Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Thousands Of New Yorkers Languishing On Organ Waiting Lists; Hate Crimes Continue To Increase In California
The New York Times: New York Has World-Class Hospitals. Why Is It So Bad For People In Need Of Transplants?
Kehinde Majekodumi does not look desperately ill. A vibrant 24-year-old, she bears little outward sign except a scar beneath her collarbone where a catheter was once inserted. But three times a week she deviates from her regular commute between the apartment she shares with her twin sister and her job in a university admissions office to a dialysis center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. (Alcorn, 7/11)
Los Angeles Times: Hate Crimes Rise In California For Third Straight Year, State Report Says
Hate crimes increased across California for the third straight year in 2017, an uptick experts have blamed on President Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric toward minorities and the resurgence of hate groups in the state. There were 1,093 reported hate crimes in California in 2017, a 17.4% increase, according to a report released Monday by the California attorney general’s office. Hate crimes have increased annually since 2014, jumping roughly 44% in that three-year span, records show. (Queally, 7/10)
The Associated Press: Lawsuits Alleging Roundup Caused Cancer Can Move Forward
Hundreds of lawsuits alleging Roundup weed killer caused cancer cleared a big hurdle Tuesday when a U.S. judge ruled that cancer victims and their families could present expert testimony linking the herbicide to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said evidence that the active ingredient in Roundup — glyphosate — can cause the disease seemed "rather weak." Still, the opinions of three experts linking glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were not "junk science" that should be excluded from a trial, the judge ruled. (7/10)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Proposes Sharp Hike In Ambulance Fees
Houston Fire Department leaders on Tuesday proposed a sharp hike in ambulance fees, floating several new charges they hope will prevent repeat callers from using the city’s emergency medical services as a convenience. Ambulance transport fees would rise 70 percent, to $1,876; the accompanying $14.36-per-mile fee would not change. Aside from annual adjustments for inflation, it would be the first increase in the fees in six years. (Morris, 7/10)
Politico: Jordan Steps Up Defense Amid Sex Abuse Firestorm
Embattled conservative Rep. Jim Jordan is stepping up his efforts to fight accusations that he ignored sexual abuse decades ago, allegations that threaten to tarnish his reputation and undermine his standing in Congress. The Ohio Republican’s allies — from lawmakers on Capitol Hill to former wrestlers at Ohio State University — have released statements of support or gone on TV defending Jordan’s character. He has also hired a conservative-leaning public relations firm to help him deal with the media furor, Shirley & Banister Public Affairs. (Bade and Bresnahan, 7/10)
The Washington Post: Angel Perez Went Crabbing And Contracted Flesh-Eating Vibrio Bacteria
Angel Perez arrived at the river before sunrise, beating the other crabbers on the hunt at Matt's Landing in New Jersey, a popular spot to find crustaceans near where the Maurice River meets the Delaware Bay. It was still morning on July 2 when he returned home with a haul of freshly snagged crabs and, unknown to him at the time, something much worse. By July 3, his right leg was swollen. Then it turned red and broke out in blisters. (Wootson, 7/10)
Chicago Tribune: South Shore Hospital Tells State It Needs $3 Million In Funding By Aug. 1 To Avoid Shutdown
Losing money due to a Medicaid shortfall, South Shore Hospital sent a desperate plea to the state Tuesday, saying it needs $3 million in funding by Aug. 1 to avoid a shutdown. The small, 106-year-old nonprofit hospital, which serves mostly Medicaid patients on Chicago’s South Side, said it is falling behind in paying both doctors and vendors and would begin winding down operations without the appropriated state funding. (Channick, 7/10)
Modern Healthcare: Verity Health System May Sell Hospitals To Improve Finances
Verity Health System announced Tuesday it may sell some or all of its six hospitals as it works to fix the financial and operational problems that have dogged the safety-net provider for years. The Redwood City, Calif.-based health system has undergone significant ownership changes in recent years. One year ago, Los Angeles-based health technology company NantWorks, led by controversial entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, announced it had acquired a majority stake in Verity's management company. (Bannow, 7/10)
The Star Tribune: UnitedHealthcare And Dialysis Company Reach Settlement
A dialysis company plans to pay $32 million to Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare as part of a settlement agreement after the nation’s largest health insurer alleged in lawsuits against the clinic operator schemes to receive higher payments for services. American Renal Associates (ARA), which is based in Massachusetts, did not admit wrongdoing or liability as part of the agreement, which calls for the parties to negotiate final terms by Aug. 1. (Snowbeck, 7/10)
Sacramento Bee: California’s Shortage Of Mental Health Professionals Projected To Worsen
In 2013, California had a shortage of 336 psychiatrists, according to national projections from the Health Resources and Services Administration, cited by the state Governor’s Office. ...Statistics from The Steinberg Institute, a local nonprofit focused on issues related to mental health and founded by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, estimate that demand for psychiatry in the United States “will outstrip supply by 15,600 psychiatrists, or 25 percent” by 2025. (Holzer, 7/11)
Des Moines Register: Broadlawns To Spend $29 Million On Expansion, Shift To Private Rooms
Broadlawns Medical Center, Polk County’s public hospital, plans to spend $29 million to add a third floor to one of its main buildings, its leaders announced Tuesday. The expansion will be the latest step in a yearslong effort to improve the once-threadbare hospital. Broadlawns leaders said Tuesday that building a third floor onto to the Sands Building will add nearly 42,000 square feet. The project will include a new intensive care unit and birthing center, and it will allow the hospital to shift to all private rooms for medical and surgical patients. (Leys, 7/10)
Boston Globe: Healey Raises Concern About Beth Israel, Lahey Merger
Attorney General Maura Healey is raising concerns about the planned merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health, a sign she may press for changes to the blockbuster deal. In a letter to the state’s health care watchdog agency, the attorney general said the hospital combination could increase health care costs and threaten access to care. (Dayal McCluskey, 7/10)
Boston Globe: Locked Out National Grid Workers Grapple With Loss Of Income, Health Insurance
As the lockout at National Grid stretches into its third week, 1,250 out-of-work gas employees around the state are grappling with the loss of income and health insurance following the utility company’s decision to bar employees from working when contract negotiations stalled. One employee in Lowell who just found out he has a cancerous tumor in his bladder is unsure how he’s going to pay for surgery; another worker in Northborough is scrambling to get MassHealth to cover a biopsy for her 9-year-old daughter, who suffers from a rare lung disease. (Johnston, 7/11)
Kansas City Star: Children’s Mercy Faces Class Action Lawsuit For Data Breach
A Kansas City law firm filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against Children’s Mercy Hospital after personal data from more than 60,000 individuals may have been compromised as part of an email phishing scam that targeted hospital employees. The suit, which was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, is the fourth lawsuit filed by the firm McShane and Brady over the disclosure of patient medical records by the hospital. (Ryan, 7/10)
Nashville Tennessean: Employee At The Back Corner In Germantown Diagnosed With Hep A, Free Vaccines Offered To Customers
Health department officials announced Tuesday that a person working at The Back Corner, an entertainment venue at 1413 5th Ave. North, has been diagnosed with acute hepatitis A. The venue is located behind the popular eatery and bar 5th and Taylor. While the risk of contracting hepatitis A is low, Metro Public Health Department is issuing a public notice out of an abundance of caution, and will offer free hepatitis A vaccine to customers who visited The Back Corner on June 28, 29 or 30. Those customers have until July 14 to be vaccinated in time to protect against the virus. (Alund, 7/10)
San Antonio Press-Express: S.A.-Area School District To Implement Drug Testing For High School Students In Extracurriculars
A school district northwest of San Antonio recently announced all high school students who plan to participate in extracurricular activities will be required to take a drug test. The students will be subject to one test at the end of July before activities begin, and additional random tests throughout the year. (Chavey, 7/10)
Seattle Times: Former Swedish Surgeon Johnny Delashaw Gets His License Back, With Restrictions
The Washington Medical Commission has reinstated, with restrictions, the medical license of former Swedish Health neurosurgeon Dr. Johnny Delashaw. The commission ruled on July 5 that Delashaw, who was featured in a Seattle Times investigation about Swedish Health’s neuroscience unit, must submit to three years of oversight and cannot be employed in a position of medical leadership. The commission also ordered Delashaw to pay a $10,000 fine, agree to be evaluated for disruptive behavior and comply with recommendations from the evaluators. (Doughton, 7/10)
Houston Chronicle: Doctor Among 13 Charged In $40 Million Workers Comp Fraud Involving Unnecessary Pain Medicine
A doctor who practiced medicine in Houston pleaded not guilty to federal charges Tuesday that he aided in a wide-ranging fraud scheme that allegedly netted millions of dollars for pharmacies and allowed injured federal workers and members of the U.S. military to obtain pain medication that was not medically necessary. Dr. James Don Jackson, a general surgeon, is one of three doctors and 13 defendants under federal indictment for the alleged scam, which stretched from Houston to Atlanta and Columbus. (Banks, 7/10)
Texas Tribune: UT-Austin Professors To Argue Campus Carry Chills Free Speech
The controversial Texas law allowing students to bring guns into classrooms is facing another showdown as a lawsuit challenging the law heads to federal appeals court on Wednesday. ...The lawsuit, filed in federal court, sought to block the law and allow the professors to prohibit firearms in their classrooms. (Choi, 7/11)
