Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Mass. Hospital Tackles Patients' Housing Struggles; N.Y. Woman Sues Doctor Saying He Talked On Phone During Surgery
Boston Globe: Boston Medical Center Launches $6.5 Million Initiative To Help House Patients
Boston Medical Center is embarking on a significant new initiative to tackle one of its patients’ most daunting problems: a lack of stable housing. One in four patients admitted to the hospital is homeless, and even more live in unsafe places or are at risk of being evicted — conditions that research shows can exacerbate health problems. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/7)
The Associated Press: Woman Claims Surgeon Talked On Cellphone During Operation
A suburban New York City woman has sued a doctor, claiming he used his cellphone to take a language test while operating on her. The Journal News reports 70-year-old Mary Edwards, of Port Chester, filed a lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court against Dr. Eric Fishman and his employer, Westmed Medical Group. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. (12/7)
WBUR: Audit: DCF Failed To Track Seriously Injured Children In Its Care
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families failed to adequately track and report injuries and abuse of children who were under DCF supervision, a state audit released on Thursday found. Over a two-year period — 2014 and 2015 — DCF was not aware of 260 incidents that involved apparent serious bodily injury to children in its care, the audit found, according to the office of state Auditor Suzanne Bump. (Kelly and Creamer, 12/7)
The Associated Press: Prosecutors Insist Eye Doc Stole $136 Million From Medicaid
Either Dr. Salomon Melgen is one of the biggest Medicare swindlers ever, stealing more than $100 million from the federal health care program, or a penny ante thief who walked off with $64,000. Those were the widely contrasting arguments made Thursday by prosecutors and Melgen's defense attorneys as they tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra to sentence the Dominican-born, Harvard-trained doctor to 30 years or something significantly less. (12/7)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: To Lower Infant Mortality In Camden, Neighborhood Women Educate Each Other
Organized by three regional New Jersey women’s health organizations earlier this year and funded by the Horizon Foundation, Trusted Links uses peer education to change health outcomes for women and their babies in Camden, Trenton and Newark. Infant mortality and poverty are ongoing battles in these cities. In each one, Trusted Links recruited 50 women who were given health information and tasked with reaching out to 10 other women or girls to pass on what they had learned. The goal was to reach a total of 500 women statewide, but many of the Trusted Links didn’t stop there. (Giordano, 12/7)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: University Hospitals Increases Economic Impact In Ohio By $3 Billion
In the past three years, University Hospitals increased its economic contribution to the state by $3 billion, according to a study Silverlode Consulting Corp. completed for UH. The health system contributed $7.7 billion in 2016, up from $4.7 billion in 2013 - the last year studied. (Christ, 12/7)
The Star Tribune: Mpls. Woman Struggling With Infertility Launches A Social Network For People Who 'Get It'
Seven million women of childbearing age in the U.S. seek treatment for infertility in their lifetimes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and for almost all of them, it can be as much an emotional struggle as it is a medical one. (Jackson, 12/7)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: UH Richmond Medical Center ER Adds Fast Track Care, Expands, Leading To Quicker Service
The Richmond Medical Center, 27100 Chardon Road in Richmond Heights, has added a fast track emergency room for non-urgent care situations, and is expanding and upgrading its main emergency department area. The changes have resulted in shorter waits for patients at the medical center, where 24,000 ER patients were seen last year. (Pirokowski, 12/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Conditions Were Scary Dangerous In Wisconsin Barrel Plants, Say Workers Hurt On The Job
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation, published in February, exposed workplace hazards and environmental violations at barrel plants here and around the country and prompted investigations from at least five state and federal agencies. Since then, [Phillip] Leitze and other former Mid-America employees have come forward to tell their own stories of dire working conditions in the plant — ones that echo what other employees had said and underline what inspectors have found. (Diedrich and Rutledge, 12/7)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio's Homeless Population Drops Again, But Housing Problems Remain
The number of people in Ohio who were homeless on a January day and night early this year reached a modern low, which suggests advocates, social service agencies and the county and federal government are addressing the problem. (Koff, 12/7)
