State Highlights: Fla. Appeals Court Rejects Malpractice Damage Caps; Ill.’s Rush Hospital To Get Space-Age Command Center

Health News Florida: Appeals Court: Malpractice Damage Caps Unconstitutional 
As the Florida Supreme Court considers the issue in another case, an appeals court Wednesday ruled that limits on "non-economic" damages in medical-malpractice lawsuits are unconstitutional. The ruling by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in a Charlotte County case cited a 2015 decision by another appeals court in a Broward County case. The Supreme Court in June heard arguments in the Broward County case but has not ruled.Non-economic damages, which are awarded for issues such as pain and suffering, have long been controversial. (10/27)

Chicago Tribune: Rush Hospital Is Enlisting GE To Build A NASA-Style Mission Control 
Rush University Medical Center wanted to run its hospital more efficiently. So it’s taking a cue from NASA. The Chicago hospital is working with GE Healthcare Partners, an advisory firm within GE Healthcare, to build a “command center” that will use predictive analytics and big data to manage how patients come in, move around and leave the hospital. (Graham, 10/28)

The Baltimore Sun: At Local Forum, Health Care Experts Highlight Need For Targeted, Digital Care 
Howard County's local health initiatives must adapt as the national health care model shifts to more digital-friendly care and more patients struggle with chronic illnesses, according to local and state health care leaders and professionals. Nationwide, hospitals are grappling to meet the growing number of patients with chronic illnesses and embrace a health care model that brings care as quickly to patients as possible, said Rick Pollack, president of the American Hospital Association. (Waseem, 10/27)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: 19 Ohio Hospitals Sign On To Screen For Earliest Signs Of Child Abuse In Infants
Doctors and nurses at 19 Ohio hospitals, including four in Northeast Ohio, will soon receive training on how to screen for signs of child abuse in the state's most vulnerable residents — infants six months and younger. About one in 10 child abuse victims in Ohio have a record of an early injury that should have raised red flags and triggered followup care, but less than a third of children receive this care. Those are the findings of a coalition from Ohio's six major children's hospitals who have been studying how to cut down on repeat child abuse with the support of a $1 million grant from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. (Zeltner, 10/27)

The Washington Post: Parents Slam New D.C. Schools Health Plan That Could Reduce Nurse Coverage
The D.C. Department of Health plans to change the way nurses are assigned to city schools, using a stricter formula to decide which schools get part-time nurses and which get full-time nurses as part of a push for more holistic child health care that focuses on preventive and community-based care. (Stein, 10/27)

Health News Florida: Report: More Children Insured, But Florida Still Lagging Nationally
According to a new report, more children than ever before have health insurance. Florida joins 40 other states that insured more children between 2013 and 2015. The reports says that the positive trend in children’s health insurance coverage started with the expansion of Medicaid to more children, and the creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program - known as CHIP. (Miller, 10/27)

The Associated Press: Jury Awards More Than $70M To Woman In Baby Powder Lawsuit
A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded a California woman more than $70 million in her lawsuit alleging that years of using Johnson & Johnson's baby powder caused her cancer, the latest case raising concerns about the health ramifications of extended talcum powder use. The jury ruling ended the trial that began Sept. 26 in the case brought by Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. The suit accused Johnson & Johnson of "negligent conduct" in making and marketing its baby powder. (10/27)

Modern Healthcare: CHS Stock Plummets Nearly 50% On Q3 Losses
Investor confidence in Community Health Systems plummeted Thursday as losses in the third quarter previewed by the [hospital chain] after the close of markets Wednesday caused its stock to fall nearly 50%. CHS' stock closed the day at $5.05 per share, down $4.98 per share or 49.65%.In a preview of third-quarter results to be announced next week, Franklin, Tenn.-based CHS on Wednesday reported a loss from continuing operations before income taxes of $83 million compared with income from continuing operations of $121 million in the third quarter of 2015. (Barkholz, 10/27)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Gwinnett Tech Offers New Healthcare Certificate Program
Starting next spring, Gwinnett Tech's Alpharetta campus will offer a Patient Care Assistant Certificate program, school officials announced earlier this week. The program would last for one semester and provide students an avenue for hands-on healthcare experience through clinical training and in field labs like the Roswell Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to the school. Patient care assistants typically work in hospitals or nursing homes to give technical care to the sick and injured. (Cooper, 10/27)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3rd UW-Madison Student Hospitalized With Meningitis
A third University of Wisconsin-Madison student has been hospitalized with meningococcal disease, the university reported Thursday. The student's case of the disease comes about three weeks after two UW-Madison students were hospitalized with a rare, potentially deadly form of the disease. Those students are expected to make a full recovery, according to the university. (Angst, 10/27)