State Highlights: In Minn., Allina Nurses Vote Later This Month On Contract; Mass. Legislature Overrides Veto On Lyme Disease Treatment

Star Tribune: Allina Nurses To Vote On Contract, Strike
A second strike by Twin Cities nurses at Allina Health hospitals is looming after contract talks ended Monday, leaving the union with an offer that falls short of its demands — particularly with respect to health insurance. Negotiators for Allina and the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) ended as far apart, or farther, than after a similar session a week earlier, they said. (Olson, 8/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: More Contract Talks End Fruitless For Allina, Nurses Union
Another round of contract talks has ended with no agreement between Allina Health and the union representing the hospital system's nurses. The Minnesota Nurses Association says its rank-and-file members will vote on Allina's latest offer later this month. A super-majority of "No" votes would authorize union negotiators to call a strike and set the time and duration of a walkout. The union would have to give the hospital system 10 days advance notice of a job action. Health benefits are the major sticking point in the talks. (MPR News Staff, 8/1)

Boston Globe: Legislature Overrides Baker Veto On Lyme Treatment Coverage
Health insurers must immediately start paying for long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease after the Legislature overrode a veto by Governor Charlie Baker in the waning hours of the session Sunday night. In other health-related actions, the Legislature restored a long-sought wage increase for nursing home workers and voted to require health insurers to cover treatment for a side effect from HIV drugs. The mandate on Lyme disease coverage came despite objections from dozens of medical specialists who said such treatment is ineffective at best — and sometimes harmful. The governor had proposed, instead, that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services hold listening sessions about the appropriate treatment of Lyme disease. (Freyer, 8/1)

The Denver Post: Colorado Health Insurance Study: Single Geographic Area Could Lead To Higher Premiums
Making Colorado a single geographic area for purposes of setting health insurance premiums wouldn’t solve the problem of much higher mountain rates, according to a study mandated by the legislature and released Monday by the Division of Insurance. Wide disparities in rates among the current nine geographic regions led lawmakers to ask the agency to look at a single-region solution, and the report concluded that such a move would be “treating a symptom rather than finding a cure,” according to insurance commissioner Marguerite Salazar. (8/1)

Kansas Health Institute: Physician Drops Whistleblower Case Against KU Hospital
A University of Kansas Hospital pathologist’s lawsuit alleging the hospital’s chief pathologist misdiagnosed a patient with cancer and subsequently covered it up has taken a new turn. On Friday, the plaintiff, Dr. Lowell L. Tilzer, voluntarily dismissed his whistleblower action against the hospital, saying he “believes further litigation of this claim is not necessary to protect him from retaliation at this time.” (Margolies, 8/1)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Genesis Healthcare In $52.7M Settlement With U.S.
Genesis Healthcare Inc., a major nursing home operator based in Kennett Square, said Monday that it would pay $52.7 million under an "agreement in principle" to settle four separate U.S. Department of Justice investigations. The investigations involve allegations that Genesis units acquired since 2012 improperly billed the government for hospice services in Nevada, provided inadequate staffing at some facilities from 2005 through 2013, and violated Medicare rules for physical therapy at two subsidiaries. (Brubaker, 8/2)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Fights Feds To Keep Schools For Disabled
Last week the state ordered nine psychoeducational facilities closed immediately, days before the start of a new academic year. Inspectors had found mold, overloaded electrical circuits and leaking roofs, along with what may have been asbestos and peeling lead-based paint. State officials also are reviewing thousands of records to determine whether students were appropriately assigned to the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support, known as GNETS. (Judd, 7/29)

Orlando Sentinel: UCF, USF Establishing Genetic Counseling Programs
For years now, Florida has been the largest state in the nation without a genetic counseling degree program, but that's about to change. The University of Central Florida and University of South Florida are each establishing two-year master's degree programs and hope to accept their first classes by fall 2017. Experts hope the new programs will help alleviate the shortage of genetic counselors that's plaguing many parts of the country, including Florida. (Miller, 8/1)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Care Inks Deal With BJC HealthCare
Missouri Care has signed a deal with BJC HealthCare and Washington University Physicians after failing to come to an agreement with SSM Health. The deal will give about 117,000 individuals access to BJC facilities and its partnering physicians. Missouri Care manages health insurance for individuals enrolled in Medicaid, the state's health coverage for the poor. (Liss, 8/1)

Rome News-Tribune: Redmond Files Appeal To Win Adult Psych Unit; FMC Is Again Challenging
Redmond Regional Medical Center CEO John Quinlivan has filed an appeal of the state’s June rejection of a planned 18-bed psychiatric and substance abuse unit at the hospital. The Georgia Department of Community Health has not yet set a date for the hearing regarding Redmond’s Certificate of Need application. However, Floyd Healthcare Management, the body that operates the Floyd Medical Center, has filed a request to intervene with objections. (Walker, 8/1)

Tampa Bay Times: Cannabis Dispensary Gets State Approval, Will Open Tampa Location
A new wellness center is scheduled to open this month near a number of hospitals around the University of South Florida. It will sell cannabis. Following approval Wednesday from the state Health Department, Surterra Therapeutics can proceed in the next week with plans to start home deliveries of a strain of medical marijuana low in THC, the chemical that causes a euphoric high. The company also can open a wellness center this month near USF. (Howard, 8/1)

Savannah Morning News: Worries Rising For Coal Ash Buried In Coastal Georgia
Along with several decades worth of household trash from Wayne County and beyond, it [Broadhurst Environmental Landfill] stores nearly a million tons of coal ash. Earlier this year Wayne County residents learned there had been a leak there in 2011. State regulators say it was contained on the site. Residents also learned that, if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves a requested wetland mitigation for it, a new rail spur could allow more coal ash to be shipped in to Broadhurst. (Landers, 8/1)