Florida hospital reaches settlement with state in Barbara Dawson case | Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat
Calhoun Liberty Hospital, Blountstown, Fla., reached a settlement agreement this week with the Agency for Health Care Administration. The rural hospital was facing administrative fines up to $56,500 for deficiencies noted following the death of Barbara Dawson, who collapsed and died from a blood clot in the lung after being forced to leave the hospital. Under the settlement agreement, the hospital has until April 3 to pay $14,500. The balance of the fine will be held back for two years as the hospital continues to implement the agency-directed quality assurance measures.
Massive $1B debt refinancing at Henry Ford Health System | PUB
The Henry Ford Health System says it will save more than $125 million after undertaking a massive debt refinancing this week that could be the biggest of its kind in Michigan history.
Overwhelmingly white male lineup at medical conference opens wound | Stat
When a microbiologist protested that just 17 percent of featured speakers at the Precision Medicine World Conference were women, the organizer pushed back, saying that other precision medicine meetings have a similar male-female ratio. “Either they are all biased," she wrote, "or this reflects a lower percentage of women leaders in the field."
Invest Atlanta seeks $1.2M state grant for health center | Atlanta Business Chronicle
Invest Atlanta, the city's economic development agency, will apply for a Regional Economic Business Assistance grant from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The grant will help fund completion of a $20 million Kaiser Permanente health information technology center in Midtown. The development is expected to generate 900 jobs.
Bipartisan bill in Congress would require drugmakers to justify, limit price hikes | Stat
In response to the intensifying outrage over the cost of medicines, a bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday introduced a bill that would require drug makers to justify their pricing and provide a breakdown of their costs before raising prices on certain products by more than 10%.
Valeant heart drug discounts haven't materialized, hospitals say | Bloomberg
Months after Valeant Pharmaceuticals said it would make discounts available to U.S. hospitals for two high-priced heart drugs, some medical centers say they have yet to see a cent of savings.
GOP chairman seeks fresh start for medical cures bill | The Hill
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton is pushing to get his signature healthcare bill moving again. The Michigan Republican is working on a new version of his 21st Century Cures Act. The revamp could be introduced as soon as next week, though lobbyists and aides say that there is still much work to be done, and it would be tough for the legislation to move before the November elections.
Obama administration to launch new effort on heroin crisis | PUB
The Justice Department is preparing to launch a renewed strategy to address the unrelenting scourge of heroin and opioid addiction, in part by placing greater emphasis on identifying links between over-prescribing doctors and distribution networks across the country.