Farmers' medical benefits plan signed into law
Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed several heath care-related bills, including a measure to allow the Florida Farm Bureau to offer largely unregulated medical coverage to members. The bill (SB 480), which overwhelmingly passed the Legislature in April, will clear the way for “medical benefit plans” for farmers and ranchers that would not be subject to the same state and federal regulations as health insurance. [Source: Health News Florida]
Call centers replaced many doctors’ receptionists. Now, AI is coming for call centers
Health risks and night shifts aside, call center workers have a new concern: artificial intelligence. Startups are marketing AI products with lifelike voices to schedule or cancel medical visits, refill prescriptions, and help triage patients. Soon, many patients might initiate contact with the health system not by speaking with a call center worker or receptionist, but with AI. [Source: WUSF]
New NSU president aims to transform medical education amid Florida’s critical needs for health care
As Dr. Harry Moon settles into his chair behind a cherrywood desk at Nova Southeastern University, he doesn’t have time to get comfortable. Moon, who became president of the university four months ago, already is reimagining what the university must become to meet the complex healthcare challenges of the next decade. Moon inherits a university with an outsized role in Florida’s health workforce. NSU graduates more healthcare professionals than any other institution in the state. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Governor signs legislation compensating firefighters for training injuries
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed SB 1202, which ensures firefighters who are totally and permanently disabled in training exercises will still have insurance coverage for themselves and their families, including spouses and children under the age of 25. Total and permanent disability must be determined by two independent doctors to qualify for this coverage. [Source: Florida Politics]
South Florida sees second case of measles as U.S. outbreak continues.
A child in Broward County has become the second confirmed case of measles in South Florida in the last two months, state records showed. The newest case was confirmed to be a child who is less than 5 years old and contracted the virus outside the United States, according to the Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report. It was reported in April, and no other information was released. [Source: Miami Herald]
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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida Blue and Broward Health at an impasse as contract deadline approaches
The clock is ticking louder for Florida Blue policyholders as the insurer and Broward Health remain at an impasse on a new agreement after three months of negotiations. If no deal is reached, Broward Health will be out of network for Florida Blue customers after June 30, when the current hospital-insurer contract ends. The stalemate, as with similar insurer-hospital contract negotiations in recent years, centers on how much more Florida Blue would need to reimburse the hospital for patient care.
› What’s the future of kids’ healthcare in Miami? FIU and Nicklaus have a plan
A new treatment for cardiovascular disease in kids? Breakthrough in cancer care or for other chronic conditions? More research and clinical trials to help treat rare and complex conditions in children will soon be underway as part of a new deal that turns Nicklaus Children’s Health System, which runs one of the state’s top children’s hospitals, into the official pediatric teaching hospital of Florida International University’s medical school.
› For kids with autism, swim classes can be lifesaving. But they’re not easy to get.
In Florida, a state where water abounds from beaches to backyards, over 100 children who had autism or were being evaluated for it have drowned since the start of 2021, according to the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County. The numbers highlight an oft-overlooked dilemma: Autism makes swimming instruction all the more necessary but, often, all the more difficult to get.
› Brevard County ERs busy after holiday weekend; doctors warn of summer health risks
With the holiday weekend wrapping up, emergency rooms in Brevard County were busy with patients. As the summer season begins, more families will be spending time outdoors. Health officials are issuing a warning to help ensure your summer stays safe. "With the holiday weekends, you have an increase in incidents involving individuals with high-risk health conditions such as heart failure and diabetes," said Dr. Kevin Freels, medical director of the emergency department at Orlando Health in Melbourne.