About healthcare IT
DOJ to review Google's $2.1B deal to buy Fitbit amid data privacy concerns, according to media reports: The headline speaks for itself.
Top health industry issues of 2020: Will digital start to show an ROI?: This report is the 14th annual PwC review of where healthcare is going. It is more than just IT, but tat is the headline’s theme. Always worth a read.
About healthcare professionals
U.S. Physician Employment Report 2019: There is a mismatch between the top paid specialties and those in greatest demand.
Private equity may be repeating mistakes with physician practice management companies: This article is a great summary about why physician practice management companies failed in the 1990s…and why current efforts are repeating the same mistakes.
About the public’s health
FDA can regulate e-cigarettes just like conventional cigarettes, appeals court says: The headline speaks for itself.
About pharma
Democrats, White House forge new North American trade deal: The healthcare aspect is that ”Democrats succeeded in tossing overboard a 10-year protection for manufacturers of new drugs, including so-called biologics, that had won reprieve from lower-cost competition in the original accord.”
Pelosi reaches deal with progressives to avert showdown over drug price bill: The compromise that speaker Pelosi reached is to “increase the minimum number of drugs subject to negotiation under the bill from 35 to 50 and…extend protections against drug price spikes to people on employer-sponsored health insurance plans, not just those on Medicare.”
Pelosi drug pricing plan would save $456 billion over 10 years: “The bill would also provide dental, vision and hearing benefits to Medicare beneficiaries, with the CBO putting the cost at $358 billion over 10 years. In all, the CBO estimates the bill would reduce the deficit by $5 billion over 10 years.” See the above article; the estimate is based on price control for 30 drugs.
Civica Rx to ship 8 critical drugs to member hospitals by year-end: The hospital-owned pharma company will add 8 more drugs to its portfolio to help avoid shortages. The drugs are ones that are in common use, like heparin and morphine.
Foreign Drug Inspections Decline as FDA Hiring Struggles Continue: “The US reliance on imported pharmaceuticals and ingredients is rising as foreign drug facility inspections decreased by about 10% from 2016 to 2018. Part of the reason for the decline: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it’s still struggling to hire new inspectors.”