CMS News & Updates
June 10, 2016
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Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center
In June 2016, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) announced their official designation as North Florida's only Comprehensive Stroke Center. A Comprehensive Stroke Center offers the most advanced stroke interventions and treatments from expert physicians who are specially trained in their fields. TMH boasts a variety of revolutionary treatments for strokes, including tPA, a clot busting intravenous medication, and endovascular neurosurgery, which removes blood clots and repairs aneurysms without opening the skull.
 
Additionally, Tallahassee Memorial received stroke recognition from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for achieving Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus, an advanced level of recognition acknowledging hospitals for consistent compliance with Quality Measures and Target Stroke Honor Roll. 
 
Source: Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare 
FDA Eases Paperwork To Help Some Patients Get Experimental Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration removed an obstacle from of its "compassionate use" policy this month, eliminating some paperwork that physicians must do to obtain experimental drugs for some patients with immediately life-threatening illnesses.

Doctors will now file an application for FDA approval that contains just 11 questions, 15 fewer than the old form. They should be able to complete this new version in 45 minutes, the FDA said. The new form is simpler because it was designed for individual patients, replacing an all-purpose format that had been used by doctors acting on behalf of individuals or small or large groups of patients.

 
Source: Kaiser Health News 
Congress Sends Obama Bill to Regulate Toxic Chemicals
Congress on Tuesday sent President Barack Obama a sweeping bill that would for the first time regulate tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture.

In a rare display of bipartisanship in an election year, the Senate backed the measure on a voice vote after Republicans and Democrats spoke enthusiastically about the legislation. Backers of the bill said it would clear up a hodgepodge of state rules and update and improve a toxic-chemicals law that has remained unchanged for 40 years.


 
Source: The New York Times 
Florida Regulators Approve 2 New Hospitals, Deny 2
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration approved two new hospitals Friday and denied two others.

Wolfson's Children's Hospital is allowed to build a 132-bed children's hospital in Jacksonville, with an intensive care unit for babies. The state also approved a 95-bed hospital in Volusia County, a smaller hospital than Halifax Health asked for.

But the state denied a 200-bed hospital in Sarasota and denied competing requests to build a 100-bed hospital in Miami-Dade.

 
Source: Health News Florida 
A New Sort Of Consultant: Advising Doctors, Patients On California's Aid-In-Dying Law
Few people have the unusual set of professional experiences that Dr. Lonny Shavelson does. He worked as an emergency room physician in Berkeley for years - while also working as a journalist. He has written several books and takes hauntingly beautiful photographs.

Now, just as California's law aid-in-dying law takes effect this week, Shavelson has added another specialty: A consultant to physicians and terminally ill patients who have questions about how it works.

 
Source: Kaiser Health News 
Physician Survey on Health Insurance Mega-Mergers
As you know, Aetna recently filed the paperwork to acquire Humana, and Anthem has filed paperwork to acquire Cigna. These developments have the potential to make a major impact on the physicians we all serve. State and federal regulators are interested in knowing the prospective effects of these possible mergers on physicians' practices and patient care, and we need your help in gathering this vital information. 

Your individual responses will be kept strictly confidential and only aggregated data will be used in our reporting. This survey, and any information collected in response, will be used solely for the purpose of petitioning state and federal government concerning the antitrust issues raised by Aetna's proposed acquisition of Humana and Anthem's proposed acquisition of Cigna.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in making Florida physicians' voices heard on this important issue. Click here for the survey link.

Source: Florida Medical Association 
Zika Virus News and Updates for Health Care Providers
  • Information for Clinicians
  • Information for Obstetricians
  • CDC Issues Updated Zika Recommendations - 3/25/16
  • Department of Health Resources for Physicians and the General Public
  • Department of Health Resources for Mosquito-borne Viruses in General
  • CDC for Zika
  • Initial Guidance on Zika Virus Testing for Non-Pregnant Individuals And for Pregnant Women and Infants
  • Zika Laboratory Guidance
2016 Tallahassee Memorial Neuroscience Symposium
June 10 & 11, 2016
 
Florida State University Turnbull Conference Center

A comprehensive discussion on neuroscience trends and treatments. The symposium will begin Friday evening, June 10 with a dinner and keynote address followed by a day of presentations and discussion on Saturday, June 11.

Register and learn more at www.tmh.org/neurosymposium.
Leon County EMS "Press the Chest" CPR 2016
Calling For The Florida Women's Hall of Fame Nominations
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women has opened the nomination period for the 2017 Florida Women's Hall of Fame. This annual event celebrating the accomplishments of outstanding Florida women is tentatively scheduled for March 2017 at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee.

This is an opportunity to nominate a Woman in Medicine who has made significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and for all citizens of Florida.

Click here for details on the selection process and criteria for nominees. Completed nominations must be postmarked by July 15, 2016 to be considered.

Source: Florida Commission on the Status of Women
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