State Highlights: Texas’ Startlingly High Maternity Death Rate Was Actually A Miscalculation; Colorado Reports Surgical Infections

Texas Tribune: More Questions Than Answers In Texas Maternal Mortality Study, Lawmakers Say
In the wake of a study that found the state overcounted the number of Texas women who died from pregnancy complications in 2012, state legislators are cautiously moving forward. They expressed a mixture of surprise, relief, frustration and piqued curiosity after an Obstetrics & Gynecology medical journal study published Monday revealed that a new state methodology for counting and confirming maternal deaths reduced the number of Texas mothers who died in 2012 from 147 to 56. (Evans, 4/12)

Denver Post: Colorado Health Department Confirms Surgical Infections At Porter Adventist Hospital
The head of Colorado’s Health Department announced Wednesday that officials have confirmed surgical infections in “a number of patients” at a Denver hospital at the center of an investigation into sterilization practices. The infections occurred between July 21, 2016, and April 5 in patients who had orthopedic or spine surgery at Porter Adventist Hospital. The hospital suspended all surgeries after officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found problems with how the hospital was cleaning its instruments after surgeries. CDPHE also raised concerns about residue on the tools after they were cleaned — which Porter attributed to a possible water-quality problem, according to a CDPHE statement Wednesday. (Ingold, 4/11)

Georgia Health News: Home Medical Equipment Firms Say Blue Cross Squeezing Them
Piedmont Healthcare isn’t the only entity battling Georgia’s biggest health insurer over reimbursement rates.Companies that supply medical equipment to home care patients say they have seen double-digit percentage rate reductions from the insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. MRS Homecare, based in Albany, says it faces a 17 percent to 33 percent pay reduction for home oxygen and sleep apnea equipment from Blue Cross. (Miller, 4/11)

The Associated Press: Nurse Fired, Arrested After Patient Dies At Texas Hospital
A former nurse who was fired last month from a Texas hospital has been charged with murder in the death of a patient last year and will likely face additional charges for hurting other patients in six other cases, police announced Wednesday. William George Davis was being held on a $2 million bond after he was arrested Tuesday evening in the August death of 47-year-old Christopher Greenaway. Police say aggravated assault charges could also be filed against Davis. (4/11)

Arizona Republic: Mandatory Abuse Reporting In Arizona: What Are Their Obligations?
Arizona requires anyone who suspects child abuse to report it. But certain professionals, including teachers, doctors and social workers, are mandated by law to report suspected abuse or neglect. If they fail to report it, they could face criminal charges. (Náñez, 4/12)

inewsource: Hustling Hope: San Diego Doctor Runs Controversial Diabetes Clinic
Just about every Tuesday morning around 7:30, John McCreary of Poway can be found waiting for Dr. James Novak’s office to open. Almost always, McCreary said, he’s the first one there. Novak’s practice is listed as the only one in the San Diego area offering Trina Health’s “Artificial Pancreas Treatment,” a four-hour IV insulin infusion procedure for people with diabetes. Some people like McCreary, 69, who has wrestled with diabetic nerve pain for years, said they think the procedure is working for them. (Clark, 4/11)

Cincinnati Enquirer: More Babies Are Seeing Their First Birthdays In Hamilton County.
The targeted push in the Avondale neighborhood to reduce the number of baby deaths has been so successful that Ohio will commit another $850,000 to launch similar drives in Winton Hills and North College Hill. Officials of Cradle Cincinnati will announce the new state grant at a Thursday news conference, where they also will unveil the group’s annual report on the state of infant mortality in Hamilton County. (Saker, 4/11)

The Baltimore Sun: Community Will Feel Loss Of Some Pediatric Services At Medstar Franklin Square Hospital, Many Say
MedStar Health announced the decision last week, citing declining pediatric admissions amid a statewide effort to reduce hospitalizations to save money in the health care system. But the decision has caused an uproar from the community and hospital staff, who say MedStar has abandoned its mission to serve the community in the pursuit of profits. (McDaniels, 4/12)

Nashville Tennessean: Cleveland, TN Doctors Plead Guilty Guilty In Health Care Fraud Scheme
Two Tennessee doctors have pleaded guilty to federal charges in a $65 million military health care fraud scheme. Drs. Carl Lindblad, 53, and Susan Vergot, 31, both of Cleveland, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Prosecutors say the pair prescribed "thousands of exorbitantly expensive compounded medications," or those specially mixed by a pharmacist to meet a person's unique medical need, to patients they never saw or examined. (Allison, 4/11)

St. Louis Public Radio: SLU Researchers Work To Prevent Chemotherapy Pain
Chemotherapy patients often experience burning and tingling in the hands and feet, known as “chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.” The condition has no known treatment, but new research offers a reason to hope. In a recent study, a team of SLU researchers successfully “turned off” the pain associated with a common chemotherapy drug. (Farzan, 4/11)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincy Archdiocese, Mercy Health Agree To Condom Ban At Needle Exchange
Catholic hospital system Mercy Health has switched its decision about condom giveaways at a mobile needle exchange that makes a weekly stop in its Clermont County hospital parking lot. ...The turnaround came after a Catholic News Agency reporter asked the archdiocese about Mercy's decision to leave the syringe exchange to do its own thing, which includes providing condoms to clients. (DeMio, 4/11)

Chicago Tribune: Rush, Little Company Of Mary Hospital Call Off Merger Plan 
The Chicago-based Rush hospital system and suburban Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers have called off their plan to merge. Representatives of the health systems on Wednesday declined to answer questions about why discussions ended or make their CEOs available. The organizations “mutually agreed” to back away from the idea of Rush acquiring Little Company of Mary, according to a memo sent to Rush employees Wednesday by Rush CEO Dr. Larry Goodman and Rush President Michael Dandorph. (Schencker, 4/11)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: First Round Of Ohio Doctors Approved To Recommend Medical Marijuana
The state medical board on Wednesday approved 37 physicians to recommend medical marijuana to Ohio patients. Most of the physicians approved as part of the first round of "certificate to recommend" applications are located in Northeast Ohio. (Borchardt, 4/11)

The Associated Press: Nixon: Support For Legalizing Marijuana Use A Racial Issue
A week after telling two interviewers her support for legalizing recreational use of marijuana in New York was revenue-based, Democratic candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon said Wednesday that it's now foremost a racial justice issue for her. The "Sex and the City" star posted a 90-second video on YouTube in which she stated that it's time New York joined eight other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing recreational use of marijuana. (4/11)

The Washington Post: John Boehner's Reversal On Cannabis: Former Speaker Of The House Joins Acreage Holdings, Says Thinking On Drug Has Evolved
John A. Boehner, the former Republican speaker of the House who once said he was “unalterably opposed” to decriminalizing marijuana laws, has joined a board of directors for a cannabis company with an eye on rolling back federal regulations. The former Ohio congressman has been appointed to the board of advisers of Acreage Holdings, invoking the need for veterans to access the drug legally to explain his change of heart, Boehner said in a statement Wednesday. The company grows and sells legal weed and operates in 11 states. (Horton and Ingraham, 4/11)

Tampa Bay Times: Judge: Joe Redner Can Legally Grow His Own Marijuana
A court ruled Wednesday that Tampa strip club owner Joe Redner can grow his own marijuana for medical purposes, a decision that lawyers say could lead to a wave of similar cases. The ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers applies only to Redner, 77. The Florida Department of Health responded quickly, filing an appeal. (Griffin, 4/11)