Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Attorney General Xavier Becerra, however, says he has a responsibility to ensure the conditions of the sale are met. “The conditions include the requirement to have an emergency room, inpatient facility beds, intensive care services, and NICU [neonatal intensive care unit]. The Attorney General is fighting to ensure these conditions are enforced,” his office said.
State Officials Hit Oxnard Hospital With $40,400 Fine After Needle Is Left In Patient’s Body
Officials said the doctor and the operating room staff at St. John’s Regional Medical Center didn’t follow policies that include accurate counts of surgical instruments and X-rays to make sure objects aren’t left in patients.
The investigation found that 73 doctors around the country with active medical licenses had been the subject of Food and Drug Administration warning letters alleging serious problems over a five-year period, but only one had been disciplined.
A New York Times and ProPublica investigation reveals widespread flaws in how conflicts of interest are reported in medical journals, which are the main conduit for communicating the latest scientific discoveries to the public.
Drugmaker Actelion Agrees To Pay $360M To Settle Kickback Investigation
The Justice Department alleged that Actelion Pharmaceuticals violated federal law by using a foundation fund to funnel kickback payments aimed at inducing patients to buy its drugs. Actelion was bought by Johnson & Johnson in 2017, after the alleged actions took place, and admits no wrongdoing as part of the settlement. And in other pharma news: Walgreens’ new delivery service; an EpiPen alternative; and the FDA approves a new lung cancer treatment.
EPA Circulating Proposal To Limit Obama-Era Rule On Water Pollution
The Obama administration’s regulation was a target for rural landowners since it could have restricted how much pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides could seep into water. In other national news, the surgeon general acknowledges the need for changes in the classification of drugs, the Trump administration requests more funding for immigrant detention efforts and Maine’s outgoing governor loses another skirmish in his efforts to stop Medicaid expansion.
Health Spending Growth Slows For Second Year In A Row
Although the nation spent $3.5 trillion on health last year, federal economists found that the increase in health expenses did not exceed the growth in the overall economy.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller’s decision to appoint an investigator follows revelations in a report last month by the chief psychiatrist for the prisons, Dr. Michael Golding, who accused state officials of distorting data to mask the state’s failure to meet court-mandated deadlines for providing treatment for prisoners who suffer from mental illness.
‘Alarming’ Staffing Vacancy Rate Undermines Care For Veterans, Report Finds
Most of the nearly 40,000 vacancies are for medical and dental staff such as doctors and nurses. In other health personnel and hospital news, NPR reports on ways hospitals are trying to combat rising maternal mortality rates.
Patient Assistance Programs Under Gov’t Scrutiny, But Drugmakers’ Responses Are Mixed
Other pharmaceutical coverage includes reports about the high hopes for — and lack of supporting data about — skin cancer immunotherapy as well as a move by the American Medical Association to consider supporting the personal importation of medicines from Canada.