Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Detailing The Impact Of Conn.'s Department Of Mental Health And Addiction Services; State Food Safety Laws Take On Bigger Roles
The Connecticut Mirror: Mental Health Service Cuts Go Along With Layoffs
The 68 layoffs announced last week at the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services were accompanied by plans to close a program serving people who are homeless or getting out of psychiatric hospitals or prison, to eliminate an intensive team that works with people living in the community who have mental health or substance issues, and to end a behavioral health program for veterans. (Levin Becker, 4/19)
Stateline: New Food Safety Law Gives States a Big Role
With the most extensive food safety regulations in history set to take effect soon, state agriculture officials across the country are preparing to enforce the federal law, but say their ability to inspect farms and enforce the new standards depends on the receipt of promised federal funds. (Ollove, 4/19)
The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Fentanyl-Related Fatalities At 12, Could Grow
The number of fentanyl-related fatalities reported in Sacramento and Yolo counties rose to 12 on Monday after county officials said a previously undetermined death was reclassified as caused by the painkiller. (Buck, 4/18)
Reuters: Epic Systems Wins $940M U.S. Jury Verdict In Tata Trade Secret Case
A jury in Wisconsin has awarded medical software company Epic Systems $940 million in damages in a trade secret lawsuit against Indian information technology provider Tata Consultancies, believed to one of the largest trade-secrets verdicts on record. (Weber, 4/18)
The Concord Monitor: Concord Has Removed The Last Lead Pipe In Its Water System
When news of lead pipes contaminating public water systems across the country broke late last year, the Monitor asked how many lead pipes exist in Concord’s public water system. The answer then: just one. (Brooks, 4/18)
Reuters: California Governor, Agencies Face Legal Claims In Gas Blowout
Hundreds of Los Angeles homeowners who live near the site of the worst U.S. methane leak have filed claims against state regulators and the governor, seeking $3.5 million each in damages for government failures they blame for the gas blowout. Those cases marked the first batch of more than 3,000 such claims expected by the end of this week, opening a new front in litigation stemming from the accident at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field, said an attorney for the claimants on Monday. (Gorman, 4/18)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: When A Nonprofit Health System Outsources Its ER, Debt Collectors Follow
Since the end of 2014, a Las Vegas-based debt collection firm has filed more than a thousand lawsuits against St. Louis area residents, claiming that they still owed money for treatment performed years ago at SSM Health emergency rooms. (Liss, 4/18)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Behavioral Health Changes Underway In South Jersey
The South Jersey Behavioral Health Innovation Collaborative on Monday announced pilot programs to develop better-coordinated care for people with mental-health and substance-abuse disorders. (Brubaker, 4/18)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Employees Sound Off About Larned Staffing Problems
Two employees of Larned State Hospital gave rare public comments Monday about difficult working conditions at the mental health facility. Kyle Nuckolls and Lynette Lewis described for a legislative committee how mandatory overtime and limited time between shifts are taking a toll on workers at the short-staffed facility and their families. (Marso, 4/18)
Health News Florida: Prison Health Changes Begin Taking Effect
A new prison health contractor started moving into nine North Florida facilities over the weekend, an initial step toward providing care for more than 80,000 inmates, the state Department of Corrections said Friday. (4/18)
The Daily Southtown: Memory Care Provider Hopes To Allay Concerns About Assisted Living Facility
An Oregon-based memory care firm will take questions from the public Tuesday night about its plan to build a residential facility in Oak Lawn for people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. (Koeske, 4/18)
The San Antonio Express-News: Texas Board Investigating Nurse Practitioner, Disciplinary Action Possible.
A San Antonio family nurse practitioner faces possible disciplinary action by the Texas Board of Nursing after the agency accused him of engaging in non-therapeutic prescribing practices. (O'Hare, 4/18)
The Associated Press: Miami Doctor Gets 9 Years' Prison For $30M Medicare Fraud
A Miami doctor has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in a $30 million Medicare fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors said Monday that 51-year-old Dr. Henry Lora also was ordered to pay more than $30 million in restitution to the government. He pleaded guilty in February to health care fraud conspiracy and other charges. (4/19)
The Chicago Sun-Times: Head Of Schaumburg Health Care Company Convicted Of Fraud
The head of a home health care company based in northwest suburban Schaumburg was convicted by a federal jury Friday night of more than 20 counts of Medicare fraud. (Owen, 4/19)
Los Angeles Times: Doctors' Message To Asian Americans: Watch Out For Diabetes Even If You're Young And Thin
The Silicon Valley techies visiting his office were typically slender Asian Americans in their 30s who worked out regularly and ate healthy meals. But, as Sinha repeatedly found, they either already had or were about to get diabetes. "It was such a discordance from what I'd learned about in medical school," Sinha said. "Maybe, I thought, this is just an anomaly." It wasn't. What Sinha noticed a decade ago is now supported by a growing body of scientific research: Asians, in part for genetic reasons, are disproportionately likely to develop diabetes. They get the disease at younger ages and lower weights than others, experts say. (Karlamangla, 4/19)
