Healthcare Roundup—Eleventh child dies in New Jersey adenovirus outbreak

Eleventh child dies in New Jersey adenovirus outbreak 

An eleventh child has died as a result of an adenovirus outbreak in a New Jersey rehabilitation facility, state health officials said. 

Thirty-four children with compromised immune systems have been diagnosed with the virus, which typically causes flu-like symptoms in pediatric patients. The strain of the virus linked to this outbreak, health officials said, is associated with communal living arrangements. 

New admissions to Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, New Jersey, are on hold and the state is planning to bring in a team of infection control experts to assess their policies and retrain staff if needed. (Reuters

Texas behavioral health system charged with unlawfully holding patients 

The company running a group of Texas psychiatric hospitals has been charged with illegally holding four of its patients, two of whom were admitted voluntarily. 

SAS Healthcare was indicted on nine charges. Sundance Behavioral Healthcare System allegedly held two patients longer than the 48 hours allowed in the absence of a court order, and prevented two voluntary patients from leaving the facility. 

“People turned to what they thought was a trusted medical facilty and were not allowed to leave as the law requires,” District Attorney Sharen Wilson said. “These offenses were a corporate failure, and the corporation should be held accountable.” 

Attorneys for SAS Healthcare say the charges ignore laws that give providers leeway to make medical decisions. (The Associated Press

Doctor charged for issuing patients medical marijuana without an in-person visit 

A Florida physician has been charged with illegally issuing medical marijuana cards for patients he interviewed over the phone and via a closed-circuit TV. 

Tommy Louisville, M.D., has had his medical license restricted and faces up to a year in county jail. Louisville, according to court documents, issued a card to a patient he interviewed on the phone while waiting for a train and also to a patient he assessed in less than 90 seconds—and who said he needed an excuse for a positive marijuana result on an employer drug test. 

Prosecutors in Broward County, Florida, hope the case could serve as a deterrent to other physicians. (The Orlando Sentinel