State Highlights: Proposed Kan. Budget Would Slash $20M For Psychiatric Hospitals; 22 Wis. Hospitals Fined Over Emergency Contraception Law

KCUR: Brownback Budget Plan Cuts Nearly $20M From State Psychiatric Hospitals
Kansas’ two state-run psychiatric hospitals would lose nearly $20 million under the budget proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback. In the current fiscal year, Osawatomie and Larned state hospitals are relying on state funds to make up for the loss of federal funding. Brownback’s recommendations for the fiscal year that starts in July would end that practice, leaving it to the hospitals to make up the lost revenue. The governor’s proposal would cut Osawatomie State Hospital’s annual budget by $11.6 million and Larned State Hospital’s by about $8 million. (Wingerter, 2/3)

The Associated Press: Wisconsin Fines 22 Hospitals Over Not Offering Emergency Contraception To Rape Victims
Wisconsin has fined 22 hospitals in recent years for not complying with a law requiring them to offer emergency contraception to rape victims. The 2008 law requires emergency rooms to give sexual assault victims information about the so-called “morning-after pill,” to provide the drugs on request, and to train staff about the drugs. (2/5)

Pioneer Press: New Law Lets For-Profit HMOs Into Minnesota — The Last State To Keep Them Out 
Minnesota legislators swept away a 40-year-old law last month, a controversial add-on to a rescue package for Minnesotans’ health insurance premiums. The change lets for-profit companies be licensed as health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, in the state. Minnesota had restricted HMOs to nonprofits ever since it first authorized HMOs in 1973. The change is a cultural shift for Minnesota with uncertain results for the insurance marketplace and consumers. The much-debated nonprofit-only clause had withstood decades of legislative challenges until this year. (Montgomery, 2/3)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Wanted: Someone To Operate Louisiana Heart Hospital 
The pending closure of Louisiana Heart Hospital has St. Tammany Parish political and economic development leaders focused on luring a new operator to the medical campus near Lacombe and finding employment for the hundreds of people who will lose their jobs. Meanwhile, other North Shore medical institutions are offering the newly unemployed health care workers a chance to apply for positions on their staffs. The 134-bed hospital announced Tuesday (Jan. 31) it will close within a month due to "significant financial challenges in recent years." The privately owned hospital also filed for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. (Chatelain, 2/3)

The CT Mirror: CT Aims To Compete In Precision Medicine. What Will It Take?
Connecticut has the potential to become a national leader in the growing field of precision medicine, which aims to tailor disease prevention and medical treatment to individuals’ unique genetic code, environment and experiences, scientists and industry officials told a state economic competitiveness panel Friday. But that potential comes with caveats, several said: Connecticut is far from alone in seeking to be a top player in the field. Other states have put money into supporting the field, and Connecticut must too, some researchers said. (Levin Becker, 2/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Bayada Home Health Care Consolidating Jobs In Pennsauken
Bayada Home Health Care, aided by $18.5 million in state tax breaks, this week started renovating new office space in Pennsauken, where it plans to consolidate 400 employees from support locations in six Philadelphia-area counties. The employees are expected to start moving in June, and the privately-held company promised to create an additional 100 jobs over the next five years. Bayada, which has offices in 22 states and four overseas countries, said it served 114,000 clients last year, down from 150,000 in 2015. It employs 20,000 field workers and 3,300 office employees nationwide. (Brubaker, 2/3)

The Star Tribune: Mayo, Norway Partner Up To Push The Limits Of Survival For Hypothermia Victims 
The crude mantra “you’re not dead until you’re warm and dead” has guided paramedics for years, but advances in resuscitating frozen patients are improving the odds for hypothermia victims, whether they are oil rig workers who fall into the North Sea or Minnesotans who pass out in the cold. Promising approaches have emerged in a partnership between Mayo Clinic and the University Hospital of North Norway, which, located above the Arctic Circle, has gained expertise on saving hypothermic skiers, adventurers and outdoor workers. Its work is identifying new, safer methods to rewarm frozen patients to improve on the existing survival rate of 30 to 40 percent. (Olson, 2/4)

San Antonio Press Express: Metro Health: Fewer Than 50 Babies Tested For TB After Exposure At North Central Baptist Hospital 
Metro Health has identified fewer than 50 babies and 30 adults who came into contact with an individual with tuberculosis at North Central Baptist Hospital in November or December. Metro Health spokeswoman Carol Schliesinger said all of the people who are at risk of exposure have been notified and tested. So far, all tests have come back negative, but the individuals will be tested again 10 weeks after their first test. (Martin, 2/3)

San Antonio Press Express: Baptist Health System On Verge Of Split With Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Texas 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas notified insurance agents and brokers on Wednesday that Tenet Healthcare, which owns Baptist Health System, will sever ties with the insurance company on April 15 if contract negotiations are unsuccessful. That would mean Baptist Health’s six San Antonio-area hospitals and Resolute Health Hospital in New Braunfels would no longer be in network for Blue Cross Blue Shield policy holders. (Martin, 2/3)

The CT Mirror: Doc, Now Rep. Petit, On Health Care, Victims’ Rights And Small Business 
Dr. William A. Petit Jr. is one of 35 newly elected legislators in the Connecticut General Assembly, but he’s probably the only one whose November victory made national news. Petit became widely known as the sole survivor of the horrific 2007 Cheshire home invasion in which his wife and two daughters were murdered. He says some people wrongly believe all his views come from that experience. (Levin Becker, 2/5)

Health News Florida: Top Donor Wants More Competition For Medical Marijuana Industry
In the upcoming legislative session, lawmakers will debate how to implement the state’s new medical marijuana regulations. 71% of voters approved a measure to allow more patients to access the drug. One of the top fundraisers behind the effort wants to see more competition in the industry. (Payne, 2/5)