State Highlights: Mass. Gov. Backs Boston Children’s Hospital Expansion; Physicians’ Group Files Suit Against Calif. Surprise Medical Bill Law

Boston Globe: Baker Gives Backing To Children’s Longwood Expansion Plan 
Governor Charlie Baker on Monday threw his support behind a $1 billion expansion by Boston Children’s Hospital, a project that has sparked heated opposition over its potential to increase Massachusetts health care costs. Also Monday, the hospital got the backing of the head of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurer, and the former chairman of Partners HealthCare, Jack Connors. A state watchdog agency, the Health Policy Commission, last month warned that the proposal is likely to increase medical spending by attracting patients from lower-priced competitors and could leave those hospitals financially weakened. (Dayal McCluskey, 10/17)

San Francisco Chronicle: Physicians Sue Over California Law On Out-Of-Network Billing
A political advocacy group for physicians has filed a lawsuit against a new California law designed to protect consumers from unexpected out-of-network medical bills. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, in the lawsuit filed late last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento, asked the court to block the law. (Colliver, 10/17)

Boston Globe: Southcoast Health, Care New England Halt Merger Plans 
Southcoast Health System of New Bedford and Care New England Health System of Providence have abandoned their merger plans. If the deal had been completed, they would have created a system of eight hospitals, more than 15,000 employees, and more than $2 billion in annual revenues across two states. In a statement Monday, the organizations did not explain their decision to end talks. They have been formally negotiating a deal for almost a year, and in May, both health systems said they were committed to continuing negotiations and were prepared to name Southcoast’s chief executive, Keith A. Hovan, as the head of the new combined organization. (Dayal McCluskey, 10/17)

The Washington Post: Right-To-Die Law Faces Skepticism In Nation’s Capital: ‘It’s Really Aimed At Old Black People’
The D.C. Council is poised to approve legislation making the District the nation’s sixth jurisdiction to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill residents, adding momentum to a practice that had long been controversial but is gaining acceptance among elected leaders, the medical community and the public. A majority of D.C. Council members say they plan to vote for the bill when it comes before them Tuesday. (Nirappil, 10/17)

Modern Healthcare: Penn State-Pinnacle Drop Merger After Appeals Court Loss 
Penn State Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center and PinnacleHealth System said Friday they are abandoning their proposed merger in the wake of renewed regulatory opposition from the Federal Trade Commission. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit revived the FTC's antitrust challenge to the proposed hospital merger, paving the way for an administrative trial probing into the alleged anti-competitive effects of the deal. Rather than endure a long, costly battle with regulators, the central Pennsylvania health systems terminated their agreement. (Teichert, 10/17)

Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems Sells Home Health Division
As part of a debt-reduction campaign, Community Health Systems has agreed to sell an 80% stake in its home health division for $128 million to a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based Almost Family. The deal, announced Monday, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter. Almost Family is buying 74 home health and 15 hospice branch locations in 22 states from CHS. The CHS home health division has annual revenue of about $200 million. (Barkholz, 10/17)

California Healthline: In A Diverse State, California’s Latino Doctors Push For More Of Their Own
Earlier this year, Dr. Joaquin Arambula, an emergency room physician from Selma, became the first Latino physician to serve in the State Assembly after being elected to represent the state’s 31st District — a central California agricultural region where the population is nearly 70 percent Latino. Arambula said he ran for office partly because of the rapidly growing influx of Spanish-speaking patients in his emergency department. He sought reinforcements, “but there aren’t enough doctors with the cultural competency and understanding of the Latino community” to serve this growing population, Arambula said. (Ibarra, 10/18)

Boston Globe: Veritas Genetics Draws $30 Million In Funding 
Veritas Genetics, a two-year-old startup that offers whole genome sequencing to consumers for under $1,000, said Monday it raised $30 million from a trio of investors. The Danvers-based company was founded by Harvard Medical School genetics professor George Church, and last year gathered $12 million from Lilly Asia Ventures, a Shanghai-based affiliate of US drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. that is a leading biomedical investor. (Weisman, 10/17)

Kansas Health Institute: Transitional Care Program Aims To Ease Pressures At Osawatomie State Hospital 
Nine months after Osawatomie State Hospital lost its federal payments, all rooms are back online following renovations and the state is looking at partnerships to address some of its long-term struggles. The state hospital — one of two in Kansas for patients with severe mental health issues — has shown progress on several problems that led to the loss of Medicare payments, though it isn’t clear when it could receive federal payments again. Inspectors have to make two separate visits to check renovations before the 60 beds are cleared for payments. In the meantime, the hospital can treat patients in those beds, but the state has to come up with the funds. (Wingerter, 10/17)

NH Times Union: Elliot Care May Grow Pricier For Minuteman Health Clients 
Elliot Health System and Minuteman Health failed to reach contract terms for payments, meaning that up to 770 people with Minuteman Health insurance could face higher costs for care from Elliot providers starting in January. As of Jan. 1, 2017, “Minuteman Health insured patients seeking care from Elliot providers will see billing changes that will impact patient responsibilities,” Susanna Fier, Elliot vice president of public affairs and marketing, said Monday. (Cousineau, 10/17)

Health News Florida: Department Of Health Focuses On Hispanic Health
The Florida Department of Health in Orange County is working on a new way to help the Hispanic community. The Florida Department of Health is working on its first Hispanic Health Assessment with hopes to collect more data about the community’s health indicators, such as chronic diseases and food security. (10/17)

Columbus Dispatch: Hospice Care Fraud Under Scrutiny 
There’s no question that hospice has helped millions of terminally ill people be as comfortable as possible so they can focus on living their last days with family. But as the number of patients and providers and the amount of taxpayer money spent on hospice care has grown steadily in recent years, government agencies and advocates have been sounding the alarm about the potential for fraud. Several reports by the Office of Inspector General, including one released last month, found that some hospice providers, doctors and staff members have aggressively recruited patients, including some who don’t qualify for services. (Pyle, 10/17)

The Mercury News: Golden Gate Bridge To Hire More Officers To Prevent Suicides
Five new officers will be hired to patrol the Golden Gate Bridge specifically to look for people who are suicidal. Between 2000 and 2005, bridge officers were able to stop an average of 52 people a year from jumping from the span. Between 2006 and 2010, the number increased to an average of 73 a year. (Prado, 10/17)

Sacramento Bee: Study: Sacramento Region’s Pot Economy Could Soar With Legalization 
Expanded legalization of marijuana could create a vast cannabis industry in the Sacramento region, accounting for an annual economic output ranging from hundreds of millions to potentially more than $4 billion if local governments endorse widespread marijuana production, according to a University of the Pacific study. The analysis, prepared by researchers for the university’s Center for Business and Policy Research, Eberhardt School of Business and McGeorge School of Law, was commissioned by a cannabis industry investment group co-founded by Daniel Conway, a former top aide to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The study comes as California voters are contemplating Proposition 64, an initiative to legalize adult use and sales of recreational marijuana, and as Sacramento city officials are drafting regulations to govern commercial marijuana cultivations, pot deliveries and other local cannabis businesses. (Hecht, 10/17)