Few Connecticut hospitals use the insulin injection devices that were misused at Griffin Hospital, prompting officials last week to recommend that 3,149 patients be tested for bloodborne illnesses.
Hospitals
Posted inHealth
Griffin Hospital says device misuse could have infected patients
Griffin Hospital officials said Friday that the misuse of insulin pens could have exposed up to 3,149 hospitalized patients to blood-borne diseases during a nearly six-year period.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal asks VA chief to consider calling in FBI and firing staff
Washington – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday pressed Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to call in the FBI to determine whether crimes were committed at his agency, which has been accused of falsifying reports on delays of care that may have caused the deaths of some veterans
Posted inEducation, Health, Politics
Malloy signs bills on sexual assault, nurse practitioners, long-term care insurance
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed into law two high-profile bills passed by the General Assembly. One imposes new requirements on how colleges and universities respond to student reports of sexual assault. The other allows nurse practitioners to practice independent of doctors.
Posted inHealth, Politics
For-profit hospital deal gets done. Then, doubts behind the scenes
In crafting a last-minute compromise clearing the way for four Connecticut hospitals to be acquired by a for-profit company, lawmakers accomplished something many doubted would be possible. But for some legislators key to the deal, any sense of celebration was short-lived because of questions about whether a major player was backing out.
Posted inHealth, Politics
The Basics: The last-minute for-profit hospital bill
It came down to the final hours, but legislators tackled one of the most complex, controversial issues of the session by passing a measure that makes it easier for nonprofit hospitals to convert to for-profits and adds state oversight to hospital sales and transactions involving physician practices. Here are the basics.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Health, Money, Politics
An eclectic last night: Hospitals, fracking, eels — and deals
The General Assembly moved fitfully through the last day of its 2014 session Wednesday, as the Senate offered six hours of tributes to departing leaders, and House Republicans voiced at length their opposition to a fracking waste bill, preludes to a final burst of deals and votes before midnight adjournment.
Posted inHealth
Time running short on for-profit hospital proposal. What then?
Time is running out for legislators to address one of the most complex and controversial issues they’ve faced this session: whether to craft a new regulatory and statutory framework for nonprofit hospitals to convert to for-profits. What if legislators don’t take action? It’s a question with no clear answer.
Posted inHealth, Politics
The Basics: How the nurse practitioner bill could change health care
Here’s what you need to know about the controversial proposal to give nurse practitioners more independence, a measure that both supporters and opponents say could have a major effect on health care in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Play by play recap of nurse practitioner debate
The House debated a controversial measure that would allow nurse practitioners to practice independent of doctors. See how it happened.
Posted inPolitics
How different are for-profit and nonprofit hospitals?
One of the major issues legislators are trying to tackle this session is the ability of nonprofit hospitals to convert to for-profits. It’s a complex and highly charged issue. Here’s what you need to know.
Posted inHealth
The Basics: CT’s effort to notify patients of added medical fees
The state House Wednesday passed a bill aimed at making sure patients know about “facility fees,” extra charges they could face if they get outpatient care at medical offices owned by hospitals.
Posted inHealth
Senate votes to allow nurse practitioners to practice independent of doctors
The Connecticut state Senate voted 25 to 11 late Wednesday night to allow nurse practitioners to practice independent of physicians, a controversial concept that has gained traction amid growing concerns about the availability of primary care providers in the state.
Posted inHealth
Feds release massive Medicare doctor payment database
The federal government has released a massive trove of Medicare data, making available for the first time information about what payments individual doctors received for specific services covered by Medicare in 2012.
Posted inHealth
CT hospitals follow aviation, nuclear power in targeting errors
It was a big deal at John Dempsey Hospital when a housekeeper stopped a doctor from entering a room where a procedure was taking place. The celebration that followed was part of a broader effort to improve patient safety, modeled after strategies used in aviation, nuclear power and other industries where even small mistakes can have dire consequences.
