For your amusement and disgust
Lown Institute’s 3rd annual Shkreli Awards: Top ten list of reprehensible behavior in healthcare.
About the public’s health
Cancer death rate posts biggest one-year drop ever: Good news! The trend was driven by the decrease in lung cancer deaths, which in turn was due to two factors- better treatments and decline in smoking rates.
Sex differences in cardiometabolic disorders [Nature Medicine-subscription required] If you can get access to this article it is worthwhile. It presents a comprehensive review of the title’s subject. Particularly, it reviews differences in risk factors (such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and socioeconomic factors) diagnosis and disease manifestations. For example, women “with IHD [ischemic heart disease] are characterized by a higher prevalence of angina, a higher burden of cardiometabolic risk factors, and a higher prevalence of non-obstructive CAD [coronary artery disease] on angiography compared to men (10–25% in women vs. 6–10% in men).” The molecular mechanisms of sex differences in cardiometabolic disorders is also explained.
With more Artificial Intelligence applications being used, it is critical that sex differences are understood and built into algorithms for diagnosis and treatment.
CVS, Walgreens sue Ohio physicians, claim they share blame for opioid crisis: The last shoe has fallen. Physicians have largely been spared from blame for the opioid crisis. Now the major pharmacy chains are sharing the responsibility.
About healthcare IT
Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle Over .Org: This article is not strictly about healthcare but, since many healthcare organizations are non profit, it can have a significant impact on the field. Two months ago, Ethos Capital, a private equity firm, announced that it planned to buy the rights to the “.org” domain for more than $1 billion. The article explains how this purchase could happen and the push-back by non profits.
About pharma
A new biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry commitment to patients and the public: A long list of biotech companies have issued a statement pledging to restrain pricing on their products. But the principles are broad and no numbers (like percent increases or limits) are mentioned. We will need to wait and see how the promise plays out.
The Effect Of Veterans Health Administration [VHA] Coverage On Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence: “Although people with VHA coverage were older and in worse health and had lower incomes than those with other coverage, VHA patients had lower rates of cost-related medication nonadherence: 6.1 percent versus 10.9 percent for non-VHA patients.” The authors say the reason is lower out-of-pocket expenses for veterans who fill their prescriptions at VA facilities.
Allergan settles pay-for-delay lawsuit for $300M: “The lawsuit, filed in 2013, claimed Warner Chilcott entered into agreements with Watson and generic drugmaker Lupin Pharmaceuticals to delay a generic version of Loestrin 24 FE from coming to market…” The FTC continues to prosecute such behavior.
About healthcare IT
A look at the most interesting health tech at CES 2020: Here are some of the most interesting health-related items at the Consumer Electronics Show, including a multipurpose robot.
About health insurance
Report to Congress on Oversight of Institutions for Mental Diseases [IMDs]: This report is from MACPAC (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission) and fulfills a statutory requirement for a report on IMDs, which are defined as: a “hospital, nursing facility, or other institution of more than 16 beds that is primarily engaged in providing diagnosis, treatment, or care of persons with mental diseases, including medical attention, nursing care, and related services.” Medicaid payments to IMDs has been prohibited since Title IX was passed in 1965. The services themselves are covered benefits, but not if provided in these institutions. “Even so, nearly all states are making payments for services provided in IMD settings via various exemptions and authorities, including: statutory exemptions related to older adults and children and youth; demonstration waivers under Section 1115 of the Act; a state plan option; and managed care arrangements under certain conditions.” This report looks at seven states and how they are handling this issue.