Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: N.Y. Advances Requirement That Nearly All Prescriptions Be Submitted Electronically; Fla. High Court Mulls Medical Malpractice Caps
The New York Legislature has approved an amendment to the recently enacted law that requires doctors to submit virtually all medication prescriptions electronically to a pharmacy. If signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the legislation would authorize the physician, dentist or other prescriber to electronically send it to a secure site from which it can be downloaded by the pharmacy of the patient's choice. (6/13)
More than a dozen years after a fierce political fight about the state's medical-malpractice laws, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments about the constitutionality of limits on damages in malpractice lawsuits. (6/10)
House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey became the first Democratic leader Friday to call on Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade to recuse herself from ruling on Anthem鈥檚 merger with Bloomfield-based Cigna, the commissioner鈥檚 last private-sector employer before joining the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. (Pazniokas, 6/10)
Families and advocates who pressed for a law that clarifies the authority of Ohio judges to order outpatient treatment for people with severe mental illness say their hard-won victory has meant little in Franklin County. (Price, 6/11)
Amelia is among more than 1,400 Minnesotans being treated with medical cannabis since the drug became legal in the state last July 1. She is one of about 300 being treated for epileptic seizures. And she is among more than 150 children in Minnesota certified to receive medical cannabis. (Lundy, 6/12)
Today, tens of thousands of Kansas City area homes still contain lead paint so dangerous that a tiny amount of paint dust can damage a young child鈥檚 brain. As many as 1,500 children in Kansas City have lead poisoning, health officials estimate. (Cummings, 6/11)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed Salmonella cases in 35 states linked to exposures in backyard poultry flocks. North Carolina, with 26 known cases reported, ranks among the five states with most infections during this outbreak. (Clabby, 6/13)
