- California: Richard Fletcher will serve as the next CEO of Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding. Fletcher comes to Shasta from Universal Health Services in Bradenton, Florida, where his roles included CEO of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and COO of Manatee Memorial Hospital. Shasta is a member of Prime Healthcare (Red Bluff Daily News, 6/19; Vaidya, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/21).
- Indiana: The state on Wednesday launched a website to make it easier to search for statewide data on births and deaths. The Indiana State Department of Health said users can access information from 2011 through 2015. Users can search for birth data such as birth counts, birth outcomes, and fertility rates, as well as data on death by demographic factors. In addition, the site includes data on infants who died before their first birthday by county of residence and race and ethnicity (AP/Sacramento Bee, 6/21).
- Missouri: Missouri on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against several opioid drugmakers, alleging the companies "created a sprawling campaign of misinformation and deception to convince doctors and consumers that opioids pose little risk of addiction, and that such risks can be easily identified and mitigated." Missouri Attorney General Joshua Hawley (R) said the state seeks civil penalties of "hundreds of millions of dollars" as well as damages of "hundreds of millions of dollars." Ohio and Mississippi have filed similar lawsuits (Whalen, Wall Street Journal, 6/21; Missouri Attorney General's Office release, 6/21).
Reduce opioid misuse and abuse with our new report
Opioid misuse and abuse is one of the most pressing public health issues in the U.S., and hospitals and health systems are on the front lines. Currently, most health systems focus their opioid management efforts on select medical specialties, and providers typically intervene only after the patient has shown signs of misuse and addiction.
This research report outlines three imperatives to guide hospitals and health systems in their efforts to reduce the impact of inappropriate opioid prescribing and misuse.