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The Division of Insurance has announced that Nevada’s insurance carriers that participate in the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange have decided to only offer coverage to Clark, Washoe, and Nye counties beginning in 2018...Currently these medical carriers offer plans on Nevada Health Link: Health Plan of Nevada, Prominence Health Plan, Anthem...But some changes are coming as of January 1, 2018.

• Health Plan of Nevada will only be offering coverage in Washoe, Clark, and Nye Counties.
• Prominence Health Plan announced this week that they will be pulling out of the Nevada Exchange market.
• Two new companies, Aetna and Centene will be joining the exchange market but according to the Division of Insurance at most they will only be offering plans in Washoe, Clark, and Nye counties

The Division of Insurance says this will leave about 8,000 Nevada residents without coverage across 14 counties. The largest group is about 5,000 people across Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, and Storey Counties...If you live outside of Washoe, Clark, or Nye counties and have concerns about your coverage, Silver State Health Exchanges suggests you call them at 855-768-5465...They say that they are working diligently with Governor Sandoval to come up with a plan for those that could be uninsured.

A Las Vegas doctor who drugged and raped patients was ordered Monday to serve 50 years to life behind bars...District Judge Kathleen Delaney called the case against Binh “Ben” Chung “abhorrent and unfathomable” and “incredibly disturbing” as she handed down the sentence...Chung testified...he had an ongoing consensual affair with one of the women, and that she was awake in the videos jurors watched, playing a role in his “Sleeping Beauty” fantasy...He said he had somnophilia, a fetish for having sex with someone who is unconscious. He also testified that the teenager prosecutors said he molested in another video was actually the woman with whom he claimed he had an affair...Chung, found guilty of 11 counts, including use of a minor in the production of pornography, kidnapping, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, and four counts of sexual assault, thanked the judge and attorneys on both sides, along with his family, but did not apologize...

In the works for years, a new medical school is finally going to become a reality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas…The Nevada Legislature gave final approval Monday night to a bill that includes $25 million in state money to build the UNLV School of Medicine…It's been a priority for Gov. Brian Sandoval, who announced earlier Monday he'd received $25 million in matching funds from an anonymous private donor to launch construction…The deal was contingent on the matching funds. Sandoval believes it's the single largest philanthropic contribution in state history…The Senate passed Senate Bill 553 unanimously. Nine Republicans opposed it in the Assembly, where it passed 33-9…Lawmakers also gave final approval to a capital improvements package that includes $43 million for a new engineering building at the University of Nevada, Reno. Sandoval says he'll sign both bills.

An expanded and more robust partnership might be on the horizon for UNLV and the Cleveland Clinic..."We’re definitely in talks with them about what we can do, and how much more we would like to do," said Barbara Atkinson, dean of UNLV’s new medical school. "It’s a great opportunity for both sides. There are some real synergies there."...Atkinson said she would like to see medical students rotate through the Cleveland Clinic’s neurology program...The talks will continue April 27…

When a student told Megan Swank, Au.D., CCC-A, about the medicine bag baring her last name on display outside Savitt Medical Library, she doubted there was any connection to her. Little did she know that this medicine bag actually belonged her great-grandfather..."I've been here for three years as an instructor and this was the first time I'd heard about it," Swank said. "Initially I thought there was no way it was connected to me, but then I went over and when I saw the full name on the bag, James L. Swank, I realized it was my great-grandfather's; it was a very emotional moment."...Swank had forgotten that her great-grandfather, James Levy Swank, M.D., had practiced medicine as a general physician in Las Vegas before his death in 1961..."I thought it was pretty amazing, because I don't know much about him. He died before I was born," said Swank.

Praxsyn Corporation is pleased to announce that it has purchased through a newly formed subsidiary, Nevada Health Rx, Inc., the pharmacy license and all of the assets of Meds Direct Rx, a pharmacy located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new pharmacy is about 8,000+ square feet of pharmacy and warehouse space, and includes a large loading dock and a secured yard to hold delivery vehicles...The total purchase price for the acquisition of the pharmacy was $120,000...This acquisition will allow us to sell a broader mix of products from a much larger facility than we have had in the past. Our focus is on filling prescriptions that have a 30 day pay cycle...Our focus...is on customer service to our patients, their doctors, the surgery centers and hospitals that will serve our patients...Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Praxsyn Corporation is a holding company that finds solutions to fit the needs and goals of medical professionals and their patients...

A jury...convicted Binh "Ben" Chung, a Las Vegas doctor accused of drugging and raping patients, of sexual assault and kidnapping charges...Prosecutors claimed Chung, 43, had videotaped sex acts with three unconscious women and a teenage girl who also had been drugged...Chung told jurors that he had an ongoing consensual affair with one of the women, and that she was awake in the videos jurors watched, playing a role in his "Sleeping Beauty" fantasy...He said he had somnophilia, a fetish for having sex with someone who is unconscious. He also testified that the teenager prosecutors said he molested in another video was actually the woman with whom he claimed he had an affair...Jurors deliberated the case for more than eight hours, including roughly four hours Friday, before convicting Chung of 11 of the 14 counts, including use of a minor in the production of pornography, kidnapping, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, and four counts of sexual assault...

UNLV’s inaugural class of medical students won’t be listening to heartbeats quite yet, but the stethoscopes they receive on their first day of studies Monday will be put to good use over the next four years...On a landmark day for the university’s long-planned School of Medicine, the first class of 60 students will be presented with the medical instruments that will be their constant companions while they receive their medical educations and beyond during an afternoon celebration at the UNLV Student Union..."It’s a new day for medical education in Nevada," Jason Geddes, vice chairman of the Nevada Board of Regents, said. "The first class looks terrific. I’m looking forward to them getting on campus and getting started on the program."...The students, who were selected partly for their ties to Nevada and are receiving full-ride scholarships as part of the school’s inaugural class, form a gifted group.

A Rio spokeswoman confirmed...that the hotel’s water systems have been disinfected after two guests reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease...it could take up to two weeks for health officials to confirm the hotel is bacteria-free while tests of the system are processed, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed...The two infected guests visited the hotel...in March and April, according to the health district. The district then tested the hotel’s water and confirmed the presence of the Legionella bacteria, prompting chlorine disinfection of the building’s pipes...The bacteria is more commonly found in large buildings, like the Rio...because large buildings tend to have more complex plumbing systems, where water can sit for longer periods of time and give bacteria room to grow...So far, no additional cases of Legionnaire’s disease...have been reported since the health district announced the infections in a news release…

Las Vegas health officials are turning a familiar piece of equipment — the vending machine — into a first-in-the-nation experiment to automate the dispensing of clean needles for intravenous drug users...The program is a joint effort between the Southern Nevada Health District, the Nevada AIDS Research and Education Society and Trac-B Exchange, which developed the machine. The idea is that making clean needles and other gear available will reduce the spread of bloodborne infections among drug users who would otherwise share the injection rigs…materials for the program were funded by private donations...Having access to clean syringes is a harm-reduction approach that’s going to allow people to protect themselves against getting communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C...The machines...will distribute cardboard boxes containing clean syringes and disposal containers for used needles. They will also offer kits for wound cleaning and safe sex. Users will have to register first to receive a swipe card and unique identification number that they can use to receive up to two kits per week...Machines will be available by the end of May at Trac-B Exchange, 6114 W. Charleston Blvd.; Aid For AIDS Nevada, 1120 Almond Tree Lane; and the Community Counseling Center, 714 E. Sahara Ave.