About health insurance
US Statistics on Surprise Medical Billing: 20% of insured adults had a surprise medical bill in the past two years. The graphic in this article highlights the problem and public concern.
House panel advances bipartisan surprise billing legislation despite divisions: “The House Education and Labor Committee on Tuesday approved a bill to protect patients from massive ‘surprise’ medical bills, but not before a vigorous debate that showed the divides within both parties on the issue.
The vote of 32-13 sent the measure to the full House. But competing proposals must be reconciled before the chamber can vote on the issue, which is a rare area of possible bipartisan action this year… The dispute comes down how much the insurer will pay the doctor once the patient is taken out of the middle.”
About pharma
Department of Health and Human Services launches Foundry for American Biotechnology: “The US Department of Health and Human Services launched the nation's first Foundry for American Biotechnology today, with the aim of producing technological solutions that help the U.S. protect against and respond to health security threats, enhance daily medical care, and add to the nation's bioeconomy…The Foundry for American Biotechnology will be housed in Manchester, New Hampshire, and managed in conjunction with Manchester-based DEKA Research and Development Corp. as part of a public-private partnership.”
McConnell: GOP has 'internal divisions' on bill to lower drug prices: Despite the President’s call for bipartisan support for a bill to lower drug prices, and despite Senate Finance Committee Chairman Grassley (R-Iowa) partnering with Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) on such a bill, Senate majority leader McConnell said there are “internal divisions within my party in the Senate” that must be resolved on both that bill and another health care measure aimed at protecting patients from surprise medical bills. What special interests are at work?
Why price of dehydrated alcohol is going from $1,300 to $10K: This article is a perfect case study of a long-established drug that acquires orphan designation causing the price to skyrocket. This consequence was clearly not the intent of the law and begs for correction.
WHO Posts New Procedure for Using Unapproved Drugs in Health Crises: “The new Emergency Use Listing procedure assesses if unapproved vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tests could help mitigate public health emergencies, allowing them to skip parts of the regulatory approval process and reach patients more quickly. and tests needed to complete development must be underway at the time of submission, WHO said, and sponsors should not let the emergency use program interfere with ongoing trials.”
About healthcare IT
VA delays first go-live of Cerner EHR system as project takes longer than expected: This article updates the continuing saga of the VA’s implementation of a single EHR- much delayed and over budget.
AMA sees surge in health IT adoption, 'rise of the digital-native physician': This article is a nice summary of the progress health IT adoption has made in its use among physicians over a variety of applications.
CMS Loosens Restrictions on Telehealth for Certain Shared-Risk ACOs: “Accountable Care Organizations who are at risk of owing money back to Medicare because they haven’t met spending targets on shared-risk beneficiaries now have more freedom to use telehealth.
Under a guidance document released last month by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ACOs participating in a Medicare Shared Savings Program that is under two-sided risk and who have selected prospective payment can remove geographic limitations normally applied to fee-for-service plans and allow beneficiaries to receive certain telehealth services at home.”
About the public’s health
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus – The species and its viruses, a statement of the Coronavirus Study Group: The corona virus currently causing an epidemic has lacked a common name (like SARS or MERS). The “Coronavirus Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, which is responsible for developing the official classification of viruses and taxa naming (taxonomy) of the Coronaviridae family, assessed the novelty of the human pathogen tentatively named 2019-nCoV. Based on phylogeny, taxonomy and established practice, the CSG formally recognizes this virus as a sister to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoVs) of the species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus and designates it as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).”
About healthcare technology
Going mobile: FDA clears world's first bedside MRI scanner-on-wheels: “The FDA has cleared the world’s first portable MRI system, designed to be wheeled to a hospital bedside for scanning a patient’s head and brain.
Developed by Hyperfine Research for people age two and older, the point-of-care imaging system weighs about one-tenth that of a conventional, fixed MRI system. About three feet wide and five feet tall, the device fits in an elevator and runs off an everyday power outlet to create both clinical contrast images and 3D renders…
Hyperfine estimates its open-design system will also cost about 20 times less—controlled through a wireless tablet, it does not require trained technicians, shielded electronics or separate hospital facilities.It also features ordinary permanent magnets that require no power or cooling, producing an image using low-power radio waves and magnetic fields.”
The value proposition with this technology is increased access and lower cost, while maintaining quality of imaging.