State Highlights: Penn. Officials Press For Arbitration To Settle Disputes Between UPMC, Highmark; Florida Lawmakers OK New Senior Care Regs

The Associated Press: Penn. Governor, Attorney General Seek UPMC, Highmark Arbitration
Gov. Tom Wolf and the state attorney general want the Commonwealth Court to force the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and rival Highmark Inc. into arbitration to settle lingering disputes. A court filing was announced Monday after UPMC said it was canceling its Medicare contract with rival Highmark, which could cause about 180,000 seniors in western Pennsylvania to lose in-network access to UPMC hospitals and doctors next year. (4/27)

The Miami Herald: Florida Legislators Pass New Regulations To Senior Care Homes
After trying for four years to improve conditions at the state’s assisted living facilities, the Florida Senate on Wednesday sent to the governor a proposal to improve enforcement and oversight at the homes that serve more than 86,000 senior residents. But critics warned that while HB 1001/SB 382 increases some oversight at the 3,027 ALFs in Florida, the measure also reduces the number of monitoring visits for homes with good reputations, leaving seniors vulnerable when homes falter. (Klas, 4/27)

The Associated Press: N.M. State Senator Wants Answers From Mental Health Care Officials
A key Democratic state senator is asking Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration for answers as a mental health provider prepares to pull out of southern New Mexico. Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen said she's concerned about the thousands of people who currently receive care from Arizona-based La Frontera. The provider is set to stop services June 1. (Jolly, 4/27)

The CT Mirror: Budget Panel Would Blow By Spending Cap To Restore Social Service, Education Funds
The [Connecticut] legislature’s Democrat-controlled budget-writing panel recommended adding $514 million in spending to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plan for next fiscal year — and embraced a radical new interpretation of the constitutional spending cap — primarily to bolster human services and education. ... Under the committee’s plan, no parents or pregnant women would lose eligibility for Medicaid — Malloy’s plan would lower eligibility, affecting an estimated 34,200 people — and state funding of Medicaid payments to health care providers would be cut by $8 million over two years, compared to $90 million under the governor’s plan. (Phaneuf, Becker and Thomas, 4/27)

The Associated Press: Bill Seeks To Expand Coverage For Hawaii Fertility Law
A proposal in Hawaii's Legislature would expand a state mandate on fertility treatments to include same sex couples and single women, updating a law that now only offers such benefits to women who are married to men. (4/28)

The Charlotte Observer: Carolinas HealthCare, UnitedHealthcare Forge New Deal
Carolinas HealthCare System and UnitedHealthcare have forged a new contract that keeps the hospital system’s Charlotte-area patients and physicians on the insurance provider’s coverage plans – nearly two months after negotiations soured and resulted in their decade-long contract expiring. The new contract ensures that services will continue for enrollees in UnitedHealthcare’s employer-sponsored and Medicare plans who seek care at Charlotte-area Carolinas HealthCare System hospitals and doctors offices, according to a joint news release. (McFadden, 4/27)

Dallas Morning News: Senate Votes To Enlarge Management Board Of Dallas County Hospital District
The board of managers for the Dallas County Hospital District would be expanded from seven to 11 members under legislation passed by the Senate on Monday. Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, author of the measure, said it incorporates recommendations from a governance advisor to Parkland Hospital officials in 2013. The report from the advisor noted that similar health boards typically have between nine and 17 members to operate most effectively. “Increasing the size would provide stronger expertise, experience, and perspectives in the boardroom,” according to the report. (Stutz, 4/27)

The Baltimore Sun: Hackers Get Access To Patient Information At Saint Agnes Health Care
Saint Agnes Health Care Inc. has informed about 25,000 people about an email phishing incident that breached protected health information. Hackers who targeted employees' email accounts gained access to patient protected information including names, date of birth, general medical record numbers insurance information, limited clinical information and in four cases Social Security numbers. (Mirabella, 4/27)

The Chicago Tribune: Chicago Counseling Centers Asks For $1M To Halt Closure
News that Community Counseling Centers of Chicago plans to close at the end of May prompted concern Monday from other mental health service providers worried about serving so many more people — especially at a time of dwindling resources and increasing need. The 42-year-old agency — one of the largest providers of mental health services in the Chicago area — serves more than 10,000 clients a year at four locations, primarily on the city's North and West sides. In a letter sent to nine state lawmakers last week, the agency asked for an additional $1 million to continue operations. Without the funding, "we will be required to immediately shut our doors," the letter said. (Rubin, 4/27)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Program Streamlines Health Care For Foster Children
Not long ago, when doctors were assigned to provide primary care for foster children, they would spend hours on the phone trying to find specialists willing to provide other medical needs, such as mental health or dental care. Thomasien Malsch, manager at three Milwaukee-area Children's Hospital of Wisconsin clinics, said her team would put in at least 20 calls at times to find specialists willing to take the children on. That frustrating process has eased considerably with the establishment of Care4Kids, a private-public partnership between Children's and the state departments of Children and Families and Health Services. In the program, which has been in place for slightly more than a year, Children's creates a "medical home team" through Medicaid for foster children. (Gebelhoff, 4/27)

Minnesota Public Radio: Data Show Big Drop In Hennepin County Opiate Deaths
Deaths tied to heroin or prescription opiates in Hennepin County fell more than 20 percent last year while they rose slightly in Ramsey County, data released Monday show. Hennepin County saw deaths fall to 102 in 2014, significantly better than the 132 deaths recorded in 2013, said Carol Falkowski, an expert on Minnesota drug trends who analyzed the data. Officials say the county's efforts to get the anti-overdose drug naloxone in the hands of first responders may have made a difference. (Collins, 4/27)

North Carolina Health News: Needle Disposal Bill Moves Forward
The North Carolina House of Representatives approved a bill Monday that would create a pilot project in several counties to make it easier to dispose of needles that have been used to inject illegal drugs. (Hoban, 4/28)

The Associated Press: State Costs Soar To $7M As Bird Flu Outbreak Worsens
Gov. Mark Dayton and state officials approved a monthlong extension to a peacetime state of emergency Monday to battle bird flu, acknowledging they still don't know the full scope of an outbreak that has wiped out about a fifth of the turkey population in the nation's largest turkey-producing state. The deadly virus is spreading in Minnesota by the day. Its toll more than doubled in the last week -- 55 turkey farms had been hit as of Monday, costing farmers more than 3 million birds. (4/27)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Fire-Rescue Program Helps Reduce 911 Calls By Frequent EMS Users
The number of 911 calls in Dallas has swollen by more than 17 percent during the last five years, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said Monday. ... officials believe they have effectively treated a harmful symptom of the problem: EMS “frequent fliers” — people who call 911 several times a month for maladies real and imagined. Many of the callers are indigent and rely on the emergency services for their basic health care needs, such as managing their medications or diabetes-related problems, officials said. Assistant Chief Norman Seals said the Mobile Community Healthcare Program, which treated its first patient a year ago, has successfully helped cut the amount of calls from some of those frequent fliers from more than two a month to almost none a month. ... paramedics regularly visit the patients at their homes to teach them to care for themselves — and to use the 911 system properly. (Hallman, 4/28)

The Washington Post: Proposed Zoning Changes Would Restrict Abortion Clinics In Manassas
The Manassas City Council and mayor voted 4 to 3 Monday evening in favor of sweeping changes to the city’s zoning code — changes that opponents said could threaten the survival of the city’s sole abortion clinic. (Stein, 4/27)

The Texas Tribune: Lawmakers Look To Ban Abortion From Health Plans
Health insurers could be prohibited from offering Texans plans covering abortions under a proposal by Republican state Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood that passed a Senate committee Monday. Under Senate Bill 575, private health insurance plans and those offered through the federal Affordable Care Act’s marketplace could only provide coverage for abortions in cases of medical emergencies. Women seeking coverage for what Taylor calls “elective” abortions would be required to purchase supplemental health insurance plans. (Ura, 4/27)

Boston Globe: Governor Baker Shining Spotlight On Sexual Assault
Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order on Monday reestablishing a council that brings advocates against sexual assault and domestic violence together with law enforcement and government officials. The council’s aim is to improve prevention, enhance existing support services, and hold perpetrators accountable. The group will also help implement the state’s new domestic violence laws. The 30-member Governor’s Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence was established by former governor Paul Cellucci’s administration, in which Baker served. (Johnson, 4/27)

The Oregonian: Oregon Gets A- For Work To Reduce Kids' Cavities
Oregon is among three states leading the nation in their dental sealant programs for low-income children, according to a report card released Friday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Oregon earned 11 out of 11 possible points for its efforts to reduce children's tooth decay as of 2014 but received an A- rather than an A because Medicaid managed care organizations do not yet reimburse the statewide sealant program, the report said. In 2012, the state received a B. (Wang, 4/27)