About hospitals
Analysis: Large majority of hospitals could lose $2,800 for treating each COVID-19 patient: “The analysis released Tuesday from Strata Decision Technology, which offers financial planning software for hospitals and health systems, also found that a proposed stimulus from Senate Republicans won't be nearly enough to help hospitals.”
S&P changes nonprofit hospital outlook to negative: “Nonprofit hospitals' outlook dropped from stable to negative due to the increasing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to S&P Global Ratings.”
Hospitals get $100B in massive stimulus deal as facilities face COVID-19:”Hospitals and community health centers could get $130 billion as part of a $2 trillion economic stimulus package to help meet the skyrocketing increases of COVID-19 cases.” The article has a breakdown of the healthcare support part of the stimulus.
About pharma
FDA grants Gilead request to drop orphan drug designation for potential COVID-19 treatment remdesivir See yesterday’s story. “The FDA on Wednesday withdrew an orphan drug designation it had granted Gilead Sciences a few days ago for its investigational antiviral remdesivir to treat COVID-19. The company, which had made the request, said it will waive all benefits that come with the designation, including an extra seven years of exclusivity for the medication, adding that it ‘recognises the urgent public health needs posed by the COVID-19 pandemic…[and is] confident that it can maintain an expedited timeline in seeking regulatory review of remdesivir,’ without the special status.” In a related story: California Researchers Begin Recruitment for Phase 2 Remdesivir Trial.
Qiagen Ships Coronavirus Test Kits to U.S.; FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization for bioMérieux’s COVID-19 Test; Novacyt’s COVID-19 Test Earns Emergency Use Authorization: It is encouraging to see the number of tests increase for COVID-19. However, which are best? I have not seen a comparison nor any metrics, such as positive and negative predictive values.
Medical societies blast physician stockpiling of COVID-19 drugs: “The American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists issued a joint statement March 25 in response to reports that some physicians and pharmacists have been stockpiling drugs to treat COVID-19 for themselves and their families.” And on a related note: FDA commissioner warns public against taking 'any form of chloroquine' unless prescribed.
FDA Move Opens Door to Biosimilar Insulins, Other Biologics: "‘Now, it is possible for manufacturers to submit, and the FDA to approve, marketing applications for biosimilar and interchangeable biological products that reference transitioned biological products, which will help drive competition in the market, and patients may have more affordable access to the medications they need,’ FDA spokesperson James McKinney told Medscape Medical News.
It's not yet clear to what extent the move will lower prices. Although the presence of even a single generic drug typically lowers the price of a compound by 31% to 39%, biosimilars marketed in the United States typically have launched with initial list prices from just 15% to 35% lower than comparative list prices of the reference products, according to an FDA statement.”
Chances for drug pricing, surprise billing action fade until November: “The chances of Congress passing legislation to lower drug prices and protect patients from surprise medical bills are fading, at least until after the November election.”
Walmart Was Almost Charged Criminally Over Opioids. Trump Appointees Killed the Indictment: According to Propublica Walmart pharmacists around the country sought corporate guidance when they wanted to refuse filling prescriptions from suspected “pill mills.” “In response to these alarms, Walmart compliance officials did not take corporate-wide action to halt the flow of opioids. Instead, they repeatedly admonished pharmacists that they could not cut off any doctor entirely. They could only evaluate each prescription on an individual basis. And they went further. An opioid compliance manager told an executive in an email, gathered during the inquiry and viewed by ProPublica, that Walmart’s focus should be on ‘driving sales.’” The investigators claim that efforts to prosecute Walmart were hampered by Trump-appointed Justice Department officials, including then-deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.
About the public’s health
'Better than a bandana or scarf': Expired face masks from stockpile OK, CDC says: “Expired masks have a failure rate of 5 percent to 10 percent, meaning they may not protect against particles or droplets and the elastic band could disintegrate.”
Fighting COVID-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out: Free Coursera course.
UK-Senegal partnership to trial 10-minute coronavirus test:”A 10-minute coronavirus test that costs less than $1 to produce is being rushed into testing by a Senegalese research institute working with a British company, offering a potential lifesaver for countries battling to contain the pandemic.” Many cheaper and faster innovations are coming from developing countries.
Is ventilator-sharing a good idea? [7] Pulmonology experts weigh in: The headline speaks for itself. It is still experimental and theoretically possible, but complicated to do.
Hospitals consider universal do-not-resuscitate orders for coronavirus patients: “Hospitals on the front lines of the pandemic are engaged in a heated private debate over a calculation few have encountered in their lifetimes — how to weigh the ‘save at all costs’ approach to resuscitating a dying patient against the real danger of exposing doctors and nurses to the contagion of coronavirus.”
About health insurance
7 healthcare-related items you may have missed in the $2T coronavirus stimulus package: Really good, short summary of items that mostly involve payment issues. For example, the long-standing 2% Medicare sequester will not be held back for the rest of the year.
Aetna to waive commercial members' cost-sharing for inpatient COVID-19 admissions: “The insurer said this new program targeting the virus outbreak would be available to commercial members admitted to any of its in-network hospitals through June 1. The waivers are immediately available. “
Cigna Makes It Easier For Hospitals To Focus On COVID-19 By Helping Accelerate Patient Transfers: “Cigna will waive prior authorizations for the transfer of its non-COVID-19 customers from acute inpatient hospitals to in-network LTACHs. In place of prior authorizations, Cigna will require notification from the LTACH on the next business day following the transfer.”
5 payers waiving telehealth visit costs during coronavirus pandemic: The headline speaks for itself.
CMS tells states to leave Medicaid recipients alone and cover testing if they want coronavirus aid: “The government specifically warned states that if they want to receive enhanced federal matching funds available through the aid package, they must not terminate anyone from the program as of March 18. They also must cover all testing and treatment related to COVID-19 without any cost-sharing.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act injects a temporary 6.2 percentage point increase to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage [FMAP] that states receive from the federal government. The enhanced FMAP is available for qualifying expenditures incurred between Jan. 1, 2020, and the end of the quarter in which a public health emergency, including any extensions, ends.”