Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Kan. Legislators Hear Testimony Against Doctor-Assisted Suicide; Why Doesn't Mo. Track Prescription Drug Use?
KCUR: Kansas House Considers Resolution Against Assisted Suicide
Kansas legislators heard testimony against physician-assisted suicide Monday from a former state representative. “This is a direction we don’t want to go,” said Steve Brunk, a Republican who represented a Wichita-area district for 12 years. “We value life, and we don’t want to take the step of looking down this corridor where we negate the value of life and we assist people in dying.” It’s already a felony for physicians to help patients end their lives in Kansas. (Marso, 3/6)
Stat: Missouri Is The Only State Not Tracking Prescription Drug Use. Here's Why
Along-running battle to establish a database to monitor for prescription drug abuse in Missouri — the only state without one — is about to hit a boiling point. On one side is Republican state Senator Rob Schaaf, who once said that when people die of overdoses that “just removes them from the gene pool.” Schaaf, who is a physician, has squashed legislation in the past six sessions to establish a prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP. But sensing urgency that the legislation might pass this session, Schaaf introduced his own bill to set up a PDMP that’s unlike those in any other state — a proposal that medical experts have called a “sham.” (Thielking, 3/7)
Houston Chronicle: British Health-Care Organizations Seek To Forge Texas Ties
A group of British health-care organization officials kicks off a Texas tour in Houston on Monday in an effort to forge new connections and share knowledge. The delegation from six medical technology companies in the United Kingdom will be making stops in its week-long visit to Texas in Houston, Dallas and Austin to meet with American counterparts, according to a statement released by the Association of British Healthcare Industries. The group is scheduled to meet with representatives from Texas Children's Hospital, the Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Technology Center and Baylor College of medicine. (Deam, 3/6)
Georgia Health News: Legislative Action On Health Care Bills Includes Some Surprises
A large number of health care bills had moved from one legislative chamber to the other by the end of Crossover, which was Friday, the 28th day of the 40-day legislative session. That’s the last day for a bill to move from one chamber of the Legislature to the other and thereby retain a path to becoming law this year... The Legislature overwhelmingly approved the renewal of the hospital “provider fee,’’ a mechanism that draws an extra $600 million in federal funding for the state’s Medicaid program. And Gov. Nathan Deal has already signed the measure, a priority of his, into law. (Miller, 3/6)
The CT Mirror: A Bipartisan Push To Ban Anti-Gay Conversion Therapy
They were surrounded by Democratic allies, but gay activists tried to avoid partisan politics Monday as they called for passage of a state law banning conversion therapy, the discredited practice of using psychological aversion techniques such as electric shock to change a young person’s sexual orientation. The LGBT community sees potential in Connecticut for a bipartisan victory: The proposed ban is co-sponsored by a half-dozen GOP legislators, including House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby, who objected to what appears to be the tacit endorsement of conversion therapy in the platform adopted last summer at the Republican National Convention. (Pazniokas, 3/6)
Texas Tribune: Breastfeeding Protections Get A Hearing Before House Lawmakers
Besides HB 742, which would allow nursing moms to breastfeed virtually anywhere they want, lawmakers took testimony Monday on House Bill 443, which would require Texas employers to provide a place for nursing moms to breastfeed other than a bathroom, and House Bill 329, which would require state agencies to develop “mother-friendly” workplace policies. Krisdee Donmoyer, legislative director for the Texas Breastfeeding Coalition, said her group has gained traction among state legislators in recent sessions as more members have become aware of the troubles women endure when trying to nurse. It's a rare issue that enjoys wide bipartisan support thanks to increased awareness of the public health benefits of breastmilk. (Evans, 3/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF May Require Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplaces
San Francisco could soon have the most sweeping lactation policy in the nation, making it easier for mothers to pump breast milk in the workplace. Supervisor Katy Tang will introduce legislation Tuesday that would require all workplaces in the city — private and public — to have a lactation space that would include a seat, surface, electrical outlet and sink. The city Department of Public Health would provide a form for women to request time from their bosses to pump, and the bosses would be legally required to accommodate the request. (Johnson, 3/6)
The Associated Press: Arizona Man Awarded $2.5M In Medical Lawsuit Vs VA Hospital
A judge on Monday awarded $2.5 million to a military veteran who said that his now-terminal cancer would have been curable had the Veterans Administration hospital in Phoenix diagnosed it sooner. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle Burns ruled a nurse practitioner who found abnormalities in Steven Harold Cooper’s prostate during an examination in late 2011 at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center had breached the standard of care by failing to order more testing and refer him to a urologist. (Billeaud, 3/6)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Clinic Manager Sentenced In $1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme
A Houston medical clinic manager has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for her role in a $1 million Medicare and Medicaid conspiracy. Verona Spicer partnered with a physician for the City of Houston in order to run a scam out of clinics in Houston and Port Arthur. The 47-year-old owner of Elite P. Care Medical Services paid off Dr. Jocelyn Pyles of Sugar Land to stop by the clinics after work and sign medical records for patients who'd actually been seen by a foreign medical graduate who wasn't licensed to practice in the U.S., according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson in Houston. (Blakinger, 3/6)
San Jose Mercury News: Two People In Santa Clara County Affected By E. Coli Outbreak
Two people from Santa Clara County are among a dozen in several states who may have become infected by an E. coli outbreak after eating I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter or granola coated with SoyNut Butter, health officials said Monday in a release. The California Department of Public Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of the infections and warning people not to eat the product. Young children and the elderly are most vulnerable, officials said. (Turntine, 3/6)
California Healthline: Los Angeles County Finds E-Success In Managing Specialist Care
An electronic program launched in 2012 by Los Angeles County’s public health care system has reduced wait times for specialty care and eliminated the need for some safety-net patients to see specialists at all, according to a new study in the journal Health Affairs. The program, eConsult, allows primary care doctors to get specialists’ advice for their patients and expedite referrals for those who need in-person appointments. About a quarter of the requests included in the study were resolved without patients needing to see an advanced-care doctor, though there was variation among the specialties. (Gorman, 3/7)
Pioneer Press: Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners’ President And CEO For 15 Years, Announces Retirement
Mary Brainerd, who as HealthPartners chief executive for about 15 years presided over one of the country’s major healthcare organizations at a time of growth and upheaval in the industry, said Monday that she plans to retire effective June 1. Brainerd will be succeeded by Andrea Walsh, another longtime executive at the nonprofit healthcare organization, which is a top insurance provider and a leading hospital and medical-clinic network. (Ojeda-Zapata, 3/6)
San Jose Mercury News: How Dangerous Are Mold Hazards Plaguing Flooded Bay Area Homes?
From San Jose to Felton to Guerneville and beyond, floods this winter have Northern California home recovery and restoration experts scurrying from one water disaster to the next, alerting panicked residents that time is critical in the battle against mold. For many San Jose residents, the floodwaters from Coyote Creek triggered a cascade of confusion: The sudden loss of personal property was followed by headaches over insurance issues and scam-artist contractors. Then came worries that the filthy flood water left behind and the resulting mold could jeopardize their health. (Seipel, 3/7)
San Jose Mercury News: Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Plans To Open Pot Shop In San Francisco
Now out of elected office, former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and her husband, Floyd Huen, are embarking on a new venture: a medical marijuana dispensary. Quan and Huen, a physician, are partnering with Apothecarium to open a dispensary in the Outer Sunset, in a predominantly Chinese American neighborhood in San Francisco. Apothecarium already operates a dispensary in the Castro, but Huen said there is a great need for one in the Sunset. (Debolt, 3/6)
