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Florida, other states say generic drug firms conspired

Florida, other states say generic drug firms conspired

Alleging a conspiracy that has increased drug prices, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Monday that Florida has joined states across the country in a massive anti-trust lawsuit against generic drug manufacturers. Florida is one of 43 states and Puerto Rico taking part in the lawsuit filed in federal district court in Connecticut against numerous generic-drug companies and executives. Read the statement from Attorney General Moody and see more from , WUSF and NBC Miami.

Report: Florida improves 'health security' ranking

Florida has improved its ranking in an annual report that rates states on how prepared they are for public health emergences. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation analyzed which states are leaving themselves at risk to infectious disease, antibiotic resistance, terrorism, weather emergencies, or other threats in the "2019 National Health Security Preparedness Index" report.  See the report here and read more from WLRN and the  South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

What healthcare looks like inside Florida prisons and jails

Federal law requires prisons and jails to provide medical care to people who are incarcerated. But recent research shows lack of access to healthcare for inmates held in South Florida prisons and jails is not uncommon. In a medical journal, South Florida researchers make the case that too many inmates die in part because "they lack adequate access to timely (health) care." Dr. Tanya Zakrison, a former trauma surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital and one of the researchers, spoke about the team’s findings. [Source: WLRN]

Are most Americans overpaying for health care? A new study says yes — by a lot.

Private health insurance plans in 2017 paid more than twice what Medicare would have for those same health care services, says a sweeping new study from Rand Corp., a respected research organization. Its study, which examines payment rates by private insurers in 25 states to 1,600 hospitals, shines light into a black box of the health industry: what hospitals and other medical providers charge. [Source: ]

North Florida grapples with an emerging, hurricane-induced mental health crisis

In the heart of Panama City homes, businesses and churches damaged by the storm are still waiting on repairs. That’s not the only damage the storm caused. “We’ve seen a lot of anxiety that sort of thing and but we also depression, PTSD," says Mike Barbour, the Assistant Administrator at the Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital in Panama City. It recently reopened, and in the short time it's been operational, Barbour says he's treated active military servicemen and women, and other adults trying to cope in the aftermath of the storm. [Source: ]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Targeted Oncology adds The Florida Society of Clinical Oncology to its Strategic Alliance Partnership Program
Targeted Oncology™, a multimedia resource that offers content and expert opinions on standard and emerging treatments in the oncology field, announces the addition of The Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO) to its Strategic Alliance Partnership (SAP) program.

› Pilot program merges the arts with medicine to help patients at Vero Beach cancer center
Guitar music reminiscent of the 1960s and ’70s. Jazz vocals with keyboard accompaniment filling the air. Water colors bringing pictures to life. A college classroom? A Sunday afternoon tea? No, it’s the chemotherapy infusion room at Florida Cancer Specialists in Vero Beach, the first private clinical practice in Florida to offer an arts and medicine program for patients dealing with a serious illness.

› Tampa boy to resume court-ordered chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treatment will resume Thursday for a toddler battling cancer. A Hillsborough County judge ordered the parents of a Noah McAdams with cancer must get him chemotherapy. The judge is mandating the first phase of chemotherapy for the 3-year-old boy. It’s expected to last 28 days. According to Florida law, when it’s a situation of life or death, the state can mandate medical treatment for a child.

› Pulmonary, sleep medicine practice hires medical director
Dr. Joseph Daley has been named sole medical director of Pulmonary Consultants of Southwest Florida, where he will oversee the Cape Coral-based practice’s pulmonary and sleep medicine services that include sleep solutions and the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions.