State Highlights: Fla. Lawmaker Proposes Financial Help For Dentists In Underserved Areas; CalPERS Saves Big With Colonoscopy Reference Payments, Study Finds
Health care stories are reported from Florida, California, New York, Georgia and Washington.
News Service Of Florida:
Proposal Seeks To Help Dentists In Underserved Areas
A House Republican on Friday proposed creation of a program that would offer financial help to dentists who practice in underserved areas. The bill (HB 139), filed by Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, will be considered during the 2016 legislative session and follows years of discussion about a lack of dentists in some low-income parts of the state. (9/8)
Reuters:
Reference Payment For Colonoscopy Saved California Millions Of Dollars
Two years after offering colonoscopy patients full coverage for their screening if they had it done at lower-priced facilities, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) saved $7 million, according to a new study. The initiative sought to counter the unpredictable, but generally rising, prices for the procedure at different facilities while also making sure members kept access to colon cancer screening. (Doyle, 9/8)
The Associated Press:
Parents, Unemployed Focus Of NYC Mental-Health Experiment
A $30 million, city-sponsored experiment in training non-professionals to provide mental health help will focus on people who work with parents of small children, the unemployed poor and young people who aren't in work or school, according to City Hall's charity arm. Those target populations, described to The Associated Press as the city prepares to solicit proposals from community groups, flesh out plans to explore whether non-professionals can form a psychological front line in the nation's biggest city. The idea has gained some traction among mental health advocates, though they also have cautioned that it's no substitute for professional help. (Peltz, 9/9)
California Healthline:
Reproductive Rights Battle Continues
California's laws and policies dealing with reproductive health care are considered some of the most consumer-friendly in the country. They might have played a role in the ultimate solution to a disagreement between a patient and her hospital last month in Redding. But the issues raised in the conflict between a Catholic-owned hospital and a pregnant woman seeking a tubal ligation will continue to generate controversy and present problems for women seeking reproductive choices, according to consumer advocates. (Lauer, 9/8)
Health News Florida:
Health First Lawsuit Woes Grow
Brevard County’s Health First is again the target of a lawsuit. Competitor Parrish Medical Center is asking a judge to block Health First’s purchase of Space Coast Cancer Center, which has locations in Merritt Island, Titusville and Viera. The suit accuses Health First of violating anti-trust laws and creating a monopoly for health services in Brevard County. (Aboraya, 9/8)
Health News Florida:
Increasing Number Of Florida Docs Sign Up For Medical Marijuana Program
Florida doctors can soon order medical marijuana for their patients. The law goes into effect at the start of next year. But so far, only a few dozen doctors have signed up. Ronald Aung-Din is a neurologist in Sarasota. He’s one of only 42 doctors in the state that can recommend medical marijuana for patients. (Forhecz, 9/8)
Georgia Health News:
Big Hospitals In Columbus Take Financial Hits
State Attorney General Sam Olens announced Friday that Columbus Regional and other related entities had agreed to pay Georgia and the United States up to $35 million to resolve allegations of false Medicaid claims. Then the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported Saturday that the other hospital organization in town, St. Francis, has been told by the feds that it must repay $21.4 million and make major changes in the way it does business. ... The two situations are unrelated and very different, experts point out. But together they put a spotlight – and force large payouts – in Columbus. And what happens economically in the big city on the Chattahoochee River affects large areas of west Georgia and east Alabama. (Miller, 9/8)
The Seattle Times:
Report: Force Rare As Seattle Police Deal With About 10,000 Mentally Ill People A Year
A three-page form created by the Seattle Police Department as part of federally mandated reforms has yielded a staggering statistic: The department is on track to log roughly 10,000 incident reports annually involving contacts with the mentally ill. Moreover, the numbers show police are using force in a tiny fraction of the encounters. (Sullivan, 9/8)
Health News Florida:
The Rising Tide Of HIV In Florida
In 2013, Florida had more new cases of HIV than anywhere else in the nation. When it comes to the presence of HIV in Florida, the state’s six largest metropolitan areas could be states unto themselves. If Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach were a state, it would rank sixth nationally in the number of new cases. The Tampa Bay and Central Florida metro regions each saw more new cases than two dozen other states. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, we hosted a special town hall at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee to discuss the rising tide of HIV in Florida. (Watts, Cooper and Shedden, 9/8)
