Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: In Arizona, Legislative Debate Over Kids' Health Care Intensifies; Medical Records Breached At Florida Health Department
The Associated Press: Backers Fight For Children's Health Insurance In Arizona
A fight is intensifying in the Arizona Legislature over the Senate leader's refusal to restore a program providing health insurance to poor children, a stance that would maintain the state's position as the only one in the nation that doesn't participate in the plan. Advocates who want the program restarted rallied at the Capitol on Monday in a last-ditch effort. Arizona froze its KidsCare program in 2010 to save money during a state budget crunch. It once covered more than 63,000 children, but fewer than 1,000 now have the insurance. (4/11)
The Arizona Republic: Children's Health-Care Supporters Call On Lawmakers To Unfreeze KidsCare
Childrens' advocates used a rally at the state Capitol on Monday to call on lawmakers to support and pass a stalled health-care bill. (Faller, 4/11)
WPTV: Medical Records Breached At Florida Department Of Health In Palm Beach County
The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County said in a news release Monday that it was victimized by a medical records breach affecting some clients of its health centers. (Sutton and Powell, 4/11)
Health News Florida: Health Care Providers Not Waiting For Telehealth Bill
Gov. Rick Scott has four more days left to sign a bill that would create a statewide telehealth advisory council, but health care providers aren't waiting. Tampa General Hospital next week will launch a mobile app to help patients connect with doctors any time and day of the week. (Miller, 4/11)
The Associated Press: Hospitals In Milwaukee Adapt To New County Diversion Policy
Hospitals in Milwaukee have implemented new measures in response to a new county policy that prohibits them from sending incoming ambulances to other hospitals. In Milwaukee County, hospitals used to divert ambulances to other facilities when their emergency departments had a high volume of patients. M. Riccardo Colella, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said that critically ill patients were being diverted to more distant hospitals. (4/11)
News Service Of Florida: Public Health Trust Loses Round In Trauma Fights
An administrative law judge Friday ruled against the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County in one of a series of fights about Florida's trauma-care system. Judge John D.C. Newton issued a 22-page ruling that said the Public Health Trust, which oversees the Jackson Health System, did not have legal standing to challenge two proposed Department of Health rules. Those proposals would revamp rules for the creation and operation of agencies that coordinate trauma services in local areas. Miami-Dade County does not currently have such a coordinating agency. (4/11)
The Charlotte Observer: Music Stirs Memories For People With Dementia
It happens all the time. You can’t recall the lyrics to a familiar song until you hear the music. Then the words come flowing back, as if you’d never forgotten. This phenomenon is at the heart of a new program at Southminster retirement community that uses personally meaningful music and digital technology to improve the quality of life for people whose memories are fading. (Garloch, 4/11)
St. Louis Public Radio: What Is Palliative Care And How Does It Differ From Hospice?
The term “palliative care” has been bandied about quite a bit as of late. But what does it mean? On Monday’s St. Louis on the Air, three people joined host Don Marsh to discuss what palliative care means and how it differs from hospice care. (Moffitt, 4/11)
The Associated Press: ND Mother Suing IHS Over Daughter’s Death
The mother of a North Dakota woman is suing the Indian Health Service regional office in South Dakota and three IHS doctors over what she alleges was her daughter’s wrongful death. Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa member Shiree Wilson, of Belcourt, died in January 2014 after giving birth via Cesarean section. Mother Christine Fluhrer alleges in court documents that the IHS and three doctors at the IHS hospital in Belcourt were negligent in Wilson’s care. Fluhrer is seeking unspecified money damages. (4/11)
New Hampshire Public Radio: New Data Shows Gaps In Lifespan Between Lowest, Highest Incomes In N.H.
In New Hampshire, there’s about a 5-year gap between the life expectancy for adult women at the top of the income bracket and those at the bottom. For men in the same age group, the gap’s more than nine years wide. That's according to new data released by The Health Inequality Project, which takes a sweeping look at the relationship between income and mortality across the country. (McDermott, 4/11)
The Tennessean: Is Tennessee’s Food Safety System Reliable? Maybe Not
Lifting the steam pan lid, Ivonne Rodriguez takes her thermometer, cleans it with a sanitary wipe and slides it into the mashed potatoes. She checks the temperature in two or three more places and makes a note on a form, neatly held by her metal clipboard. (Myers, 4/11)
The Sun Sentinel: Fate Of Broward Health Chairman Undecided After Hearing
A hearing on David Di Pietro's future as chairman of the Broward Health board ended Friday without a decision, after a judge in Fort Lauderdale heard two hours of arguments about his suspension by Gov. Rick Scott. Di Pietro and another board member, Darryl Wright, were suspended on March 18, on the advice of Scott's chief inspector general, who is conducting a broad inquiry into the board's conduct in running the public hospital district. (Fleshler, 4/11)
The Post And Courier: South Carolina State Parks Getting Heart Defibrillators
Almost half of South Carolina’s state parks are now equipped with heart defibrillators, through a combination of donations and funding from the state. As of last week, the life-saving portable devices were in 22 of the 47 properties, said Duane Parrish, director of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. (Prang, 4/11)
The Associated Press: Physician Gets 9 Years In $3 Million Health Care Fraud
A Potomac physician who owned and operated a pain management clinic has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for a $3 million health care fraud scheme. Sixty-year-old Paramjit Singh Ajrawat was also ordered to forfeit and pay restitution of $3 million at sentencing Monday in federal court in Greenbelt. (4/11)
The Associated Press: Last-Minute Rush For Hawaii Dispensary Applications
With less than a week to go before the state Department of Health announces the names of Hawaii's first medical marijuana dispensary owners, applicants are rushing to meet last-minute requirements for background checks. On Friday, the Hawaii Department of Health said it was having delays in the process of selecting medical marijuana dispensary owners because of an issue with background checks. The announcement came just days before the department is scheduled to announce the names of future dispensary owners on April 15. (Riker, 4/11)
The Associated Press: Nebraska Medical Pot Petitioners Face Funding Roadblock
Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in Nebraska are switching their focus to the voters after a defeat in the Legislature, although a looming deadline to collect enough signatures could complicate efforts to get a plan onto the November ballot. The Legislature shot down a bill last week that would have allowed for a tightly regulated medical marijuana distribution program amid concerns that Nebraska physicians could not safely prescribe a drug that has not been approved by the Federal Drug Administration and fears that legalizing medical marijuana will pave the road for recreational use. (Gronewold, 4/11)
