Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: New Hampshire Hospital Group Joins Lawsuit Over Mental Health Care; Texas Judge Claims Abortion Rights Lawsuit Is Confusing
Concord (N.H.) Monitor: N.H. Hospital Association Joins ACLU Lawsuit Against State Over Psychiatric Care
The New Hampshire Hospital Association is jumping into a lawsuit against the state over the boarding crisis for psychiatric patients, arguing that state officials are failing to provide timely care to patients by keeping them in emergency rooms. In a statement Monday, Steve Ahnen, president of the association, said it would be submitting an intervention in the lawsuit, first submitted by the American Civil Liberties Union in November. (DeWitt, 1/7)
Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Lawsuit Arguments Confuse Federal Judge
State attorneys and lawyers representing reproductive rights groups argued in federal court Monday over whether a sweeping lawsuit challenging more than 60 Texas abortion regulations should move forward. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel told state attorneys that their 73-page argument confused him. He also expressed confusion about what reproductive rights groups were arguing over. (Evans, 1/7)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Proposal Seeks To Relieve Understaffed State Hospitals With $8 Million For New Positions
State hospitals have seen a near quadrupling of individuals admitted involuntarily due to a mental or behavioral health crisis over the past five years. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services is asking the General Assembly to approve nearly $8 million to address staffing shortages. (Balch, 1/7)
The Associated Press: Nursing Home Where 12 Died After Storm Has License Revoked
Florida has revoked the license of a nursing home where 12 elderly patients died in the heat after it lost power during a 2017 hurricane. The Agency for Health Care Administration issued its order Friday, saying an administrative law judge correctly concluded the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills "created an unsafe environment" in September 2017 after Hurricane Irma knocked out its air conditioning. (1/7)
The Associated Press: Another Misdemeanor Deal In Flint Water Investigation
Michigan's former drinking water regulator has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in the Flint water investigation. It's a break for Liane Shekter Smith, who was facing felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter, in an investigation of Flint's lead-tainted water and a Legionnaires' disease outbreak. (1/7)
Georgia Health News: Kaiser, Emory Say Their Alliance Is Already Showing Good Results
Two months after launch, Emory Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente say their new collaboration is working well for both sides. Part of the evidence is in patient volume: Emory’s two “core’’ hospitals covered by the agreement are seeing many more Kaiser members. (Miller, 1/7)
Boston Globe: Cambridge Officials Want To Add Gender-Neutral Option To Birth Certificates
A policy order introduced by Mayor Marc McGovern this month, and co-sponsored by several City Councilors, asks the City Solicitor to draft a home rule petition to send to the state legislature that would allow people to amend their birth certificates and choose “X” as a gender option. (Annear, 1/7)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Nurses Are Overworked. Staffing Limits Are The Answer.
Studies of California’s landmark nurse-to-patient ratios law, implemented since 2004, show that setting reasonable limits on the number of patients who can be safely cared for by a nurse improves nurse retention, reduces burnout, and improves patient outcomes. In Pennsylvania, we have state-mandated limits on the number of well children who can be cared for in child care facilities by a child care worker, yet there is no limit to the number of sick children who may be cared for by a nurse. (Maureen May, 1/7)
The Baltimore Sun: CareFirst Undertakes Reorganization Five Months Into New CEO's Tenure
About six months after a new CEO took the helm of the state’s largest health insurer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the nonprofit confirmed that it has launched a reorganization. The company would not make Brian D. Pieninck, its president and CEO as of July, or any other executive available for an interview and would not confirm the reorganization’s effect on jobs or otherwise quantify changes. (Cohn, 1/7)
Medpage Today: Trina Founder G. Ford Gilbert Pleads Guilty In Bribery Case
G. Ford Gilbert, founder of a chain of controversial diabetes treatment clinics, pleaded guilty in federal court to one charge of conspiring to commit bribery, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Alabama. He had previously faced seven counts of federal health care fraud, bribery, and other charges in Alabama federal district court related to an alleged "pyramid scheme" with his network of diabetes insulin infusion clinics. The other six are to be dismissed as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. (Clark, 1/7)
Kaiser Health News: How Helping Patients Get Good Care At Home Helps Rural Hospitals Survive
Rural hospitals close when they don’t have enough paying patients to care for, but they’re also dinged when the same patients show up over and over again. That puts outlying medical facilities in the precarious position of needing to avoid repeat customers. Charlotte Potts is the type of patient some hospitals try to avoid. She lives in Livingston, Tenn. — a town of 4,000, tucked between rolling hills of the Cumberland Plateau. (Farmer, 1/8)
Denver Post: Health Care Among Fastest-Growing Fields, CareerBuilder Says
Some of the fastest-growing jobs in Colorado the next five years will be in health care, business operations and oil and gas, according to an international online employment website. A report by CareerBuilder says in Colorado and across the country, the demand for health care jobs — registered nurses, physicians, medical and nursing assistants, physical therapists and home health aides — will grow by 6 percent or more during the next five years. Nearly half the fastest-growing jobs in Colorado are expected to be in health care. (Kohler, 1/7)
The Star Tribune: Concussion-Detection Device Developed By Minnesota Doctor Gets FDA OK
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new medical device invented by a Twin Cities neurosurgeon to detect signs of concussion by tracking a patient's eye movements. The device, called the EyeBox, was invented by Minnesota neurosurgeon Dr. Uzma Samadani following the discovery that slight discrepancies in how a patient's eyes track an image on a screen can reveal a wealth of information about underlying brain dysfunction. (Carlson, 1/7)
Health News Florida: Key Lawmaker Expects Change In Marijuana Policy
One of the architects of Florida’s medical-marijuana laws anticipates a “new day in Florida” on marijuana issues after Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis takes over Tuesday as the state’s chief executive. DeSantis, a former congressman closely tied to President Donald Trump, “is going to embrace issues of access and patient care,” according to state Senate budget chief Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island. (Kam, 1/7)
