Doctors would report opioid diagnosis codes under deal

Doctors would report opioid diagnosis codes under deal

COLUMBUS

Ohio doctors have reached a tentative agreement with the Kasich administration on a proposed rule requiring them to report the specific diagnosis of every patient who receives a prescription painkiller.

Parties to the negotiation said the deal was struck Friday, ahead of a Monday vote.

The disputed rule required prescribers to enter what’s known as an ICD-10 code into Ohio’s online reporting database for every controlled substance prescription. Under the compromise, hospitals and doctors’ offices would report codes for opioids right away, but they would have an additional nine months to begin reporting all other controlled substances.

Pot found in Ford, Lincoln cars shipped from Mexico

WOODHAVEN, Mich.

Federal agents have seized 277 pounds of marijuana concealed in rail cars containing new Ford and Lincoln vehicles recently imported from Mexico.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday the marijuana was found a day earlier by employees at the Ford Rail Distribution Facility in the Detroit suburb of Woodhaven. Federal, state and local officials then searched 200 vehicles.

No arrests have been made.

ICE did not say where the rail shipment had originated in Mexico or where the cars were produced. ICE said Ford is cooperating fully with the investigation.

The Vindicator previously reported that marijuana was found inside the wheel well for a spare tire in a new Ford Fusion that was manufactured in Sonora, Mexico, at a Ford dealership in Kent.

Investigators then found 14 packages of marijuana in other Fusions that had all come through a rail yard in Warren.

British baby Charlie Gard at center of legal battle dies

LONDON

Charlie Gard, the terminally ill British baby at the center of a legal and ethical battle that attracted the attention of Pope Francis and President Donald Trump, died Friday. He was one week shy of his first birthday.

Charlie’s parents fought for the right to take him to the United States for an experimental medical treatment for his rare genetic disease, mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which left him brain damaged and unable to breathe unaided. His case ended up in the courts when doctors opposed the plan, saying the untested therapy wouldn’t help Charlie and might cause him to suffer.

A family spokeswoman, Alison Smith-Squire, confirmed Charlie’s death on Friday.

Trump to sign bill for new sanctions on Russia

The White House says President Donald Trump will sign legislation implementing tough new financial sanctions against Russia.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement the president has “reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”

The legislation includes language that bars Trump from easing or waiving the additional penalties on Russia unless Congress agrees. It also imposes financial sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

Moscow has responded by ordering a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia and closing the U.S. Embassy’s recreation retreat.

Associated Press