Ban on pelvic, rectal exams on unconscious, unknowing patients passes in Pa.
A ban on pelvic, prostate and similar exams on unconscious patients who haven’t given permission needs only the signature of Gov. Josh Shapiro to become law. The state House and Senate unanimously approved the law, according to a news release from state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Philadelphia, the author of one...
Excela pays $10M to settle suits by 2 cardiologists, doctors’ attorney says
Excela Health is paying $10 million to settle civil suits brought by two cardiologists who formerly held staff privileges at the health system’s Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, according to an attorney representing the doctors. In the suits that were dropped Tuesday in Allegheny County Court, Drs. George Bou Samra and...
Pa. leads nation in Lyme disease cases and development in forests is boosting the risk
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. HOUSERVILLE — Pennsylvania leads the nation in Lyme disease cases, and the continued development of forested areas increases people’s risk of being bitten by the...
Nearly 2 dozen toddlers sickened by lead linked to tainted applesauce pouches, CDC says
U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce. Children ages 1 to 3 were affected, and at...
Allegheny General Hospital receives approval for long-range development plan
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved an institutional master plan that lays out Allegheny General Hospital’s development goals over the next decade. Under the 10-year plan, all patient rooms at the North Side hospital will be converted to private rooms. The plan indicates the hospital also is considering constructing new...
Bird flu reports increasing in U.S.; flocks culled in effort to reduce spread
Avian flu has reappeared in U.S. flocks for the first time since April. In an online report updated Wednesday by the USDA, 15 states in the past 30 days have reported at least one confirmed infected flock. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a flock of more than 47,300...
‘Veterans need help’: Homelessness among those who served continues to be cause for concern
Robin was standing on the side of the road in Downtown Pittsburgh holding a piece of tattered cardboard, asking for money. “It was my birthday,” said the Army veteran who gave only a first name, tearing up standing on the Boulevard of the Allies. “And I couldn’t even get $1....
Highmark CEO’s pay tops $9.47 million in 2022
Highmark President David Holmberg took home about $9.47 million in 2022, an increase of 9.6% over his compensation in the previous year, according to financial statements filed Friday. For Holmberg, who also serves as board chairman, that pay package includes a base compensation of about $1.57 million and bonuses and...
U.S. childhood vaccination exemptions reach their highest level ever
NEW YORK — The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, U.S. health officials said Thursday. More parents are questioning routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect of the political schism that emerged during the pandemic around...
Census Bureau sees an older, more diverse America in 2100 in 3 immigration scenarios
By the end of the century, the U.S. population will be declining without substantial immigration, older adults will outnumber children and white, non- Hispanic, residents will account for less than 50% of the population, according to projections released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The population projections offer a glimpse...
Man receives the first eye transplant plus a new face
NEW YORK — Surgeons have performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant — although it’s far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye. An accident with high-voltage power lines had destroyed most...
Butler Health System losses nearly doubled in 2023, according to financial statements
Butler Health System’s losses almost doubled in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to newly released financial documents. The system, which in January merged with Excela Health to create Independence Health System, lost $43.3 million in fiscal year 2023. Butler Health reported $22.8 million in losses in the fiscal...
Ohio just legalized recreational marijuana. What does that mean for Pennsylvania?
On Tuesday, Ohio became the 24th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana after having a medical-only program in place. Now all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors, except West Virginia, allow recreational marijuana use. Pennsylvania passed medical marijuana laws in 2016. Pennsylvania medical marijuana patients must now be diagnosed with at least...
FDA approves new version of diabetes drug Mounjaro for weight loss
A new version of the popular diabetes treatment Mounjaro can be sold as a weight-loss drug, U.S. regulators announced Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s drug, named Zepbound. The drug, also known as tirzepatide, helped dieters lose as much as 40 to 60 pounds in testing....
Syphilis cases in U.S. newborns skyrocketed in 2022. Health officials suggest more testing
NEW YORK — Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. More than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis...
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to expand heart institute
About 600 kids come to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh each year for heart operations. The demand for care is so great that the Lawrenceville hospital is expanding its Heart Institute to handle the growing number of patients. Many patients travel from outside the state or country. “This year is...
Drugs aren’t required to be tested in people who are obese. Here’s why that’s a problem
More than 40% of American adults are considered obese, yet the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. And often, they’re explicitly excluded. “Clinical trials and dosing instructions don’t always ensure that drugs will be safe...
Carnegie Mellon receives $25M gift for computational biology from trustee and wife
Carnegie Mellon University has received a $25 million gift from longtime Trustee Ray Lane and his wife, Stephanie, to support the institution’s Computational Biology Department. Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian announced the gift in a note to campus Monday afternoon. He called it a “monumental investment” in an expanding area...
Mind-altering ketamine becomes new pain treatment, despite little research or regulation
WASHINGTON — As U.S. doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy. Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in recent years, driven by for-profit clinics and telehealth services offering the...
What would recreational marijuana legalization do for Pennsylvania tax revenue?
Seven years after Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical use, lawmakers are debating whether to allow recreational use — and what that would look like. It has created quite a buzz in the evolving industry. “Pennsylvania has a lot of market potential,” said Brendan Mitchel- Chesebro, a marketing content manager for...
Insurance experts expect movement from lapsed Medicaid recipients to ACA plans
Insurance companies and health care advisers are bracing for an influx of customers seeking help with understanding Affordable Care Act insurance after they lost Medicaid coverage this year. April 1 saw the end of the pandemic-era extension for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. Recipients who didn’t need...
More fruit pouches for kids are being recalled because of illnesses that are linked to lead
Federal health officials are expanding an investigation into potentially lead-tainted pouches of apple cinnamon fruit puree marketed for children amid reports of more illnesses and additional product recalls. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has received reports of seven illnesses in at least five states possibly linked to...
Jeannette woman to lead international pharmacist group
A Jeannette pharmacist is taking her seat as the leader of an international pharmacy advocacy organization that works to care for senior patients. Deborah Milito of Diamond Pharmacy Services was installed as president of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists on Oct. 26, after having spent a year as the...
AGH, nurses strike deal on 3-year contract
After a final 26-hour negotiation meeting, unionized nurses at Allegheny General Hospital struck a deal with hospital management on a new contract. The three-year agreement between the 1,200 nurses and nurse practitioners represented by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and AGH’s parent company, Allegheny Health Network, will make significant investments in wages...
How daylight saving time can seriously affect your healthVideo
CHICAGO — Brunch dates and flag football games might be a little easier to get to this Sunday, when phones grace early-risers with an extra hour of rest before alarm clocks go off. The downside: Next week across most of the U.S., the sun will set well before many folks...
