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Boston Globe
28-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
R.I.'s health care system is in a state of ‘spectacular failure,' attorney general says
Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'If they don't, there will be one reason why not: because we haven't acted quickly enough,' the attorney general said. Advertisement 'If we have the courage to do what we're talking about today, we can drive down costs, enhance revenue, [and] give Rhode Islanders a health care system they deserve,' he added. On that list is proposed legislation to immediately increase Medicaid reimbursement rates to primary care providers so the rates are 100 percent 'on par with rates for Medicare,' officials said. The current Medicaid rate in Rhode Island is 37 percent of Medicare's rate — lower than it is in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, Neronha said. Advertisement 'Low Medicaid reimbursement also undercuts our primary care providers by under compensating them for their services, and it makes it harder for Rhode Island to retain PCPs,' said Lee Staley, the health care unit chief for the Attorney General's Office. The bill, if approved, 'would allow for the state to leverage federal matching funds that are available in the Medicaid program, essentially letting the state's dollars stretch further,' Staley said. The initiative is estimated to cost around $50 million, according to Neronha. He said he has spoken with House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi about how to drum up the funding, but did not elaborate further. 'We have to stabilize primary care right now,' Neronha said. 'Primary care doctors are the air traffic controllers of our health care system. They're the ones that analyze our problem, send us to the tests we need, send us to the specialist we need.' Here are other actions Neronha outlined on Wednesday: A lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers Rhode Island has filed a lawsuit in Providence County Superior Court against the country's largest pharmacy benefit managers — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum — and their affiliated group purchasing organizations, Zinc, Ascent Health Services, Emisar Pharma Services. The lawsuit alleges that PBNs, which act as a third-party between health plans and drug manufacturers, 'deceive consumers by branding themselves as a source of cost-savings when in fact they profit directly from cost increases,' officials said. 'Often secretive and unknown to consumers, PBMs and GPOs exploit the complex scheme of pricing and payment for prescription drugs, and they take a cut of ever-increasing drug prices at every step of the way,' Neronha's office said. 'They may also make decisions about formularies — the lists of drugs that are available to plan enrollees — that unfairly restrict access to safe and effective medications.' Advertisement Proposed legislation and regulations Neronha's office has proposed legislation that, if passed, would make it unlawful for insurers to require prior authorization 'on any procedure, test, treatment, study or prescription drug ordered by a primary care provider, with exceptions for controlled substances and individual providers with identified cases of fraud, waste or abuse,' officials said. Another proposed bill would grant the attorney general the authority to petition the Superior Court to place a hospital into receivership — a process similar to bankruptcy in state court — if it is in 'financial distress or is otherwise being operated in a manner that is detrimental to patients,' Neronha's office said. Prosecutors are also eyeing regulations to require the attorney general's office be notified of 'certain material corporate transactions involving medical practice groups, including transactions involving private equity firms,' and are looking into how to possibly regulate the use of artificial intelligence in health care, officials said. Establishing a new state health care agency and Brown University collaboration The Attorney General's Office has also collaborated with the Brown University School of Public Health Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research to 'examine potential policy options for state-based health system reform,' officials said. Additionally, Neronha said his office is proposing the creation of a new state-run health care agency that would work to collect data and make policy recommendations to improve Rhode Island's health care system. Officials anticipate a more complete proposal to be ready later this year, before the 2026 legislative session. 'We have come to the conclusion that the way we're doing health care isn't strategic — that that element of thinking doesn't exist in Rhode Island,' he said. Advertisement 'We can do better,' he added. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State prosecutors dismiss DUI charge against R.I. lawmaker
State Rep. Enrique Sanchez, shown during budget debates at the Rhode Island State House in 2024. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current) The criminal case against a state lawmaker accused of driving under the influence in Cranston early February has been dropped. State prosecutors filed the dismissal in Providence County Superior Court Monday against Rep. Enrqiue Sanchez, a Providence Democrat, as a result of a recent guilty plea before the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal over refusing a breathalyzer test. 'As is common with first offense DUI cases, since the defendant admitted to the civil charge of refusing to submit to a chemical test at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal, the state dismissed the criminal charge,' Timothy Rondeau, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General, said in an emailed statement Tuesday. The filing from the AG's office, which took over prosecutorial duties in late February, also stated the prosecutors were unable to meet its burden at trial on driving under the influence 'due to factual and legal issues.' Sanchez, 28, was scheduled to appear in Providence County Superior Court Friday morning for a pre-trial conference, which has since been canceled. Neither Sanchez nor his attorney, former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood, immediately responded to requests for comment Tuesday. The second-term lawmaker was arrested by Cranston Police on Feb. 3 after an officer spotted him behind the wheel of a 2017 Nissan Altima stopped at a green light on Reservoir Avenue at 3 a.m. Officers noticed a 'strong odor of alcohol' coming from Sanchez, who allegedly had 'bloodshot watery eyes,' according to his arrest report. Sanchez declined to take a field sobriety test and later refused a breathalyzer test. He 'admitted that he did drink,' according to his arrest report. He was arraigned in Kent County District Court and released on $1,000 personal recognizance. He was charged in traffic court with civil citations of refusing a chemical test and failure to obey traffic control devices, to which he initially pleaded not guilty. Sanchez's driver's license was temporarily suspended by the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal, but he was allowed to travel to and from work under a conditional hardship license. Sanchez changed his plea March 28, and a judge ordered him to receive alcohol treatment and complete 10 hours of community service. The lawmaker must also use an Ignition Interlock System, a breathalyzer needed to start his car, for six months. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Providence Place receivers making security, safety upgrades after parking garage debacle
A car enters the North Garage at Providence Place on Tuesday, March 24, 2025. (Photo by Michael Salerno) Nearly $100,000 worth of repairs and improvements coming soon to the Providence Place mall and parking garage offer little solace to those trapped in the garage for hours during repairs on Saturday, March 8. But this time, the work will be scheduled to avoid high-traffic hours, according to contractor proposals submitted in Providence County Superior Court. Judge Brian Stern signed off March 3 on a series of proposed contracts with various consultants brought on to address structural and security concerns at the mall and adjacent parking garage. Safety and security, along with wear-and-tear of the 25-year-old shopping center and parking garage, were top priorities of the West Warwick attorneys named court-appointed receivers for the mall last fall. Mark Russo and John Dorsey took over mall operations in October amid allegations by creditors that the mall's former owner, Brookfield Properties, defaulted on a 2011 loan backed by nearly all of the mall's 1.3-million-square-foot footprint. The court-appointed receivership, the state equivalent of bankruptcy, allows Russo and Dorsey, along with a new mall management company from Texas, to oversee daily operations and long-term improvements to the mall. They can also advertise the mall to potential new buyers. No more breaks for Providence Place mall, now in limbo amid $259M mortgage debt Since December, when they were confirmed as permanent receivers, Russo and Dorsey have engaged with a flurry of consultants to recommend improvements to the property, including for the pair of eight-floor parking garages, which together offer space for 4,000 cars. They also rolled out a new code of conduct which prevents minors from visiting the mall unaccompanied by adults after 5 p.m. With Stern's blessing, work is already underway, including a $56,000 contract, with a $3,000 additional fee, to assess and provide recommendations on structural repairs to the garages. The proposal from Indianapolis-based engineering firm American StructurePoint Inc. expressly states the company will 'endeavor to perform this work when the structure is least occupied' — presumably avoiding the hourslong March 8 traffic jam. Providence Police received more than 50 calls between 4 and 8 p.m. on March 8, when drivers were stuck inside the mall garage, Lindsay Lague, a department spokesperson, said in an email. Dorsey did not respond to inquiries for comment Tuesday about complaints received from the temporary traffic jam earlier in the month, but told other news outlets that various garage upgrades, including a traffic attendant, were planned. New digital and cashless kiosks to pay for parking have already been installed. Receivers also said in a statement on Monday that they plan to sign a new contract for parking security services 'later this year.' LAZParking is now the parking security contractor. Details on the term and the amount of the existing contract with LAZParking were not immediately available. Other upgrades on the horizon include the $21,600 contract with Coventry-based Shoreside Construction Services to build doors on the mall-side of the skybridge, intended to 'maintain control to public access,' according to court filings. Another $9,000 job — with an optional $4,800 for additional work — calls for Warwick-based Jensen Hughes to review the fire safety of adding doors to the parking garage stairwells. The receivers have also engaged Liability Consultants Inc. of Hudson, Massachusetts, to assess mall security, including technology, staffing and protocol, with a $350 hourly cost plus a $3,500 retainer, according to court documents. The work is being paid for using a $500,000 loan approved as part of the court receivership. 'These extra safety measures and improvements reflect our dedication to creating a secure and welcoming environment for everyone who visits and works at the mall,' Dorsey said in a statement. 'We are committed to transparency and will continue to engage with our patrons, tenants, and the community as we implement these enhancements. Our goal is to restore and instill confidence in Providence Place as a safe and vibrant destination.' The announcement regarding safety and structural repairs coincided with a new mall code of conduct effective Monday. Among the 14-list set of rules is a new requirement that children under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult when visiting after 5 p.m. The policy applies to the common shopping areas; individual stores, restaurants and retailers may have different rules. The conduct code also expressly states as a standalone item that 'PROVIDENCE PLACE IS FOR SHOPPING' while a separate rule bans congregating groups of four or more people or using the garage or stairs 'for anything other than ingress/egress.' Mall security officers will be enforcing the new rules, partnering with Providence Place on trespassing issues, Dorsey and Russo said in a statement. Information on the current list of mall tenants was redacted from public court filings. Details about the amount of money owed to individual creditors was also not publicly available. At the time of the receivership petition in October, creditors alleged Brookfield owed $259 million in principal and interest on the $305 million loan. 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Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Providence officers involved in shootout sue company for hearing loss
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Six current and former Providence police officers involved in a dramatic shootout in 2022 have filed a lawsuit, alleging that they suffered hearing loss after the failure of a 'defective and dangerous' product that was supposed to protect them. The lawsuit, filed in Providence County Superior Court last week, names Florida-based Safariland LLC and three subsidiary companies as defendants. The 71-page complaint alleges negligence, product liability, and warranty claims. The plaintiffs — Daniel Carignan, Matthew Greely, Frank Moody, Sean Comella, Andre Elie, and Eric Cuellar — were all members of the department's Special Response Unit when they responded to a barricaded man on Denison Street in Providence on Feb. 10, 2022. Scott MacLean, 60, opened fire on officers, who then fired back, shooting hundreds of rounds at the second floor of the home where the suspect was holed up. MacLean was eventually found dead after a fire erupted in the house. A medical examiner determined he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the lawsuit, the officers were wearing 'Liberator' headsets made by Safariland. The product is a large headset that fits around tactical helmets and is designed to provide radio communication as well as noise suppression. The complaint says during the shootout, the Liberators 'lost power, causing the plaintiffs to lose communications with dispatch, with each other, and being left without sufficient sound protection' from the gun battle. 'Each of the plaintiffs suffered hearing loss, other injuries to their ears, inner ears, and sustained other severe personal injuries from the impact of the noise from the firing of their own weapons, and from the firing of the weapons of their fellow officers,' the complaint an interview with Target 12 last year, one of the officers – Frank Moody – talked about the gun battle and how the noise suppression system 'didn't work.' 'It just failed,' said Moody, who was about to retire at the time of the interview. 'I thought over a day or so that it would my hearing would come back. We went we all went to a specialist and we found out that we had severe, immediate hearing loss.' Moody said he had to spend $7,000 on hearing aids. Attorney David Caprio filed the lawsuit on behalf of the officers in Providence Superior Court on Monday, the three-year anniversary of the case. The lawsuit came at the wire, as the officers had three years to sue before the statute of limitations kicked in. Reached by phone, Caprio declined to comment further on the lawsuit. Safariland has not retained local counsel and did not immediately return a request for comment. According to the complaint, the department bought 33 'Liberator IV Headsets' from Safariland, for a total cost of roughly $29,000. Prior to the Denison Street shootout, the department 'noticed battery drainage problems' with the headsets and sent them back to Safariland for repair. In January – one month before the incident – the company sent the headsets back, telling the department the devices 'were repaired and fully functional,' according to the complaint. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees. Moody, who was a weapons specialist, said the weapon used by the Special Response Unit – a Colt M4 Carbine – produces 165 decibels of sound each time the trigger is pulled. 'I fired over 100 rounds, so think about that,' he said. 'A hundred rounds, 165 decibels. One time is hearing damage.' Tim White (twhite@ is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
