‘Heartbreaking’ delays for autism diagnosis and treatment

By Andy Miller and Jenny Gold Wylie James Prescott, 3, had to wait more than a year after his autism diagnosis to begin behavioral therapy, even though research shows early treatment of autism can be crucial for children’s long-term development. His mother, Brandie Kurtz, said his therapy wasn’t approved through Georgia’s Medicaid program until recently,…

State hits Anthem with whopping fine for insurance violations

By Rebecca Grapevine and Andy Miller The state insurance department has levied a $5 million fine against health insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, the largest such penalty in the agency’s history, for violations of state law involving medical providers and consumers. Insurance Commissioner John King, at a Tuesday news conference at the State Capitol,…

Bill in Legislature targets dangerous ‘surgical smoke’

In operating rooms, the smoke created by surgery can be a health hazard for those breathing it in. Such “surgical smoke’’ is a byproduct of the thermal destruction of human tissue by the use of lasers or other devices. According to the CDC, the smoke has been shown to contain toxic gases, vapors and particulates,…

Judge extends order, keeping Northside patients in Anthem network till spring

 By Andy Miller and Ariel Hart A Fulton County judge Friday extended a reprieve in the contract dispute between Northside Hospital and Anthem until April 15, delaying for a second time the need for thousands of patients to switch doctors. Northside patients who have Anthem insurance have been caught in the middle of the battle between the…

No break from Covid: Metro Atlanta medical officials urge vaccinations

A 70-year-old man recently entered a metro Atlanta hospital after a fall. He subsequently tested positive for Covid, this is why it is import for concierge covid testing for those who have covid symptoms.. So did his daughter, who drove him to the hospital. Eight other family members also tested positive. Branstetter Three of the…

What the Kemp budget has for health care — and what it doesn’t

Extending Medicaid coverage for women who have given birth. Higher pay for physicians serving Georgia’s poor. More money for rural health care. In many ways, health care is getting a boost in Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget. Kemp’s proposed budget envisions a record $30.2 billion in state spending next year. The highest-profile items include $5,000 pay raises…

Potential remedies to stubborn problems in rural health care

Part 5 of a Special Report The concept isn’t exactly new. Free-standing ERs — affiliated with hospitals but not physically connected to them — have cropped up in many areas, generally in suburban or urban locations where large numbers of local residents have private insurance. They provide emergency medical services apart from a regular hospital…

‘Are you going to keep me safe?’ Violence against hospital workers rising

By Bram Sable-Smith and Andy Miller The San Leandro Hospital emergency department, where nurse Mawata Kamara works, went into lockdown recently when a visitor, agitated about being barred from seeing a patient due to covid-19 restrictions, threatened to bring a gun to the California facility. It wasn’t the first time the department faced a gun…

Commentary: Georgia weak on doctor oversight

Georgia is at the bottom in the rate of “serious actions” taken against physicians by state medical boards, according to Public Citizen. And that’s a problem, argues Jack Bernard in a new GHN Commentary. “Georgia is not monitoring its physician quality-of-care problems as well as Kentucky,” which is the most active state in such actions,…

Covid surge eases slightly, but swamped hospitals see no relief

The state’s Covid cases and hospitalizations have dipped over the past week, Georgia health officials have reported. But that drop isn’t relieving the pressure on the front lines of hospitals — both smaller facilities and large urban centers. Take Appling Healthcare, which operates a rural hospital of 34 beds in Baxley, in southeast Georgia. The…