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San Francisco Bay Area companies say Sutter Health is strong-arming them into a contract that would help the hospital system secure its power over prices and potentially raise the cost of medical care for their employees in the future. Dozens of companies have received a letter, via their insurance administrators, asking them to waive their rights to sue Sutter. If they don't, a fact sheet included in the letter says, the companies' employees who get care through Sutter's network of hospitals, doctors and medical services will no longer have access to discounted in-network prices. (Dembosky, 11/4)

Later this month, [David] Kalin heads to Havana with a delegation of more than a dozen health professionals from throughout the nation, including at least six from the Tampa Bay area. They will meet with counterparts to learn more about Cuba's medical industry and discuss potential collaborations — an initiative made possible by the White House move in December 2014 toward normalization of relations between the two nations after five decades of isolation. (Guzzo, 11/3)

Though the benefits of hospitalized patients getting out of bed and moving around has been known for decades, most hospitals keep young patients in pediatric intensive care units under heavy sedation for fear they might dislodge a breathing tube or IV line, or injure themselves. Sedation also was thought to reduce the fear and anxiety children experience when hospitalized. Newer studies have debunked such notions and linked hospital sedation to weakness, and higher risks of post traumatic stress disorder and delirium in all patients. (Wells, 11/3)

For Dr. David Chang, a vascular surgeon from Cupertino whose office is in Los Gatos, innovation is a way of life. With more than 10 patents to his name over the course of 16 years of professional practice experience, Chang’s biggest achievement to date is the development of a minimally invasive technique to treat blockages in the carotid artery at risk of causing a stroke. The procedure, which Chang calls “transcarotid artery revascularization,” or TCAR, replaces a technique previously used by surgeons known as “transfemoral carotid angioplasty.” (Sarwari, 11/3)

State medical authorities revoked the medical license of an “integrative medicine” doctor Thursday for his role in the death of a college student from untreated cancer. Bad advice from Dr. Kenneth Woliner of Boca Raton was responsible for the student’s decision to forgo chemotherapy, said the Florida Board of Medicine at a meeting in Jacksonville. Woliner said he will seek a court stay of the board’s decision while he appeals it through the court system. Courts usually grant stays in such cases. (Benk, 11/4)

Two Florida-based Sanford Burnham trustees have resigned from their posts, the Orlando Sentinel has learned... The Sentinel reported last month a months-long investigation by the University of Florida cleared Dr. Bernie Machen, former UF president and trustee board chair, of having a potential conflict of interest in chairing the Sanford Burnham trustee board while the institute was working to hand off its operations to UF. (Miller, 11/3)

The Columbus city prosecutor has charged former Ohio State Dental Board executive director Lili Reitz with leaking confidential information in an investigation into a MetroHealth System executive now facing federal prosecution. Reitz is the fifth person charged in an FBI probe into Edward Hills and dentists affiliated with MetroHealth. Charging documents say Reitz, 51, of Dublin gave former dental board member Hills the identity, home address and email address of a person who made an anonymous complaint about him to the dental board. (Heisig, 11/3)

In the days after Halloween, leftover candy seems to linger indefinitely. It shows up in office break rooms and on receptionists’ desks, tempting passers-by to dig into the big plastic bowl just one more time. Local dentists are encouraging another tradition. They’re encouraging patients and others in the community to skip the extra Snickers and bring it to their office instead, where people will receive $1 for every collected pound of candy. (Caiola, 11/3)