Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: TB Case Confirmed In Ohio; Walgreens, Florida Hospital Join Forces For Walk-In Clinics
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Summit Health Confirms Tuberculosis Case, Advises Adults Who Visited NICU Get Tested
A case of pulmonary tuberculosis in a Summit County resident has been confirmed by Summit County Public Health. Before being diagnosed, the person visited Akron Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit at Summa Akron City Hospital in mid-November through mid-December, according to the Health department said. So visitors to the NICU during that time should get a TB test at the end of February, to make sure they have not been infected. (Conn, 1/13)
Health News Florida: Florida Hospital, Walgreens Team Up On Walk-In Clinics
Walgreens is teaming up with Florida Hospital Tampa to put health clinics inside drug stores around the Tampa Bay area. The "Florida Hospital Express Care" clinics will provide services at 15 locations. The clinics are currently operating under Walgreens, and will transition to Florida Hospital management this summer. Mike Schultz, President & CEO Florida Hospital West Florida Division, said the clinics will help reduce the stress of people using the emergency room for minor illnesses and injuries. (Miller, 1/13)
The CT Mirror: A Health Center Tries A New Way To Deliver Care, Starting With Longer Appointments
It’s part of the health center’s WeCare program, an initiative launched last year as a pilot program. It’s still in its infancy and small; as of December, 44 patients were receiving active case management. But in shifting how care is delivered, the program has implications for how the health center treats all of its patients – and it’s an example of what a major, ongoing change in health care delivery could look like, a shift that could, ultimately and in varying ways, affect all patients in Connecticut. It’s a mix of new technology and data analysis – identifying which patients need higher levels of support – and old-fashioned relationships, conversations and trust – both between the patient and clinician, and the various health care and social service providers who work with the patients. (Levin Becker, 1/17)
Los Angeles Times: Stolen Laptop May Have Had Data For Thousands Of Patients At Children's Hospital Los Angeles
A stolen laptop may have contained information about nearly 3,600 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles patients, spurring the hospital to warn families who might have been affected. The laptop, which belonged to a physician, was taken out of a locked car during an October burglary, according to the hospital. (Reyes, 1/16)
Citizen Times: WNC Whistleblower Sparked $18M Suit Over Contaminated IVs
Because of unclean manufacturing conditions at its Marion, (N.C.) facility, an international pharmaceutical company will pay more than $18 million to settle multiple lawsuits filed Thursday. Baxter Healthcare Corp. will pay about $430,000 to a Marion whistleblower, Chris Wall, who reported moldy air filters, as part of the overall sum. Wall's actions sparked a 2012 U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation that revealed "several mold species and other particulate matter" on air filters at the Marion plant, according to court documents. (Patrick, 1/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Rape Survivors Fight For Support At UC
Grace Cunningham experienced a life-altering trauma during her sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati. When she asked UC for help, she found little comfort in their efforts. Now she's leading a group of student activists, many of whom have survived sexual assault, to fight for more support. (Murphy, 1/17)
The Star Tribune: Food Stamp Use Rises Sharply Among Elderly Minnesotans
The U.S. food-stamp program, created five decades ago to stave off hunger among impoverished families, is undergoing a remarkable resurgence among a generation of older Minnesotans. Squeezed by rising living costs and depleted retirement funds, people who are 65 and older now represent the fastest-growing segment of food stamp recipients in Minnesota. Their numbers have nearly doubled since the Great Recession ended in 2009, forcing the state to explore new ways to reach an often isolated population of seniors. (Serres, 1/14)
Los Angeles Times: Pasadena Heart Surgery Patients Warned Of Possible Infections
Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital has sent letters to all patients having open heart surgery in the last four years warning them that they may have been infected with a dangerous bacteria. The hospital is one of many across the country using a device that has been linked to dozens of infections in heart surgery patients, including some who died. (Petersen, 1/13)
The Baltimore Sun: Email Account With Patient Information At UM Doctors Group Hacked
A doctor's practice plan affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine has notified patients that somebody hacked the account of a physician assistant's email account that contained the personal information of patients. The orthopedics practice at The University of Maryland Faculty Physicians Inc. mailed letters to about 1,500 patients telling them about the incident, according to a news release. (McDaniels, 1/13)
KCUR: Emergency Blood Shortage Declared After Ice Storm Preparations Disrupt Donations
There didn’t end up being much ice this weekend, but Winter Storm Jupiter still had a big impact on one Kansas City-area nonprofit. “It wasn’t as bad as anyone thought it was going to be, but the preparations were there,” Community Blood Center Executive Director David Graham says. “We had blood drives canceled in anticipation of travel being impacted.” All told, Graham estimates some 500 units of blood weren’t collected. (Moxley, 1/17)
California Healthline: Crucial California HIV Program In Disarray After Contract Switch
A change in contractors for a state-run AIDS program has resulted in enrollment delays and left some patients unable to get necessary medications and timely medical care, according to legislators and nonprofit organizations across California. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which helps more than 30,000 low-income HIV and AIDS patients pay for medications and insurance premiums, switched pharmacy and enrollment contractors in July. (Gorman, 1/13)
