the Houston chapter and regional vice president of The Hartford, said in a news release. (Rumbaugh, 9/12)

The Associated Press: Affidavit: Fertility Doctor Used Own Sperm For Impregnations
A retired Indianapolis fertility doctor said he used his own sperm around 50 times instead of donated sperm that his patients were expecting, impregnating several women decades ago, but later denied it, according to court documents. Dr. Donald Cline, 77, pleaded not guilty Monday to two felony obstruction of justice charges for misleading authorities who were investigating complaints from two of the now-adult children against him. (Kusmer, 9/12)

Sacramento Bee: CalPERS Open Enrollment Begins With More Web Access
CalPERS’ four-week open enrollment period for health benefits began Monday, with a couple changes for its 1.4 million beneficiaries. CalPERS members this year will get expanded resources to choose health care plans online, and to receive health care statements electronically. CalPERS said the milestone marks the first time that a majority of its members automatically will receive health care information online, potentially saving about $1 million a year in publication costs. (Ashton, 9/12)

North Carolina Health News: Tainted Waters: New Drinking Water Threat Concerns Scientists, Officials 
When the EPA ordered drinking water systems nationwide to test their water for a long list of unregulated contaminants, North Carolina water systems scored high on tests most systems would wish to fail. Some of the highest levels nationally of a likely cancer-causing chemical 1,4 dioxane were detected in North Carolina water systems in the Cape Fear River Basin, which supplies water to more than 120 public water systems used by 1.5 million residents. (Clabby, 9/12)

NPR: A Question For Voters This Fall: Is Pot Bad For The Brain?
Five states are voting this fall on whether marijuana should be legal, like alcohol, for recreational use. That has sparked questions about what we know – and don't know – about marijuana's effect on the brain. Research is scarce. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug. That classification puts up barriers to conducting research on it, including a cumbersome DEA approval application and a requirement that scientists procure very specific marijuana plants. (Bebinger, 9/13)

San Jose Mercury News: Stanford Engineers Develop 'Potalyzer' Test
A “potalyzer” that can detect whether a driver is under the influence by marijuana is being perfected by Stanford University researchers. Magnetic biosensors on the mobile device developed by materials science and engineering professor Shan Wang and her team can detect the presence of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in saliva, according to a Stanford news release. Like a breathalyzer is used in alcohol impairment cases, police would be able to use a cotton swab to collect a spit sample and results would be available on a smart phone or laptop in three minutes. (Lee, 9/12)

Richmond Times Dispatch: Small Local Businesses To Vie For $10,000 UnitedHealthcare Community Care Award
Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare’s Community Care Award gives businesses with from two to 100 employees the chance to win $10,000 for developing a project idea that is judged to have the best chance to enhance the Richmond area’s health and wellness. Projects must be coordinated with a nonprofit partner that will help implement the idea in the community. (Demeria, 9/12)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Healthcare IT Company Anthelio Acquired For $275 Million 
Global IT company Atos will acquire Dallas healthcare software company Anthelio Healthcare Solutions  for $275 million to expand the company's reach in the U.S. healthcare market, company officials announced Monday. Anthelio offers IT services to manage technology and electronic health records for hospitals, physician practices and other healthcare providers. It also offers software-enabled financial management software. The company has about 1,700 employees in the U.S. and India, including about 100 in its corporate headquarters in Dallas. (Repko, 9/12)