State Highlights: Mass. General Struggles With Overcrowding; N.H. Officials Monitor Pediatric Cancer Cluster
News outlets report on health issues in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, New York and California.
The Boston Globe:
MGH Continues To Grapple With Patient Overcrowding
Massachusetts General Hospital is struggling with an overcrowded emergency department less than five years after it sought to fix the problem with a $500 million expansion. (Conti, 3/2)
The Associated Press:
N.H. Officials Monitoring Pediatric Cancer Cluster On Seacost
A state health official says the state is monitoring after a study found a cluster of cases of a rare form of a pediatric cancer in southeastern New Hampshire. State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan says they didn't find any behavioral or environmental risk factors deemed a contributor to the "small excess number of cases." (3/1)
The Richmond Times Dispatch:
COPN: 'There Will Be A Compromise Bill'
A state Senate subcommittee considering bills that would revamp Virginia’s process for approving new medical facilities is working on a compromise bill, the panel’s chairman said Tuesday. (Smith, 3/1)
The Tampa Bay Times:
Tampa General, All Children's Take Hit In State Hospital Funding
Late Monday, lawmakers released the additional payments some hospitals will receive in next year’s state budget. The plan, released at 9:30 p.m. Monday, is among the most anxiously-awaited parts of the state’s health care budget, as it included more than $1 billion in supplemental money for hospitals. Across the board, hospitals took hits owing to a $400 million reduction in the Low Income Pool, a pot of state and federal money that pays for uncompensated charity care. Among the hardest hit by the drop in LIP: the state’s safety net hospitals, which include public hospitals, specialty children’s hospitals and teaching hospitals. (Auslen, 2/29)
The Associated Press:
Ex-Phoenix VA Hospital Exec Failed To Disclose Yearly Gifts
The former director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System — which had management problems that drew national outrage — has pleaded guilty to making false financial disclosures to the federal government about yearly gifts, prosecutors said Tuesday. Sharon Helman was accused of failing to list more than $50,000 in gifts she received from a lobbyist in 2012-14, according to authorities. (3/1)
The Las Cruces Sun-News:
Ex-Las Cruces Provider Sues NM Mental Health Contractor
A former behavioral health provider in Las Cruces filed a lawsuit this month against the main company that for years held the purse strings of state Medicaid dollars in New Mexico. La Frontera, in a 36-page lawsuit, alleges United Healthcare engineered a cover-up of its own failings by accusing 15 community providers across New Mexico of fraud in 2013. La Frontera is accusing United Healthcare — and its subsidiary, OptumHealth New Mexico — of fraud and misrepresentation that led to La Frontera losing millions of dollars while providing behavioral health-services in southern New Mexico, according to the lawsuit. (Soular, 2/29)
The Charlotte Observer:
Mecklenburg Health Director Says Colorado Contraception Program Could Help In Charlotte
Mecklenburg County’s health director said Tuesday that a pilot program in Colorado that offered long-term contraception to teenagers and low-income women could provide benefits if started locally. Marcus Plescia, the heath director, told county commissioners that the Colorado program produced results usually not seen in health pilot programs. (Harrison, 3/1)
The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
HealthSpan To Cease Operations January 2017, Spokesman Says
HealthSpan Partners will cease operations in January of 2017 following an agreement to sell its insurance business to Medical Mutual of Ohio. A HealthSpan spokesman said Tuesday afternoon that the company will wind down operations during the next year as it transitions its 105,000 individual and group customers to Medical Mutual. (Ross, 3/1)
The Tampa Bay Times:
Surgeon General's Confirmation Again Postponed With A Rehearing Uncertain
Dr. John Armstrong's confirmation as state surgeon general was again postponed Tuesday after the Gov. Rick Scott appointee didn't have enough support in a Senate panel. But this may have been his last shot. There are no more scheduled meetings of the Ethics and Elections Committee during the legislative session. (Auslen and Bousquet, 3/1)
The Associated Press:
New York Restaurants Post Salt Warnings, And Diners Shrug
As warning labels go, the small salt shaker emblems that began showing up on some New York City restaurant menus recently are fairly unobtrusive, but each is supposed to carry a powerful message. If the black and white logo appears next to a dish, it means it contains more salt, by itself, than doctors recommend that a person ingest in an entire day. Getting diners to pay attention to the logos, though, is another matter. (Dobnik, 3/1)
The Associated Press:
San Francisco Raises Age To Buy Tobacco To 21
San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to boost the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21, despite arguments from opponents that cities and counties cannot trump California law. San Francisco becomes the second-largest city after New York City to raise the minimum age to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Hawaii and Boston also require tobacco buyers to be 21. (Har, 3/1)
