Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Cyberattack Cripples West Virginia Hospital; Md. First State Under Trump To Guarantee Planned Parenthood Funding
Princeton Community Hospital in rural West Virginia will scrap and replace its entire computer network after being struck by the cyberattack paralyzing computers globally. The cyberattack, known as Petya, froze the hospital鈥檚 electronic medical record system early聽Tuesday, leaving doctors unable to review patients鈥 medical history or transmit laboratory and pharmacy orders, said Rose Morgan, the hospital鈥檚 vice president of patient care services. (Evans, 6/29)
Maryland on Saturday will become the first state in the nation with a law to protect funding for Planned Parenthood from a possible federal cutoff. Legislation ensuring that the state will cover the cost of the group's health care services in Maryland if Congress blocks it from receiving federal funding is among the more than 250 bills passed by the General Assembly that will become law July 1. (Dresser, 6/29)
The American Civil Liberties Union sued South Dakota on Thursday over the forced use of a catheter to take a urine sample from a 3-year-old boy who was being tested for exposure to drugs as part of a child-neglect investigation. (6/29)
Ahead of an imminent government shutdown, a nonprofit legal-aid group filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Maine Governor Paul LePage, seeking to force the state to continue operating welfare programs... If state government shuts down, nearly 450,000 people who rely on public assistance programs 鈥 including MaineCare, food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 鈥 would be affected, argued Maine Equal Justice Partners, the organization suing the state. (Edmondson, 6/29)
Indiana may appeal a U.S. court ruling that blocked parts of the state's latest abortion law that critics said would deter girls under 18 from getting an abortion without parental approval, the state attorney general's office said on Thursday. U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker issued a preliminary injunction late on Wednesday against portions of measure signed in April by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. (Kenning, 6/30)
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday mandating protections for pregnant workers, an effort that came up short on Beacon Hill last session but now appears poised to become law... Lovely said three-quarters of women in America will become pregnant at some point during their working lives, and in Massachusetts, more than half of all pregnant women and new mothers are in the workforce. (Young, 6/29)
Orlando Health is boosting its presence in Central Florida鈥檚 urgent care market by partnering with the Florida-based CareSpot Urgent Care chain... The company has more than 30 locations in Florida, and similar partnerships with hospitals in Gainesville and Jacksonville. (Miller, 6/29)
A troubled Mount Laurel nursing home whose Medicare agreement was canceled June 16 will remain open while a聽new owner seeks certification under the health programs for the elderly and the poor. The buyer, Marquis Health Services, based in Brick, N.J., said it learned Monday that patients will be allowed to stay in the 220-bed facility if they choose, though when Marquis takes over it will not be paid by Medicare and Medicaid until the facility is certified again. (Brubaker, 6/29)
Siteman Cancer Center is expanding its reach to north St. Louis County, a move aimed at better serving the region鈥檚 African-American population. Doctors will begin seeing patients at Christian Hospital during the first week of July, where Siteman will replace the hospital鈥檚 existing Cancer Care Center. (Bouscaren, 6/30)
Starting Saturday, most patients won't be able to cover their co-pays or other medical expenses with cash or checks at University of Iowa Health Care clinic services. The health care enterprise is going "cashless" July 1. "We are always looking at how to reduce expenses in ways that do not affect patient care quality and safety," Tom Moore, a spokesman for UIHC, said via email Tuesday. "Reducing an administrative cost like cash handling is one of the methods that help us reach that goal." (Charis-Carlson, 6/29)
In higher education, they鈥檙e the equivalent of gig workers: part-time professors who power many of the area鈥檚 colleges, cobbling together teaching assignments each semester at one or two universities at a time. Now, many are demanding that state legislators ensure they are paid adequately for their work and receive similar health care and retirement benefits as full-time professors. (Fernandes, 6/29)
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday announced the names of 27 companies that will be permitted to sell medical marijuana across the state next year, reaching another milestone in a program that could lead to cannabis being available by 2018. The announcement also set off another round of consternation about whether the cannabis dispensaries were being distributed fairly and put in places where they would serve the most patients. (Wood, 6/29)
Massachusetts legislators, toiling in secret to finalize a rewrite of the voter-passed marijuana legalization law, hit an impasse Thursday as they tried to iron out differences between a House version that would alter major parts of the ballot measure and a Senate bill with more modest changes... Supporters fear that a significant delay could thwart the expected opening of retail stores, aimed for July 2018. (Miller, 6/29)
Before Kevin Powers underwent lung cancer surgery last October, his girlfriend, Agi Orsi, meticulously checked and double-checked to be sure his Santa Monica, Calif., hospital and surgeon were in his health plan鈥檚 network. They were.Even in the hospital, Orsi dutifully wrote 鈥淣o out-of-network doctors鈥 across the top of Powers鈥 admission paperwork. Her diligence was for naught. (Bazar, 6/30)