State Highlights: Conn. House Passes Scaled-Back Health Care Bill; In Mass., Patient Data Goes Digital At Partners

The Connecticut Mirror: Revised Health Care Bill Passes House, Despite Hospital Opposition
The House of Representatives passed a wide-ranging, controversial health care bill Saturday night after scaling back certain provisions deemed particularly onerous by hospitals. Many individual provisions of the 87-page proposal could have been controversial bills on their own; together, they represent a set of changes that could have significant ripples through major industries undergoing rapid change. Hospital officials have said they impose onerous new regulations and could make it harder for distressed hospitals to find purchasers to help them survive, while unions and advocacy groups say they could help rein in costs and protect patients (Levin Becker, 5/31)

The Boston Globe: Partners Takes Patient Data Digital With $1.2B System
After two years as an intensive care nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Aqua Bang will no longer need to carry a pen and binder to record the vital signs of her patients. Instead, that information will instantly flow from bedside monitors to each patient’s computerized health record, part of a massive information technology system launched over the weekend by Partners HealthCare. (Dayal McCluskey, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Matt Bevin Prevails As James Comer Concedes Kentucky Governor Primary
After a recanvass of vote totals left him still narrowly trailing, James R. Comer, the Kentucky agriculture commissioner, on Friday conceded the Republican primary race for governor to Matt Bevin, a wealthy Louisville businessman and Tea Party favorite. ... This year, Mr. Bevin again portrayed himself as the most conservative choice, vowing to repeal the state’s health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion, both created under the Affordable Care Act. Political analysts and some state Republicans said Mr. Bevin would be a weaker candidate in the general election than Mr. Comer would have been. (Blinder and Perez-Pena, 5/29)

The Associated Press: Teen Births Down But Remain Stubborn Problem In New Mexico
New Mexico has a stubborn problem: its persistent ranking at or near the top in the nation when it comes to teen pregnancies. A new legislative analysis suggests that the state Health Department in collaboration with other agencies develop a comprehensive plan to reduce teen births. It also recommends the Legislature continue to invest in programs such as early childhood education that support the futures of teen parents and their children. (Jolly, 5/29)

Austin Stateman: Texas Nursing Homes Use Loophole To Get Additional Funding
A special state program in Texas aimed at attracting additional federal money for government-owned nursing homes will bring an extra $69 million to Texas facilities this year, with more to come next year. (5/31)

The Charlotte Observer: In NC, Prostate Cancer Attacks Black Men At Startling Rate
The likelihood of black men getting prostate cancer and dying from it represent two of the biggest gaps between the health of black and white men in the United States. The gulf is particularly wide in North Carolina, where the odds of dying from prostate cancer are among the worst in the nation, with African-Americans nearly two times as likely as whites to be diagnosed with it and nearly three times as likely to die from its complications. For every 100,000 African-American men in North Carolina, 216 per year will develop prostate cancer, and 48 will die of the disease, according to the N.C. Central Cancer Registry. (Price and Garloch, 5/30)

South Bend Tribune: Medicaid Aid Scarce For Michiana Herion Users
Imagine the worst of flu symptoms — complete with vomiting, diarrhea and severe body aches — then multiply that misery by 100, and that’s how recovering heroin users describe the feeling of withdrawal. Yet, as the South Bend area battles an epidemic of heroin and opiate painkiller abuse, experts say the region lacks the type of medical care that could help users overcome the physical anguish and intense cravings that keep most of them from quitting and staying clean. (Sheckler, 5/31)

Chicago Tribune's Clout Street: Sweeping Anti-Heroin Use Bill Sent To Rauner
The Illinois Senate on Saturday sent Gov. Bruce Rauner a sweeping measure aimed at curbing heroin use and preventing overdose deaths even as critics questioned how the state would pay for the $15 million program with a major budget shortfall. Illinois House approves heroin treatment measure Illinois House approves heroin treatment measure The measure was approved 46-5 after passing the House earlier in the week. The bill would expand specialized drug courts that focus on treatment and require police departments and firehouses to stock opioid antidotes that could be used to counteract heroin overdoses. In addition, the state's Medicaid health care program for the poor would have to cover the cost of drug treatment programs, as would private insurance companies. (Hellmann, 5/30)

The Des Moines Register: UIHC Launches Virtual Clinic Service For Iowans
University of Iowa Health Care launched a new virtual clinic service this week that allows Iowans to check in with health care providers through their computer, tablet or smartphone. The service, UIeCare.com, is designed for seeking medical advice about minor illnesses and injuries — conditions from allergies to yeast infection that can be characterized as urgent but not life-threatening. It charges a $50 flat fee, per use, and can be used anywhere in the state, as long as would-be patients have an Internet connection and a Web camera on their computer or mobile device. (Charis-Carlson, 5/29)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Grants Aim To Bring Ohio Youth Out Of The Shadows
Karen Dickerson didn't know what to do. She and her grandson, Dontez Dickerson, temporarily were living in a Licking County homeless shelter when Dontez became aggressive and the shelter was on the verge of kicking them out. The Dickersons were the first of 385 families the unit has helped, 80 percent of which had no previous contact with publicly funded mental health or developmentally disabled services. (Ison, 5/30)

The New York Times: Jury In The Bronx Awards $45 Million For A Death After Surgery
A Bronx jury has awarded $45.6 million to the parents of a man who was paralyzed at 14 and later died as a result of a spinal operation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, according to court papers released Friday. The man, Edward Beloyianis, who lived in Dix Hills, Long Island, had gone to the Manhattan hospital in November 2002 for surgery to correct his scoliosis, a condition that made his spine curve in an S-shape, his lawyer, Evan Torgan, said on Friday. Mr. Beloyianis was paralyzed from the waist down by four screws that had been misplaced during the surgery and were pressing on his spinal cord, Mr. Torgan argued during a six-month trial in State Supreme Court in the Bronx. (Hartocollis, 5/29)

The Associated Press: NYC Mayor Forms Task Force To Probe Sober Houses
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has created a task force to investigate so-called three-quarter houses for potentially exploiting addicts and homeless individuals. The dwellings, sometimes called sober houses, fall somewhere between regulated halfway houses and permanent housing. (6/1)