McCain makes health care policy speech in Tampa

Sen. John McCain speaks this morning at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute in Tampa. [CARRIE PRATT | Times]

TAMPA -- In a talk at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute this morning, Sen. John McCain railed against government-funded universal health care, instead proposing to give patients more insurance choices to promote market competition and lower prices.

"The key to real reform is to restore control of the health care system to the patients themselves," he said.

New smog standard may mean expensive changes for Tampa Bay area

Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties could face expensive steps to reduce smog to meet new air pollution standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency this week.

Reducing pollution may require expensive changes to the gasoline sold in this area, Hillsborough County officials say. It is also likely to mean tougher restrictions on the power plants and incinerators that still have smoke stacks spewing nitrogen oxide, a key component in smog. However, the changes are likely to improve the respiratory health of the bay area's youngest and oldest residents, county officials said.

Currently, the standard for average concentrations of ozone at ground level over an eight-hour period is 84 parts per billion (ppb). The EPA's expert panel recommended a new level of 60 to 70 parts per billion. The EPA decided to lower it to 75.

Hillsborough and Pasco counties are among 10 Florida counties that do not currently meet the new EPA air pollution standard. While Pinellas does meet the standard, air pollution does not stop at the county line and any pollution control measures required in Pasco and Hillsborough are likely to be applied to Pinellas as well, said Jerry Campbell of Hillsborough County’s Environmental Protection Commission.

Hillsborough's level is 81 ppb, while Pasco's is 76. Just south of the Tampa Bay area, Manatee and Sarasota counties both are at 76 ppb as well.

--Craig Pittman and Asjylyn Loder

[John Pendygraft, Times archives]

Bayfront resumes trauma status

ST. PETERSBURG -- Bayfront Medical Center has resumed its status as a Level II adult trauma center after a 48-hour voluntary suspension.

Bayfront temporarily diverted trauma victims to Tampa hospitals because of a shortage of neurosurgeons, which are required in trauma centers 24 hours a day. Bayfront resumed its trauma status at 7 a.m.

The diversion applied only to trauma patients transported in the local EMS system. Bayfront continued to treat other patients at its trauma center.

- Times staff writer

Brown-Waite: Doctor database could help VA

U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite said a national doctor database with public information about disciplinary actions might have helped prevent the kind of tragedy that has unfolded at a veterans' hospital in the midwest.

Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which held a hearing earlier this week on issues surrounding the death of 19 patients at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Marion, Ill.

"Giving patients and families access to vital information about their doctors is an excellent way to weed out poor medical professionals and help reduce preventable errors and deaths," Brown-Waite said in a statement.

Brown-Waite pointed to a similar doctor database she said she helped create in Florida that also includes information on malpractice suits.

"Sadly, nothing like the Florida program exists in other states or on the national level," she said.

Investigators have flagged 19 deaths at the Illinois hospital during the last two years that they say are possibly the result of substandard care. They say hospital spervisors moved to slowly to address concerns.

-- William R. Levesque, Times staff writer

Crist to announce drug discount card

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will announce a new program Thursday that will help low-income Floridians buy prescription drugs at discount prices, supposedly with a savings averaging 20 to 30 percent, the St. Petersburg Times has learned.

The program, patterned after a similar discount card in Ohio, will be announced at an 11 a.m. news conference in St. Petersburg. The plan would be available to people under 60 who have no other drug insurance and have incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $30,000 for a single person and about $60,000 for a family of four.

People over 60 would qualify with no income restriction, which could help people on Medicare cover some of their out-of-pocket costs through Medicare Part D's infamous "doughnut hole.''

The discount card could be used at more than 7,000 pharmacies statewide.

In Ohio, the state negotiates brand-name discounts from drug manufacturers, then passes those along to people on the program. The state also negotiates with pharmacies to drop their prices on generic drugs. Although 1.2-million Ohio residents are eligible, only about 112,000 have signed up since the program began in 2005, said Roland Hornbostel, a deputy director at the Ohio Department of Aging.

Among other things, seniors may get similar discounts through a Medicare Part D plan and might not take the effort to use the Ohio discount card just to eke out a little additional savings, he said.

Ohio figures card-holders save 34 percent on average from the regular retail price quoted by pharmacies the day people shop, but Hornbostel acknowledged that savings might be a lot less for people who shop around aggressively in other venues. For example, Wal-Mart, Kmart and some grocery store chains sell some generic drugs for $4 or less.

"If you can get a $4 generic or take the OhioBestRx card, by all means take the $4 generic,'' he said.

The Ohio plan covers hundreds of drugs from 27 different manufacturers, he said.

- Stephen Nohlgren, Times staff writer

Group: Parents need to watch for hazardous toys

Evan Alexander, 3, left, and Dylan Grensel, 2, play with some safe toys in the Children's Choice Daycare facility after a press conference at the Children's Choice Learning Center at Tampa General Hospital today.

TAMPA -- Despite the recent wave of toy recalls, hazardous toys are still on the market, consumer advocates warned today at a news conference in Tampa.

Increased inspections and stiffer punishments for makers of unsafe toys are needed to protect children, said leaders of the Florida Public Interest Research Group, who released their annual toy safety report, "Trouble in Toyland." They were joined at Tuesday's news conference by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, one of 150 co-sponsors of legislation to crack down on unsafe toys.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission desperately needs more funding and more inspectors, Castor said. The agency has only one inspector for toys, she said.

"Frankly, this is outrageous," Castor said. "Unfortunately, this agency has been starved for resources over the years."

Parents need to be vigilant as they shop for toys this holiday season, consumer advocates said. Common hazards include lead paint, magnetic toys, and choking hazards. Lead is a poison that can cause neurological problems. If children swallow more than one magnet, they can stick together inside a child's body, causing intestinal damage or other problems. And even if a toy doesn't have small parts, parents should inspect it for pieces that can break off, creating a choking hazard.

- Lisa Greene, Times staff writer

Tampa General shows off new emergency room

RN Deana Nelson of Tampa General Hospital, gives a tour of one of the six new trauma bays at the hospital this morning. [Carrie Pratt | Times]

TAMPA -- Tampa General Hospital says it's prepped for luxury but planning for disaster with its new emergency room, which was unveiled this morning before a staff disaster drill.

The new emergency room, the Tampa Bay area's only level one trauma center, is about 65,000 square feet, more than twice its old size. It's designed so that the staff can cope with large disasters. In the event of a terrorist attack, plane crash or other crisis, the emergency room can handle triple its normal patient load. It also has isolation rooms and mass decontamination showers.

The new facility can handle 250 patients at once in an emergency.

"It's great news for the citizens of Tampa Bay. Not only will we be able to take more trauma patients, but our waiting times will be shorter," said Ron Hytoff, CEO of the hospital.

The emergency room was designed so that patients can move easily from admitting to treatment. There's a hallway leading straight from the ambulance ramp to the trauma bays. There's another leading directly to operating rooms -- a shorter trip than the current emergency room, where staffers have to take patients through an elevator before surgery.

Patients who arrive on their own go first to triage rooms, where emergency staffers can review their symptoms and send them for further care. The hospital has separate areas to care for chest pain, stroke, and other conditions.

The new emergency room is on the second floor, 22 feet above sea level. Hospital officials say it won't have to be evacuated in a hurricane, despite the hospital's location on low-lying Davis Islands.

The emergency room also boasts features designed for patient comfort: 66 private treatment rooms, a coffee bar for visitors and a pediatric emergency center with a nautical theme and a children's play area.

"It's stressful to be in the emergency room, so we wanted to make it as least stressful as possible,'' said Deana Nelson, the hospital's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The emergency room is part of the hospital's 340,000-square-foot Bayshore Pavilion addition, which in all cost $190-million. When complete, the pavilion will include a new intensive care unit, women's center, cardiovascular center and digestive treatment center.

- Lisa Greene, Times staff writer

Federal agents descend on WellCare

An FBI agent arrived about 9:25 a.m. and told employees they could leave for the day. [Chris Zuppa | Times]

TAMPA -- Federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant this morning at the offices of WellCare Health Plans Inc. on Henderson Road, and people were seen removing materials from the building of the managed care company.

Acting U.S. Attorney James Klindt said FBI agents and law enforcement agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Florida Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit were participating in the execution of the warrant at 8735 Henderson Road in Tampa. The ongoing investigation "does not directly concern, nor should it have any impact upon, the delivery of any health care service to any person," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

The office gave no further details on the investigation. The FBI did not immediately return calls for comment.

Many employees were standing outside the offices this morning, talking on cell phones or heading to their cars to leave.

Steven Meitzen, 51, arrived at WellCare about 9:40 a.m. for a job interview. A sheriff's deputy stopped him when he exited a parking garage elevator and director him to stand with a crowd of about 20 employees waiting outside, he said.

"I was told by a member of the human resources that they thought it was a bomb scare, but they were locked down and not allowed to leave the building," Meitzen said. "Later on, I talked to someone who said (the FBI) had a subpoena and were looking for records."

Meitzen stood by for nearly half an hour, watching "a lot" of unmarked vehicles with flashing ligths surround the property.

"They had a lot of the entrances covered," Metizen said.

WellCare's Web site describes it as a leading provider of managed care services dedicated to government-sponsored health care programs focusing on Medicaid and Medicare plans, including health plans for families, children, the blind and disabled, and prescription drug plans.

Its 2.3-million members are nearly equally divided between Medicare and Medicaid programs, and it posted $3.8-billion in revenue last year, the vast majority of that from state and federal government reimbursements. Profits were $139.2-million, nearly three times its net income after going public in 2004.

In June, Medicare's parent agency announced that seven of the industry's biggest players have agreed to suspend marketing until protective measures take effect to guard against rogue agents enrolling customers in fee-for-service plans they didn't want or need. Among the seven: Tampa's fastest-growing publicly traded company, WellCare Health Plans Inc.

--Bill Coats, Times staff writer

-- Trading was halted in WellCare stock at 10:59 a.m. after it had fallen $5.47 a share to $115.50.

Lightning's Lecavalier pledges $3-million to All Children's

TAMPA -- Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier today announced a $3-million pledge from his charitable foundation toward construction of the pediatric cancer center within the new All Children's Hospital in downtown St. Petersburg. The money will go specifically for a state-of-the-art facility to be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

"I love kids, and I love the Tampa Bay area," Lecavalier said in a prepared statement. "So this is a cause with great meaning to me. I've been fortunate to get to know some of the families. It's sad whenever you see kids that are sick. Coming to the games is an opportunity to put a smile on their faces, but this is a chance to leave a legacy for them and so many others like them for years to come."

Lecavalier, left, hosts families of children with cancer in his VIP suite at several Lightning home games each season and donates money for every goal he scores and assist he makes to the cancer center. The money is matched by corporate sponsors of his Vincent Lecavalier Foundation.

To meet his latest pledge, Lecavalier and legacy partners in his foundation -- including Kane's Furniture and DEX Imaging -- promise to contribute more than half the $3-million over eight years. The remaining money will be raised through community fundraising efforts such as Lecavalier's annual Texas Hold 'Em Celebrity Poker Tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

This year's casino night takes place Nov. 12.

Bill Varian and Ernest Hooper, Times staff writers

USF receives $169-million to study juvenile diabetes

TAMPA -- University of South Florida researchers have received a $169-million federal grant to study the causes of juvenile diabetes in children around the world, the university announced Wednesday.

The National Institutes of Health grant, awarded to a team led by Dr. Jeffrey Krischer, is the largest in USF history. Staff at six clinics in Europe and the United States will screen 360,000 newborns and ultimately track about 8,000 of them for 10 years.

The study seeks to explain why some children get juvenile diabetes, how their environment affects their risk and why incidence of the disease has doubled since the 1980s.

"We know that some children have a greater genetic risk of diabetes, but only 10 percent of those eventually develop the disease. This study gives us a large enough group of newborns to analyze factors in their lifestyle, diet or environment that may trigger the illness," said Krischer, who is co-chair of the study and a professor of pediatrics at USF Health.

Jacob H. Fries, Times staff writer

Former VA worker wins $300,000 judgment

TAMPA -- A federal court jury has awarded $300,000 to a former pharmacist at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center who accused the Department of Veterans Affairs of religious discrimination.

Lynne C. Krop, 45, of Clearwater, who worked as a infectious disease clinical pharmacist and clinical residency director, said the VA refused to allow her to take leave without pay for Jewish religious holidays, among other allegations. Krop said that violated federal law.

Krop said the VA essentially forced her to resign over the dispute in 2004 after 14 years with the agency.

After a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Tampa, a jury on Thursday awarded her $300,000, the maximum allowed by law. The VA declined to comment pending an appeal.

-- William R. Levesque, Times staff writer

Florida residents heard in Oxycontin case

ABINGDON, Va. -- A contingent of residents from Florida, all of whom had suffered because of the drug Oxycontin, traveled to a federal hearing today for pharmaceutical executives accused of illegally marketing the powerful painkiller.

At the hearing, the judge fined Purdue Pharma L.P., the maker of Oxycontin, and the three executives $634.5 million for misleading the public about its risk of addiction.

Among the local residents making the trip was Julie Rinaldi of Tampa, whose daughter Sarah, died at age 17 after an overdose of drugs including Oxycontin. Rinaldi got to testify at the hearing.

After hearing from those who had lost their loved ones to Oxycontin, or had seen their own lives derailed because they became addicted to the drug, the judge added probation to the fines for the executives. Rinaldi and others from Florida, who made up the largest contingent of residents at the hearing, said they were satisfied with the outcome.

Purdue Pharma, its top lawyer and former president and former chief medical officer pleaded guilty in May for claiming that OxyContin was less addictive and less subject to abuse than other pain medications.

Michael Friedman, who retired in June as Purdue's president, general counsel Howard Udell and former chief medical officer Paul Goldenheim each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of misbranding the drug. Of the total fine, $34.5 million was levied on those three.

The judge placed the company on probation for five years and each of the executives on probation for three years. He also ordered the three to perform 400 hours of community service related to prevention of prescription drug abuse.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer, with Associated Press reports

Crist signs infant mortality bill

Gov. Crist greets Evangeline R. Best, of Tampa, center, as Roland Brookins, center left, and Nellie Bythwood, right, look on after Crist signed the Infant Motality Bill into law. [Ken Helle | Times]

TAMPA -- Governor Charlie Crist stopped by an East Tampa library this morning to sign an act allocating $1-million dollars to study why black infants die at higher rates than white infants.

The state’s Department of Health will administer the program and allocate the grant money to Healthy Start coalitions in counties with particularly high black infant morality rates. The grant recipients will examine medical and social causes of infant death and will help design future programs to improve infant survival rates, said Estrellita Berry, project director for central Hillsborough Healthy Start Project.

In Hillsborough, Berry said, black infants die 4.4 times as often as white infants. Three of her friends lost their infants young — one because of diabetes, one from high blood pressure, and one for reasons still unknown.

“We’re off the mark,” she said.

The bill, HB 1269, was sponsored in the House by freshman Rep. Betty Reed (D-59) and in the Senate by Sen. Arthenia Joyner (D-18).

--Sarah Mishkin, Times staff writer

$30-million verdict in malpractice case

TAMPA - A jury decided a woman's injuries are worth $30-million in a medical malpractice verdict delivered Friday.

Sally Lucia, 47, filed a lawsuit after complications from a tummy tuck forced the amputation of all of her fingers and much of her legs.

A six-member jury deliberated for nearly 20 hours before assigning Memorial Hospital of South Tampa 40 percent of the blame. They assigned Dr. George Haedicke, a co-defendant along with Memorial, 20 percent, while another doctor was found responsible for the rest.

The doctor, however, settled with Lucia before the trial. The verdict doesn't apply to him.

Haedicke also would not be responsible to pay because the jury absolved him of "reckless disregard," his lawyer said Friday. The state's "Good Samaritan" statute may now apply to him, leaving him immune from payment.

Attorneys will meet Wednesday with Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Gregory Holder to clarify the judgment and how much Lucia can expect to collect.

Lucia felt so ill from an infection in her abdomen that she traveled by ambulance to Memorial Hospital in South Tampa with flu-like symptoms on Jan. 28, 2001.

Twenty days earlier, she had undergone a tummy tuck to repair abdominal muscle damage she suffered after three caesarean sections.

Thirty hours after Lucia arrived at the hospital, other doctors removed a grapefruit-sized infection from her abdomen. She remained in critical condition when she transferred several days later to Tampa General Hospital.

By then, the tissue in her hands and below her calves had died. From March to May 2001, a succession of surgeries carved away her limbs bit by bit.

Lucia, a mother of three, incurred about $1-million in medical bills.