By REESA N. BENKOFF, ESQ
Benkoff Health Law, PLLC
On August 22, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced proposed changes to the Confidentiality of Substance Abuse Disorder Patient Records regulations, set forth in 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2). Part 2 protects and prevents access to patient records created by federally assisted substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment programs. SUD is a defined term, and includes cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that an individual continues using a substance despite significant substance-related problems such as impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological tolerance and withdrawal, but does [Read More]

House Votes To Put Warnings On Pot For Mothers, Breastfeeders
The House voted overwhelmingly Sep. 10 to put warning labels on recreational and medical marijuana products, to tell pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers that smoking pot can have harmful effects on their infants.

Members voted 105-4 on HB 4126 and HB 4127, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) and Rep. Daire Rendon (R-Lake City), to require labels in the same way tobacco and alcohol products carry warning labels now.

“There’s been some pretty alarming studies showing that in an unfortunate trend, a lot of women are continuing to use marijuana while they are pregnant,” Albert said. “It is pretty shocking that someone would [Read More]

ALLAN DOBZYNIAK, MD
It is notable how the concept of “Medicare for all” has presently provoked such vigorous support by the Democrat leadership. With Obamacare moving the balance so close to single-payer via political muscle, to have a reversal of this embedded ideological goal is intolerable to the left. The thought of placing any entitlement back on the bargaining table and above politics, healthcare in particular, continues to be outside of mainstream Democratic mainstream ideological thinking. There is no guarantee an expanding welfare state can continue, despite emotional pandering that eclipses this reality. The weaponization of emotional issues to manipulate people, such as “virtue signaling,” is a despicable tactic. To create [Read More]

By JULIE APPLEBY & ELIZABETH LUCAS
When they started practicing medicine, most surgeons say, there was little or no information about just how many pain pills patients needed after specific procedures.

As a result, patients often were sent home with the equivalent of handfuls of powerful and addictive medications. Then the opioid crisis hit, along with studies showing one possible side effect of surgery is long-term dependence on pain pills. These findings prompted some medical centers and groups of physicians to establish surgery-specific guidelines.

But questions remained: Would anyone pay attention to the guidelines and would smaller amounts be sufficient to control patients’ pain?

Yes, appears to be the answer to both — in [Read More]

While most doctors in Michigan believe the state’s new rules for prescribing opioids will help to address the overuse epidemic, only 20 percent have been trained in Medication-Assisted Treatment and nearly two-thirds said they aren’t interested in getting trained.

Those were the results of a recent survey of some 600 primary care providers by the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan to gauge sentiment of the state’s 2017 efforts to deter over prescribing, including mandatory use of the Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS).

“CHRT’s physician survey shows that Michigan’s new requirements for MAPS reporting are generally supported by primary care physicians in Michigan. However, physician interest [Read More]

By EWA MATUSZEWSKI
One of the most interesting aspects of writing a healthcare column is that the topics can be wide-ranging because the issues surrounding physical and behavioral health and the community of care providers are so vast and far reaching. That being said, I believe I am introducing a topic today that is rarely discussed: What are we to do with incarcerated physicians who happen to be qualified clinicians? For physicians who have not committed capital crimes or crimes related to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, should we be considering the establishment of guidelines and programs for acceptable use of their medical skills behind bars?

Over the course of my career [Read More]

Allen Park Retirees Get 2nd Chance At Lawsuit Over Healthcare Benefit Changes

The Allen Park Retirees Association will get a second chance at pursuing its lawsuit against the city alleging retirees’ healthcare was improperly changed.
The Michigan Court of Appeals held it “makes little sense” to consider if the trial court erred when it dismissed APRA’s suit since a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision altered its argument, according to an opinion published Aug. 13 from Judges David H. Sawyer and Mark J. Cavanagh. Judge Deborah A. Servitto concurred in the result only.

“We prefer to have the trial court analyze the issue in the first instance,” the court’s opinion noted. “Accordingly, the better [Read More]

By ROLF E. LOW
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the HITECH Act) enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contains several provisions intended to strengthen Privacy and Security Rules in the Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). One of these provisions gives state attorneys general (SAG) the authority to bring civil actions on behalf of state residents for violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.

The Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, which has oversight of HIPAA violations at the federal level, is also involved in actions brought by SAGs. The Office of Civil Rights [Read More]

By VICTORIA KNIGHT
Despite hospital systems and health officials calling out the need for more primary care doctors, graduates of U.S. medical schools are becoming less likely to choose to specialize in one of those fields.

A record-high number of primary care positions was offered in the 2019 National Resident Matching Program — known to doctors as “the Match.” It determines where a medical student will study in their chosen specialty after graduation. But this year, the percentage of primary care positions filled by fourth-year medical students was the lowest on record.

“I think part of it has to do with income,” said Mona Signer, the CEO of the Match. “Primary care specialties [Read More]

The state wants to end an agreement with the local public entity responsible for administering mental health services in West Michigan and instead go directly through a private health provider, sparking concern of the “privatization overnight” of mental health care.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced June 28 it plans to end its contract with Lakeshore Regional Entity, the pre-paid inpatient plan (PIHP) covering the region containing Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason and Lake counties.

In mental health service delivery, the state contracts with regional, locally controlled public entities known as PIHPs to administer behavioral health care services. The PIHPs in turn contract with the local community mental [Read More]