Health Care

...The senator also purports to somehow raise the payment rates that Medicaid doles out to hospital systems and physicians, but how he would do so remains unclear....

...2017’s Best & Worst States for Health Care....

...Hawaii has no soda tax. But that's not for lack of trying.....

...This year, the state confirmed a total of 15 cases of the serious parasitic infection, which is the highest number of cases reported in the state over the last decade....

...Unexpected update from FDA halts federal regulations and embraces e-cigarettes....

...the state-run Maui Memorial Hospital faced every problem a medical facility could. Dogged by consistently low professional accreditation ratings, it lacked specialists and had constant funding shortfalls. Patients regularly had to be airlifted to Honolulu, even for trauma care....

..."Well, mainly I get my news from watching you guys on TV" Hirono said....

...Presentation featuring Dr. Kyle Varner, former Hawaii physician....

...and Hawaii is among the lowest in the USA....

"It has been a long journey to bring us to this historic transition"

"What happened was a national disgrace, and yet some of the employees involved in these scandals remained on the payrolls." -- President Donald J Trump

States that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (the ACA) saw 2.5 emergency department visits more per 1,000 people after 2014....

...families continue to offer a strong foundation for Hawaiʻi’s children, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book....

...Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Men, a 45-page report on the well-being of Hawaiian kāne....

As case number 15 of rat lungworm disease came to light last month, my blood boils a bit because of what has happened over the last several years....

...Despite multiple attempts to stop or derail it, things keep chugging along. And come July 1, it looks like Maui residents are finally going to start getting the care they deserve....

...5pm Friday at Kauai Veterans Center, Lihue....

Hawaii's AG joins other states asking the federal government for a policy change that would allow the states greater flexibility to investigate Medicaid fraud....

...Presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH News....

Hawaii--Avg Annual Wage for Nurses (adj for cost of living) – 51st

The bill will have it's final reading in the House on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, during the 9:00 a.m. Floor Session.  The Senate reading is also scheduled for May 2, 2017, during the 10:00 a.m. Floor Session....

... MAY 4, 2017 -- ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE ....

Karen Pence, a champion for art therapy programs, visited the arts and crafts building at Schofield, where she spoke with patients currently enrolled in art therapy programs....

Preparedness Index assesses all 50 states & District of Columbia for health security and preparedness....

28 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care....

IRS Ruling: Act 1 Cash Payout to HGEA members would cost ERS its nonprofit status .... 

“To the visitors already in the Hawaiian Islands or planning a trip here in the coming months, there is no need to be overly concerned. Please patronize our restaurants...."

I asked why CFS and other groups like Shaka aren’t informing followers of rat lungworm disease....

...Hawaii has 8 ‘A’ Hospitals out of 12 total hospitals....

On March 6 Hawai’i Free Press carried an article reporting on SB501: “Hawaii lawmakers are censoring pro-lifers who were defending free speech”.  Now the Attorney General has weighed in....

In 2013, the Hawaii State Hospital moved for a court order authorizing the involuntary administration of medication to Lawrence after he refused to accept medication....

The life expectancy at birth in Hawaii in 2010 was 82.4 years....

Don’t worry: You can trust the Feds and Silicon Valley with your ‘medical’ marijuana records—unless you annoy them in some way....

The authors note that their recommendations are important as the healthcare system moves toward value-based payment....

Rates of youth disconnection are higher in rural counties than in urban counties....

...Avg Annual Wage for Physicians (adj for cost of living) – 50th....

People with years or decades to live may qualify for assisted suicide....

...Bully Bill Advances Out of Health Committee....

Mass legalization of assisted suicide is not inevitable....

Maybe the Hawaii DoE will stop suing disabled children now?

... a lethal dose of barbiturates can save insurance companies big money ....

In Oregon, 1,749 lethal prescriptions have been written and at least 1,127 patients have died from ingesting the drugs....

...bills heard this week (HB76, HB233, and HB234) attempt to amend the law passed last summer by adding new severance options for the hospital employees....

... Kupuna Caregivers $70/Day Appropriation SB534 / HB607 ....

The House Health Committee is poised to pass a bill requiring pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to disseminate pro-abortion messages....

...American Telemedicine Association Releases Report Highlighting Critical Gaps in Coverage and Physician Practice Standards....

The caller had reported that she had seen a farmworker taken off of the field via ambulance and quickly assumed he had been poisoned....

Both bills will now crossover to the House where the process will begin again....

This major event for medical professionals is part of Gov. David Ige’s statewide initiative to address community concerns about chronic exposures to pesticides, Vog, lead, mercury and other environmental hazards (allegedly) affecting our keiki....