FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the label, which a California court found is required by state law, might "mislead" consumers, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
- California/Maryland: FDA on Wednesday released a statement that coffee should not come with a cancer warning label. The move comes after a Los Angeles County Superior Court in March ruled that coffee should be subject to labeling under Proposition 65—which requires certain products to contain cancer warnings—because coffee roasting produces the chemical acrylamide. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that research has found little evidence that coffee causes cancer and some evidence that it reduces cancer risk. Gottlieb added, "Simply put, if a state law purports to require food labeling to include a false or misleading statement, the FDA may decide to step in" (Ingber, NPR, 8/30).
- Georgia/Michigan: Beaumont Health will partner with Atlanta-based WellStreet Urgent Care open 30 urgent care centers in the Detroit metropolitan area by the end of 2019, with several opening at the end of this year. John Fox, CEO of the health system, said the new urgent care centers are part of an overall strategy to provide low-cost and convenient care to patients. The centers will offer evening and weekend appointments that patients can book online (Paavola, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/30).
- Pennsylvania: Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center announced Wednesday that Deborah Berini will be the new president of the hospital, effective Sept. 17. Berini recently served as COO of University of Texas Medical Branch Health in Texas. Berini will succeed Alan Brechbill, who served as president of Penn State Hershey since 2006 (Rege, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/30).
What they value: Get to know the 5 types of cancer patients
Cancer patients have more choices for their care than ever before. To attract patients in this fiercely competitive landscape, you must invest your limited resources in the right services—ones that will earn patients' trust and improve their experience.
Our infographic is your guide to understanding the five types of patients and what they value in a cancer provider.