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Hospitals must now obtain written consent for pelvic exams
The federal guidance was issued to doctors and medical students who sometimes perform pelvic exams for training purposes when a patient is under anesthesia.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hospitals must obtain written informed consent from patients before subjecting them to pelvic exams and exams of other sensitive areas — especially if an exam will be done while the patient is unconscious, the federal government said Monday.
New guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now requires consent for breast, pelvic, prostate and rectal exams for “educational and training purposes” performed by medical students, nurse practitioners or physician assistants.
The department’s release said the guidance was issued to “reiterate and provide clarity” regarding hospital consent requirements. Federal regulations previously mentioned obtaining consent for “important tasks” related to surgeries, and did not provide the level of detail about medical students.
If hospitals don’t obtain explicit consent, they may be ineligible for participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs, and also may be subject to fines and investigations if they violate patient privacy laws, Office of Civil Rights director Melanie Fontes Rainer said.
Doctors and medical students sometimes perform exams of sensitive areas for training purposes when a patient is under anesthesia. At least 20 states have passed laws requiring a patient’s consent.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and other top health officials criticized these exams happening without explicit consent in a letter sent to teaching hospitals and medical schools Monday. The letter said hospitals need to set “clear guidelines to ensure providers and trainees performing these examinations first obtain and document informed consent.”
It’s difficult to say how often these exams take place, experts said, or how often patients understand what they’re consenting to when they sign forms before surgery giving broad consent for a range of procedures.
The letter is a “critical leap forward in protecting patients and medical residents,” Scott Berkowitz, founder and president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, said in a statement.
“It’s a shocking problem with a very simple solution — hospitals need to ask for consent clearly and explicitly,” he said.
Alexandra Fountaine, a medical student at Ohio University who testified in front of a state House committee against the practice, was skeptical that the letter would result in “actual policy or real change.” But, she added, it made her feel more protected and respected.
“Something like that happening is my biggest fear,” she said. “As women we’re all afraid of being violated on a daily basis … but when we’re put in very vulnerable positions, like being anesthetized, I think that’s especially terrifying.”
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A major outburst from the sun earlier this week created conditions for Minnesotans to see the northern lights Thursday into Friday.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — There are a lot of variables that can influence the Aurora Borealis – better known around these parts as the northern lights – and whether or not folks on the ground get a chance to enjoy them.
KARE 11’s John Zeigler said those variables came together late Thursday into Friday, giving folks across Minnesota a spectacular show.
A major outburst on the sun following a solar storm earlier in the week is to thank for the northern lights last night. Zeigler explained that we assign northern lights a brightness value known as the KP Index, ranging from 1 to 10 (with 10 as the brightest). Last night the KP index exceeded eight, indicating Minnesotans would enjoy an extremely bright show if predicted cloud cover didn’t elbow in.
It was perfect timing, with the northern lights visible for several hours before clouds started to roll in during the early morning hours on Friday. The temperatures last night also cooperated – in the upper 60s and low 70s across the state – giving everyone a comfortable chance to stand outside and enjoy the Aurora.
Miss the show? All is not lost, as Ziegler says the KP index will reach about five tonight, indicating there may be another chance to see the northern lights, although they will likely not be as bright as Thursday’s version.
If you’re wondering why the northern lights have been so prevalent in recent months, forecasters said the sun is near the peak of its current 11-year cycle, sparking all the recent solar activity.
Kelly LaMarre hiked the 485-mile Colorado Trail in 43 days just five weeks after having a double mastectomy.
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — A Minnesota nurse just finished a nearly 500-mile-long hike all by herself – and she did it just five weeks after having a double mastectomy.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Kelly LaMarre is sharing her story to encourage other women to prioritize their health.
“I wanted to do this for me, but I also wanted to do this for other people also going through this,” said LaMarre, who is an emergency room nurse in Maplewood.
She was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer on May 15 and had surgery just a couple weeks later. By July, she was hiking the Colorado Trail.
“I did not want this cancer to end what I had worked so hard for,” said LaMarre, who got her doctor’s permission.
Dr. Keith Wirth said her cancer was very treatable and curable.
“Kelly had been very good about her screening mammograms and this is why we do them,” said Dr. Wirth. “This is why, even if we see higher rates, why we’ll still see great outcomes because we’re so good at finding things earlier.”
LaMarre had been training for four years to hike the trail that runs 485 miles. The highest part reaches about 13,000 feet and she said there are incredible wildflowers, scenic views and alpine lakes. It took her 43 days to finish it.
“I felt great, but I did know that I needed to take it slow that first 100 miles just to make sure things were going well,” said LaMarre.
She hopes that her story especially encourages people to advocate for their health even if they’re strong and healthy.
LaMarre is now cancer-free and looking forward to her next challenge – writing a book about her health and hiking experiences and eventually hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that is about 2,650 miles.
“This has actually been one of the best things to ever happen to me because it makes you appreciate everything,” said LaMarre. “I feel more alive than I ever have.”
“Very surprised,” John Bonnes, founder of Twins Daily, said. “You could say this caught everybody flatfooted.”
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been a whirlwind day, Twins fans.
After weeks of calls from some to sell the franchise, the team’s ownership has announced they plan to do just that – or at the very least, explore the idea.
“Very surprised,” John Bonnes, founder of Twins Daily, said. “You could say this caught everybody flatfooted.”
That announcement comes with plenty of questions. Will the team sell? If so, who will be the new owners?
Could the team move? Will payroll increase, and will new ownership be more aggressive?
“It means everything’s up in the air, right?” Bonnes said.
“For the last 30 years, we’ve been complaining about baseball’s ownership of the Twins or the Pohlad’s ownership of the Twins,” he continued. “This is a chance for a clean slate on that.”
The franchise is now valued at nearly $1.5 billion, according to Forbes. Lisa Kihl is a professor at the University of Minnesota and director at the Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organization and says whoever owns the team next should stay committed to the bigger picture off the field.
“Understanding that they’re a fabric of this community, and they’re an important fabric of the community, and they’re also important partners of the different pro teams in the community,” Kihl said.
That includes initiatives the Pohlads have worked on over their tenure.
“You think of all the initiatives, not only just for youth participating and getting used to games but how much they’ve invested in communities in terms of developing fields, developing coaches,” Kihl said. “You know, those kinds of initiatives are really being thoughtful about the details of how you develop youth and fan engagement, but also around diversity.”
Bonnes says a big thing on the minds of Twins fans now will likely be how aggressive new ownership will be – if the team is actually sold.
“You often see a sort of honeymoon period while new ownership takes over that they are willing to invest a little bit more on the team and try and get sort of the community and such on their side,” he said. “Make a good first impression.”
