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Report shows majority of Florida hospitals are not complying with the federal price transparency law

Report shows majority of Florida hospitals are not complying with the federal price transparency law

A new report shows that 18 months after a law went into effect that requires hospitals to post prices online, most hospitals continue to hide the cost of care from patients. The report from PatientRightsAdvocate.org shows that 80% of the hospitals surveyed in Florida are not complying with the law. Cynthia Fisher, the website’s founder and chairman, said no other part of the economy requires people write a blank check for service. More from WUSF and Spectrum News.

U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to hear a case on a Florida health coach giving dietary advice

A woman who operated a health and nutrition coaching business asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to take up a First Amendment challenge to a Florida law that blocked her from providing dietary advice to clients. Heather Kokesch Del Castillo, a Northwest Florida resident, was cited by the state Department of Health in 2017 for getting paid to provide dietary advice without being a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida residents testing positive for COVID decreased the past two weeks

The numbers of Florida residents testing positive for COVID-19 have decreased the past two weeks, according to data released Friday. The state had a reported 54,353 new cases during the week that started Aug. 5, the first time in at least 10 weeks that it had fewer than 65,000 new cases, according to the data from the Florida Department of Health. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida rations limited supply of monkeypox vaccines as infections go up

The number of monkeypox cases in Florida continues to rise. And while the health department says the threat to the general population remains low, some local doctors say the lack of testing and vaccines is making the outbreak worse. "This exponential growth is continuing and it's going to continue as long as we have a shortage of testing supplies and vaccination,” said Dr. Aftab Khan, a local internal medicine specialist. Advertisement Khan says testing supplies for monkeypox are so limited that they're being rationed. [Source: WESH]

Florida receives $1.5 million grant for rural health workforce training

The funding is part of HHS’ $60 million commitment to rural health workforce programs nationwide and will go towards the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program (RPHWTNP). A nationwide health worker shortage, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is driving demand to fill vacant positions. The RPHWTNP program will connect awardees, such as CommHIT, to technical assistance providers for a 3-year period. [Source: State of Reform]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Open drugs and doctors lacking hospital privileges at a Miami plastic surgery center?
A state inspector found that doctors performing cosmetic surgery at a Miami office surgery location might not have had the proper hospital backup that can save a patient’s life if things go wrong, according to a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint. That was among the office surgery violations a Department of Health inspector found at Miami Surgical Center.

› Many in Citrus County can't afford doctor visit
There is no shortage of sick in Citrus County who have no health insurance, or if they do, they still can’t afford to see a doctor. According to Florida HealthCharts, which uses Department of Health data, 32 percent of Citrus County residents between the ages of 18-44 years did not see a doctor in 2019 because they could not afford the cost. It was nearly 30 percent for those 45-64 years old.

› Trans advocates criticize Florida rule that bans Medicaid from covering gender-affirming treatment
On Aug. 1, the state Agency for Health Care Administration quietly finalized a rule that bans Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for many poor and disabled transgender people. Under the rule, which goes into effect Aug. 21, Medicaid would not cover puberty-blocking meds, hormones and hormone “antagonists,” gender-affirmation surgeries and “other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

› St. Petersburg mayor rejects Moffitt cancer project over affordable housing
Mayor Ken Welch on Friday rejected plans for a new Moffitt cancer treatment clinic, residences and a hotel because he said it did not include enough affordable housing. The redevelopment of the city-owned 800 block of 1st Avenue S was the first project subject to the city’s Community Benefits Agreement enacted under Welch’s predecessor.