Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Court Upholds Ruling Against California Aid-In-Dying Law; Oregon Fights High Hep C Mortality Rate With New Treatment Model
The Associated Press: No Stay Of Ruling That Tossed California Assisted-Death Law
An appeals court on Wednesday refused to block a court decision that said a California law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives was passed illegally. California's 4th District Court of Appeal refused to grant an immediate stay requested by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. However, the court gave Becerra and other parties time to "show cause" — that is, provide more arguments as to why the court should grant the stay and suspend the lower court ruling. There was no immediate comment from Becerra's office. (5/23)
PBS NewsHour: With Highest Hepatitis C Mortality Rate In U.S., Oregon Expands Access To Life-Saving Drugs
New drugs can cure up to 95 percent of patients with hepatitis C, a virus that can be debilitating or deadly. And there’s been a 20 percent rise in new infections from 2015 to 2016 due to the opioid epidemic. In Oregon, a state hard-hit by the disease, new medicines combined with the big surge in those looking for treatment has led to a unique care model. (Wise, 5/23)
Boston Globe: If Regulators OK The Deal, The State’s New Health Care Giant Will Be Called Beth Israel Lahey Health
After months of discussion and market research, the hospitals planning to merge and create a large new Massachusetts health system have settled on a company name: Beth Israel Lahey Health. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston and Lahey Health system of Burlington are leading the merger, which is still under review by state and federal regulators. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/23)
Houston Chronicle: New Website Shows Cost Of Common Medical Procedures In Houston
How much does a brain scan cost in Houston? Texans can now find out with ease thanks to a recently launched website by the Texas Department of Insurance. The new site, Texashealthcarecosts.org, shows users the average cost of most common medical procedures. The site also lets users compare network, and out-of-network, claims data and see the average cost of care in different regions of Texas. (Ramirez, 5/23)
The Associated Press: Nurse Who Sued Hospital For Retaliation Awarded $28 Million
A jury has ruled that a Boston hospital retaliated against a Haitian-American nurse who stood up for a black colleague and has awarded her $28 million. Gessy Toussaint’s attorney described Wednesday’s verdict against Brigham and Women’s Hospital as “monumental.” The Boston Globe reports that Toussaint also had accused the hospital of racial discrimination, but the jury didn’t find proof of that claim. (5/23)
California Healthline: Sutter Health Strikes Back At California Attorney General’s Antitrust Suit
In a high-stakes legal battle over medical market power, Sutter Health has accused California Attorney General Xavier Becerra of overstepping his powers and acting like a “health-care policy czar.” Becerra filed an antitrust lawsuit against the large Sacramento-based health system in March. The complaint accuses Sutter of illegally quashing competition and for years overcharging consumers and employers. The case has attracted widespread attention amid growing concerns nationally about consolidation among hospitals, insurers and other industry players. (5/23)
Boston Globe: Partners HealthCare, R.I. Hospital System Finalize Merger Deal
After more than a year of sometimes tenuous discussions, Partners HealthCare announced Wednesday that it had finalized a deal to acquire Rhode Island’s second-largest hospital system. ...While the deal must be reviewed by federal regulators and officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the announcement marked a key step toward Boston-based Partners’ goal of expanding its reach out of state. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/23)
Health News Florida: Florida Women See Positive Advances In Health Care
Florida women are seeing positive advances in health care, including declining mortality rates for heart disease, breast cancer, and AIDS. However, suicide attempts are increasing. Published Tuesday, The Status of Women in Florida by County: Health & Well-Being analyzes data on women’s physical and mental health. (Wright, 5/23)
Orlando Sentinel: Florida Hospital Performs First Pediatric Liver Transplant In Orlando
Central Florida’s first pediatric liver transplant has been successfully performed on a 16-year-old boy by a team of surgeons from Florida Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the health systems announced on Wednesday. The teen, who didn’t reveal his identity to protect his privacy, was released from the hospital this week. (Miller, 5/23)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: University Medical Center Worries About Funding, But Won't Send Layoff Notices
The University Medical Center in New Orleans is holding off on sending out layoff notices, though the hospital's funding after June 30 is completely up in the air at this point, officials said Wednesday (May 23). Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed a budget proposal the Louisiana Legislature approved last week that included money to operate University Medical Center and a handful of other hospitals around the state that serve the poor and uninsured. (O'Donoghue, 5/23)
Dallas Morning News: 3 Clinics To Close As Several North Texas Pediatric Facilities Get New Owner
MD Medical Group, a Las Colinas-based company that runs primary care clinics largely in D-FW, is acquiring 13 pediatric clinics from Children’s Health Texas. Three additional Children’s Health clinics will close, though one may be reborn as a telemedicine clinic. The deal significantly reduces the ownership stake of Children’s Health within the business of pediatric primary care. Children’s Health is the nation’s eighth-largest pediatric health care provider. (Rice, 5/23)
San Jose Mercury News: New California Laws Could Help Ex-Prisoners Get Better Paying Jobs
A package of bills making its way through the California legislature could change the career outlook for people like [Amika] Mota, who have gone through job training programs in prison but been denied access to higher paying jobs because their records prevent them from getting licensed. The bills would prohibit many state licensing boards — including those that oversee barbers, building contractors, paramedics and social workers — from using arrest or conviction records as the sole basis to deny professional licenses to applicants with nonviolent criminal arrests or convictions. (Sciacca, 5/23)
St. Louis Public Radio: Study: Heart Failure Patients In Missouri's Larger Cities Leave Hospitals With More Health Problems
Patients with heart failure who are discharged from the hospital are more likely to have other health problems and complications if they live in Missouri's largest cities, according to a study by the health research company Dexur. Complications are usually seen as a way to gauge a population's overall well-being. (Fentem, 5/23)
California Healthline: ‘Time’s Up’: Covered California To Enforce Quality And Safety Targets
Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, has devised what could be a powerful new way to hold hospitals accountable for the quality of their care. Starting in less than two years, if the hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange. (Dembosky, 5/24)
The Baltimore Sun: CareFirst Elevates Chief Operating Officer To Head The Company
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has chosen an internal candidate as its next CEO. Brian D. Pieninck, the insurer’s chief operating officer since April 2017, will take the helm when Chet Burrell retires June 30 after more than a decade as CEO. The state’s largest insurer announced the appointment Wednesday. As CareFirst’s chief operating officer, Pieninck has been responsible for more than 4,000 employees and overseeing business functions for CareFirst’s technology division and four business units. (McDaniels, 5/23)
Pioneer Press: The Gathering Hospice In Oak Park Heights Closes Due To A Licensing Issue
The hospice at Boutwells Landing senior housing complex in Oak Park Heights closed Monday due to a compliance issue. Minnesota Department of Health officials recently identified that the hospice, called The Gathering, did not have the correct license to be a residential hospice, said Scott Smith, a spokesman for the department. The Gathering had a housing-with-services license, which covers assisted-living and home care patients. (Divine, 5/23)
Arizona Republic: Medical Marijuana Legal On Arizona College Campuses, Court Rules
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state can't criminally charge public college students for having and using marijuana on campus if they have a medical marijuana card. The high court said a 2012 law banning medical marijuana on college campuses violated the Arizona Constitution's protections for voter-approved laws. (Leingang, 5/23)
