State Highlights: Nev. Settles Case About Patient Dumping; Pa. Mandates Improved Mammograms
News outlets report on health issues in California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kansas, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Reuters:
Nevada Agrees To Pay San Francisco $400,000 Over Patient Dumping
Nevada has agreed to pay the city of San Francisco $400,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming that the state bused patients, many of them poor and mentally ill, from a Las Vegas hospital to the Bay Area without plans for their care, Governor Brian Sandoval's office said on Tuesday. The settlement, which must still be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Nevada Board of Examiners, includes attorneys' fees and a plan for better management and transfer of patients. (Skinner, 10/6)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pa. Mandates 3-D Mammogram Coverage
Women in Pennsylvania who undergo breast cancer screening with the latest advance, three-dimensional mammography, will not be charged extra for it. Gov. Wolf's office announced a new policy Monday under which insurers must cover all screening mammograms, including the 3-D versions, at no out-of-pocket cost to consumers. (McCullough, 10/6)
The Washington Post:
Paid Family-Leave Proposal Arrives With Force Before D.C. Council
Dozens of supporters of a controversial proposal for the nation’s most generous family-leave law, including parents, small-business owners and union members, urged city lawmakers Tuesday to pass the measure supported by a majority of the D.C. Council. ... Seven of the council’s 13 members co-introduced the proposed law Tuesday that would give every D.C. resident as much as 16 weeks of paid family leave. (Davis, 10/6)
Kaiser Health News:
Whistleblower Doctor Warns About Hospitals Hiring Physicians
There is a good chance that your once-independent doctor is now employed by a hospital. Dr. Michael Reilly, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., orthopedic surgeon, does not believe this is good for physicians, patients or society. For years he watched Broward Health, a nonprofit Florida hospital system, hire community doctors, pay them millions and minutely track the revenue they generated from admissions, procedures and tests. ... Last month Broward Health agreed to pay $70 million to settle allegations that it engaged in 'improper financial relationships' with doctors under laws prohibiting kickbacks in return for patient referrals. (Hancock, 10/7)
The Associated Press:
Inmates Help Other Prisoners Face Death In Hospice Program
[Scott] Abram is a counselor trained in a national ministry program who sees his volunteer work as part of his own growth. Behind bars [in Ohio] since the early 1990s for murder, he has gotten used to spending time with male prison friends as they die in rooms 205 or 206 on the second floor of the state's prison for chronically ill inmates. ... He is one of 15 male and female inmates trained in the program at Franklin Medical Center, a small prison just south of downtown Columbus that houses some of the state's sickest inmates, many of whom die there. (Welsh-Huggins, 10/6)
KQED:
How U.S. Supreme Court Just Made It Tougher To Challenge California Vaccine Law
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to a requirement in New York state that all children be vaccinated before they can attend public school. The justices on Monday let stand lower court rulings that the policy does not violate the constitution. This decision matters in California, where a new law passed this summer requires virtually all schoolchildren to be vaccinated against a range of diseases in order to attend school. (Aliferis, 10/6)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
State Delays Integration Of Medicaid Services
State officials announced Tuesday they will delay for six months a plan to consolidate Medicaid support services for Kansans with various disabilities. The leaders of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services said they want to use the time to gather more information from people who would be affected by the changes. (Marso, 10/6)
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Sister's Death Fuels Man's Crusade Against Medical Malpractice
It has been 12 years since the death of his sister and Wade Ayer can't let go of the pain and frustration. Julie Ayer Rubenzer, 38, died in a Brookfield nursing home on Dec. 26, 2003, three months after she stopped breathing while undergoing breast implant surgery at a doctor's office in Florida. Records showed that Rubenzer received excessive amounts of the anesthetic propofol during surgery. The surgeon lost his medical license. ... Ayer said he believes he is on a mission to make medicine safer. (Glauber, 10/6)
The Columbus Post-Dispatch:
Columbus Board Approves Plan To Add Health Clinics To Schools
Thousands of Columbus students on the South and Near East sides will have access to mini-clinics at their schools by this winter, allowing them to skip doctors’-office visits for treatment of a variety of common illnesses. The clinic plan was approved in an agreement between the school district and Nationwide Children’s Hospital at the school board meeting on Tuesday evening. (Bush, 10/7)