Health News
- Uk Hospital, Troubled By Deaths In Pediatric Heart Program, Says It Will Partner With Cincinnati Children's Hospital
The University of Kentucky hospital, which suspended its pediatric heart program three years ago after five of its patients died, has signed a letter of intent to form a partnership with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for heart...
- Resigned Heart Surgeon Wins Settlement From Uk, Which Plans To Upgrade Program He Left But Won't Say Why It Was Suspended
Dr. Mark PlunkettThe University of Kentucky will pay Dr. Mark Plunkett more than $1 million as part of a settlement after Plunkett's pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program at UK was suspended for reasons still unclear. The agreement with the heart...
- Chief Of Cardiothoracic Surgery And Pediatric Heart Program At Uk, Suspended From Surgeries, Takes Job In Florida
Dr. Mark Plunkett, the chief University of Kentucky cardiothoracic surgeon whose surgery program was suspended last year for unspecified reasons, has accepted a new job a the University of Florida. The internal review of UK HealthCare's pediatric...
- Statewide Smoking Ban Close To House Vote, Stumbo Says
For the second straight year, the state House Health and Welfare Committee has approved a bill that would ban smoking in enclosed public places or workplaces. It is still unlikely to become law, but might get farther in the legislative process. "The proposal...
- Deaths From Drug Overdoses In Kentucky Hit New High In 2010; More Than Half Involved Prescription Drugs
Deaths from drug overdoses in Kentucky jumped to a new high in 2010, and "rose a staggering 296 percent from 2000 to 2010," Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. "A tidal wave of prescription-drug abuse drove the steep increase," with...
Health News
Petition drive from parents asks UK Healthcare to release mortality rates for cardiothoracic surgeries on children
More than 250 people have signed a petition asking the University of Kentucky hospital "to make public the mortality rates for pediatric cardiothoracic surgery patients from 2010, 2011 and 2012," Linda Blackford reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "All pediatric cardiothoracic surgeries were suspended at UK last fall amid an internal review." UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Monday the investigation is not complete.
"In May, the state attorney general's office issued an opinion that said UK must release mortality rates and other data about the cardiothoracic surgery program to WUKY, the university-owned radio station," Blackford reports. "UK has acknowledged that it calculated mortality rates for the program as part of its investigation, but has refused to release them, citing patient confidentiality laws." The Herald-Leader also requested the information under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
The three-year span includes the tenure of ardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Plunkett, who no longer works at UK. Jennifer Allen, whose one-year-old daughter died after having three surgeries performed by Dr. Plunkett, wrote on the petition, "We deserve to know this information, we CAN understand and comprehend this information. It is our right to know and the right of the public!" Allen's daughter suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and can't pump blood properly. Allen told Blackford she finds it "very suspicious" that UK won't release the information. UK says there were so few surgeries at times that patients' identities could be deduced.
Tabitha Rainey, whose son survived cardiothoracic surgery at UK, before being moved to another hospital, started the petition after being interviewed by CNN, which reported on the issue over the weekend and updated its story today with news of the petition. She said she doesn't accept UK's response that publicly releasing mortality rates would somehow harm patient confidentiality, telling Blackford, "There are no names and no dates, just the data on how many have passed on." (Read more)
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpReadmore here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy, wrto
"In May, the state attorney general's office issued an opinion that said UK must release mortality rates and other data about the cardiothoracic surgery program to WUKY, the university-owned radio station," Blackford reports. "UK has acknowledged that it calculated mortality rates for the program as part of its investigation, but has refused to release them, citing patient confidentiality laws." The Herald-Leader also requested the information under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
The three-year span includes the tenure of ardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Plunkett, who no longer works at UK. Jennifer Allen, whose one-year-old daughter died after having three surgeries performed by Dr. Plunkett, wrote on the petition, "We deserve to know this information, we CAN understand and comprehend this information. It is our right to know and the right of the public!" Allen's daughter suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and can't pump blood properly. Allen told Blackford she finds it "very suspicious" that UK won't release the information. UK says there were so few surgeries at times that patients' identities could be deduced.
Tabitha Rainey, whose son survived cardiothoracic surgery at UK, before being moved to another hospital, started the petition after being interviewed by CNN, which reported on the issue over the weekend and updated its story today with news of the petition. She said she doesn't accept UK's response that publicly releasing mortality rates would somehow harm patient confidentiality, telling Blackford, "There are no names and no dates, just the data on how many have passed on." (Read more)
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpReadmore here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/05/2751040/parents-push-petition-urging-uk.html#storylink=cpy, wrto
- Uk Hospital, Troubled By Deaths In Pediatric Heart Program, Says It Will Partner With Cincinnati Children's Hospital
The University of Kentucky hospital, which suspended its pediatric heart program three years ago after five of its patients died, has signed a letter of intent to form a partnership with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for heart...
- Resigned Heart Surgeon Wins Settlement From Uk, Which Plans To Upgrade Program He Left But Won't Say Why It Was Suspended
Dr. Mark PlunkettThe University of Kentucky will pay Dr. Mark Plunkett more than $1 million as part of a settlement after Plunkett's pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program at UK was suspended for reasons still unclear. The agreement with the heart...
- Chief Of Cardiothoracic Surgery And Pediatric Heart Program At Uk, Suspended From Surgeries, Takes Job In Florida
Dr. Mark Plunkett, the chief University of Kentucky cardiothoracic surgeon whose surgery program was suspended last year for unspecified reasons, has accepted a new job a the University of Florida. The internal review of UK HealthCare's pediatric...
- Statewide Smoking Ban Close To House Vote, Stumbo Says
For the second straight year, the state House Health and Welfare Committee has approved a bill that would ban smoking in enclosed public places or workplaces. It is still unlikely to become law, but might get farther in the legislative process. "The proposal...
- Deaths From Drug Overdoses In Kentucky Hit New High In 2010; More Than Half Involved Prescription Drugs
Deaths from drug overdoses in Kentucky jumped to a new high in 2010, and "rose a staggering 296 percent from 2000 to 2010," Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. "A tidal wave of prescription-drug abuse drove the steep increase," with...