Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Minn. Plans Online Resource To Help Consumers Compare Assisted-Living Facilities' Quality; Calif. Proposal Would Require Problem Docs To Be Transparent
The Star Tribune: State Plans Online 'Report Card' For You To Gauge Assisted-Living Facilities
For decades, Minnesota families seeking senior living arrangements for their elderly loved ones have found themselves casting about in an informational void. But a proposal by the Minnesota Department of Human Services would create the state’s first standardized system for measuring the quality of assisted-living homes — a fast-growing but lightly regulated industry that now serves more than 50,000 Minnesotans in nearly 1,200 facilities. (Serres, 2/23)
Sacramento Bee: California Doctors On Probation Should Inform Patients, Say Consumer Groups And State Lawmaker
Should patients be informed when their doctor is on disciplinary probation for dealing drugs, being drunk or engaging in sexual misconduct on the job? Under a legislative proposal to be heard Monday, California physicians would be required to tell patients when they’re put on probation. (Buck, 2/23)
The Star Tribune: Rochester Set To Remove 180-Plus Students Over Failure To Follow Vaccination Law
More than 180 public school students in Rochester will be removed from school March 1 if they are not vaccinated or officially exempted from the state law that requires them to be immunized. School officials said this week that they have worked “diligently” since January to inform families that students must be vaccinated to attend school or provide documentation for an exemption. (Smith, 2/23)
The Star Tribune: HCMC Cutting 131 Jobs Through Layoffs Amid Budget Pinch
Hennepin County Medical Center leaders announced the layoff of more than 131 workers this week, saying they believe it will resolve a projected financial crisis at the hospital caused by worsening reimbursements for patient care. The announcement drew angry responses from affected employees, including a protest by cleaners and clerical workers Thursday afternoon and criticism by a bioelectronics technician, who predicted that the hospital will end up spending more by outsourcing critical tasks. (Olson, 2/23)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Lawsuits Accuse Medical Companies Of Exploiting Diabetic And Kidney Patients
Medical companies schemed to take advantage of patients’ chronic illnesses to pump up profits, according to two unrelated lawsuits filed on behalf of Georgians. One suit, filed by a retirement fund for Georgia law enforcement officers, accuses DaVita of targeting low-income and elderly kidney dialysis patients in a strategy to boost stock prices. (Norder, 2/23)
Los Angeles Times: Political Spending Of AIDS Nonprofit Comes Under Fire
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation oversees a global philanthropic empire that extends from its Hollywood headquarters to 15 states and 38 countries. The 30-year-old nonprofit organization treats hundreds of thousands of patients. It hands out tens of millions of condoms annually. And it puts up provocative billboards urging people to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. But in recent months, it has become known for the kind of activism usually associated with homeowner groups, spurring criticism that it has strayed too far from its mission. (Reyes and Zahniser, 2/24)
Boston Globe: City Seeks Private Partner To Rebuild Former Bromley-Heath Complex
The roofs leak, the elevators malfunction, and the heating system is old. Tenants of the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments complain about people sleeping in the hallways or doing drugs, and sometimes they find used needles scattered about. But there is no federal money to repair or rebuild the Jamaica Plain housing development’s 804 units of federally subsidized public housing, Boston Housing Authority officials say. So on Wednesday, the authority announced it is seeking proposals from private developers to tear down and rebuild a portion of the complex: six dilapidated buildings on Centre Street, Parker Street, and Lamartine Street. (Allen and Gans, 2/23)
Sacramento Bee: Muslims Seek Mental Health Aid After Mosque Attacks, Travel Ban
Coming at the same time as other anti-Muslim attacks and a presidential order banning entry by people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, many Muslim Americans are asking themselves whether they still are welcome in this country while they worry about their own safety and the safety of their loved ones. In response, mosques, student groups and mental health agencies around the Sacramento region are stepping up and offering Muslims a safe place to share their anxieties and receive professional help. (Caiola, 2/23)
KCUR: Osteopathic Med Schools Like Kansas City University Answer The Call For More Doctors
With the United States facing a shortage of physicians over the next decade, health care groups and lawmakers are scrambling to increase the number of doctors – primary care providers in particular – to serve an aging population. Kansas meets only about 65 percent of its physician needs, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration. Missouri is even worse off, meeting only about 30 percent of its physician needs. Many Missouri counties are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, meaning they have only one provider in the area to serve at least 3,500 people. (Worth, 2/23)
The Wall Street Journal: Alabama Doctors Convicted In Health-Care Fraud Case
Two Alabama doctors were convicted Thursday of health-care fraud, taking kickbacks from Insys Therapeutics Inc. and prescribing opioid painkillers for no medical purpose, among other crimes. John Couch and Xiulu Ruan were each convicted on more than 10 criminal counts brought by the U.S. attorney’s office in Mobile, Ala. (Walker, 2/23)
KCUR: Osawatomie Contract Bidder Has History Of Safety Issues At Its Florida Psychiatric Facilities
Correct Care Solutions, a Tennessee-based company that is the sole bidder for a contract to operate Osawatomie State Hospital, has a history of safety problems at the state psychiatric facilities it runs in Florida. Officials with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services declined to provide details this week on Correct Care’s bid to operate Osawatomie State Hospital, one of two state facilities for people deemed a danger to themselves or others. The department is evaluating the proposal and hasn’t given a timeline for whether or when it would bring it before the Legislature. Under a law they approved last year, lawmakers must approve the contract before KDADS can move forward. (Wingerter, 2/23)
Detroit Free Press: Tick-Borne Lyme Disease Exploding Into Michigan; Human Cases Up 5-Fold
All it took was an unusual February warm spell this past week for the tiny insects causing an increasingly big problem in Michigan to become active once again, beginning their hunt for blood...The ticks are of interest because of what they often carry with them: the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. When the ticks bite an animal, seeking a blood meal, that bacteria can transfer. And that bacteria, in dogs, horses and humans, can cause Lyme disease, a serious affliction that can be permanently debilitating for people when it's not treated early and well. (Matheny, 2/23)
