About hospitals
COVID-19 shouldn't lead to 'opportunistic' health mergers, biz groups say: “Now that healthcare providers have received billions in federal aid to offset their COVID-19 losses, some business groups, regulators and lawmakers want to ensure the money doesn’t fuel a wave of predatory consolidation.”
For example: “The Pacific Business Group on Health, a consortium of 41 private employers and public purchasers that together spend $100 billion annually providing healthcare to 15 million people, has asked Congress to make healthcare providers pledge not to engage in M&A for 12 months as a condition of receiving aid from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.”
Henry Ford, Michigan State sign affiliation letter of intent: “Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Michigan State University in East Lansing have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to create a primary affiliation to share research and clinical care, increase health student education and develop a long-term plan to build a joint research institute in Detroit.”
About healthcare IT
UnitedHealth execs: Patients are using telehealth for convenience, not as a necessity: “According to data from UnitedHealth Group and consumer research company CivicScience, 29% of consumers said they used telehealth in May up from 8% in December. The percentage of consumers who don't plan to use telehealth dropped from 72% in December to 47% in May, according to a consumer poll.
While COVID-19 visits accounted for nearly 1 in 5 virtual visits in March, that dropped to only 4% of visits in May.
In March, less than half (45%) of consumers cited convenience and speed as their primary reasons for using the technology, and that grew to 66% in May.”
About the public’s health
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Recommendations Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare: “…if States or regions have determined with their public health officials that they passed the Gating Criteria (symptoms, cases, and hospitals) announced on April 16, 2020, then they may proceed to Phase I, and subsequently to Phase II of re-opening.” This site has CMS guidelines for the re-openings.
Does Speaking Japanese Lower The Risk of Spreading Coronavirus? This article is really interesting.
Price Limits Will Scare Off Covid Vaccine Makers, Fauci Warns: “Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the US government should not force drugmakers to lower the costs of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, but should encourage fair pricing…”
COVID-19–linked syndrome in kids new, distinct, studies suggest: “Two new studies involving a total of 75 children published yesterday in JAMA showed that the pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 is novel and different from Kawasaki disease (KD) and toxic shock syndrome (TSS).” The links to the studies are in the article.
This past week, the WHO was not at its best. Here are two articles that explain the issues very well:
WHO Creates 'Confusion' About Asymptomatic Spread. Here's What We Know: The WHO has backtracked on its statement that coronavirus transmission by asymptomatic people is rare.
Who’s to blame? These three scientists are at the heart of the Surgisphere COVID-19 scandal: With respect to the previously-reported withdrawn studies about hydroxychloroquine, this article provides an in-depth profile of the principals behind the scandal.
International Health Care System Profiles: The Commonwealth Fund just published its latest update on 20 international healthcare systems. It is a great resource for this topic.
About health insurance
The Implications of Medicaid Expansion in the Remaining States: 2020 Update: “Even absent the current COVID-19-related economic crisis, if the 15 holdout states had expanded Medicaid eligibility as envisioned under the ACA, 3.9 million fewer people would have been uninsured.”