Report shows infant death increase
ATLANTA -- A state report on Georgia child deaths in 2014 points to a persistent problem: More than 30 percent of the fatalities reviewed were sleep-related.The report found that 503 children died...
View ArticlePeachCare, Medicaid data breach affects thousands
ATLANTA -- A health insurer’s data breach has affected 148,334 Georgians on Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids, state officials say.That total includes current and former Medicaid and PeachCare members...
View ArticleStudy: Georgia tobacco control efforts flunk
ATLANTA -- Georgia received three F’s and one C in the latest American Lung Association assessment of states’ tobacco control efforts, released this week.The 2016 Georgia grades, the same as last year,...
View ArticleAugusta University study points to secondhand smoke as threat to kids
Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, an Augusta University study has found.Researchers looked at passive smoke exposure in 220 overweight or...
View ArticleGeorgia Medicaid, PeachCare contract worth billions, still in limbo
ATLANTA -- Last fall, three losing bidders filed a protest over Georgia’s selection of vendors for a multibillion-dollar Medicaid and PeachCare contract.More than four months later, the state review of...
View ArticleAugusta study points to secondhand smoke as threat to kids
Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, an Augusta University study has found.Researchers looked at passive smoke exposure in 220 overweight or...
View ArticleLawmakers debate hospital certificate of need bill
ATLANTA -- A bill just introduced in the General Assembly would scrap the state’s current health care regulatory apparatus, known as certificate of need or CON.Georgia’s CON laws play a crucial role in...
View ArticleGa. House OKs tax credits for rural health donations
ATLANTA -- The Georgia House passed a bill Thursday that would allow an individual or corporation to get a state tax credit for donating money to a rural health care organization.The sponsor, Rep....
View ArticleGeorgia health care controversy in Legislature
ATLANTA -- After two contentious hearings, a Georgia House health committee recently approved a bill that would allow dental hygienists to practice in safety-net settings without a dentist present.The...
View ArticleGeorgia Medicaid contract upheld
ATLANTA -- A state agency has rejected the protests of three losing bidders over the state’s selection of vendors for a multibillion-dollar Medicaid and PeachCare contract.Unsuccessful bidders...
View ArticleEmory Hospital reports large-scale drug thefts
ATLANTA -- Two pharmacy employees at Emory University Hospital Midtown illegally diverted more than 1 million doses of controlled drugs in a scheme that lasted more than four years, according to a...
View ArticleBill creating tax credits for rural care donations fails
ATLANTA -- A Senate health committee Monday unexpectedly rejected a bill that would allow an individual or corporation to get a state tax credit for donating money to a rural health care...
View ArticleBill aims to erase errors in medical directories
ATLANTA -- Open enrollment can bring a big decision for consumers: Which health coverage plan do I choose?And much of that decision is based on whether the consumer’s favorite doctor or hospital is...
View ArticleGeorgia flu season not done yet
ATLANTA -- Hospitals across the state are seeing an uptick in flu cases, and public health officials say the illness has now become widespread in Georgia.Yet compared with past flu seasons, this one...
View ArticleMedicaid expansion would help Georgia mental health, drug patients
ATLANTA — Expanding the state’s Medicaid program could bring tens of thousands of low-income Georgians into treatment for mental health and substance use problems, federal officials say.A U.S....
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