About Covid-19
J&J COVID-19 shot gets better boost from Moderna or Pfizer in NIH study: “People who got Johnson & Johnson Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine as a first shot had a stronger immune response when boosted with vaccines from Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc, a study run by the National Institutes of Health showed on Wednesday.
The study, which is preliminary and hasn't been peer reviewed, is the latest challenge to J&J's efforts to use its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster in the United States.”
In a related article: FDA scientists' analysis of J&J COVID-19 booster data raises red flags: “U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists said on Wednesday they did not receive enough data in time to do their own analysis of Johnson & Johnson's application for a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, but the agency's review of company studies raised some red flags.
Advisers to the FDA will meet on Oct. 15 to assess the risks and benefits of a booster shot of J&J's vaccine, which is currently given as a single dose.
In its review, FDA scientists repeatedly noted the limitation of small sample sizes of many of the company's studies.”
FDA panel recommends Moderna booster for people 65 and older and adults at high risk of exposure or severe illness: “An independent advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday unanimously recommended a booster dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for people 65 and older and adults who are at high risk of severe illness or are exposed at work.”
Biden's vaccine mandate for companies nears as proposed rule sent to White House: “The U.S. Labor Department on Tuesday submitted to the White House the initial text of President Joe Biden's plan to require private-sector workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested regularly.
The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration submitted the proposed rule for review. Some details could change, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The move indicates the proposed standard could be released soon.”
Johns Hopkins, Stanford and 30+ others join social media initiative to improve vaccine uptake: “The Vaccine Confidence Fund on Oct. 14 selected 33 organizations to receive grants totaling more than $7 million for projects exploring how technology and social media can increase vaccine confidence…
The Vaccine Confidence Fund was launched in June by nonprofit Global Impact, Facebook and Merck.”
Vaccination could have prevented 90,000 deaths over four months, study says: Approximately 90,000 covid-19 deaths could have been avoided over four months of this year if more U.S. adults had chosen to be vaccinated, according to a study published Wednesday, as the disease caused by the coronavirus became the second-leading cause of death in the United States.
The estimate by researchers backed by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation focused on deaths of U.S. adults from June 2021 — when the report says coronavirus vaccines became widely available to the general public — through September.”
Why Many Black Americans Changed Their Minds About Covid Shots: From The NY Times, a very insightful investigation into programs that turned around this disparity.
About Hospitals and health systems
Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente recruit 11 health system partners for new hospital-at-home advocacy coalition: “Following up on their big-ticket strategic investment into at-home acute care company Medically Home, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente are headlining a new advocacy movement backed by nearly a dozen other health systems from across the country.
Called the Advanced Care at Home Coalition, the partners are joining their voices to convince Capitol Hill to extend telehealth, remote and in-home care flexibilities implemented throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The organizations said they will also be petitioning the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test and establish a new delivery model for advanced care at home.”
Ascension, CommonSpirit and Trinity see finances rebound: The headline is the story; the article has the details.
Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions Can Provide Benefits to Certain Hospitals and Communities: The claim from the AHA is that mergers and acquisitions saved many financially challenged hospitals: “An analysis of AHA and Kaufman Hall data suggests that almost 40% of hospitals may be financially challenged or distressed prior to an M&A transaction…
Approximately 20% of hospitals (92 total) in Kaufman Hall’s database of 463 transactions between 2015 and 2019 cited financial distress as a key driver for the transaction. Some of these distressed hospitals had struggled financially for several years preceding the merger, but others saw rapid and significant declines in performance that triggered a decision to merge.
More than one-third of the hospitals citing financial distress (31 of 92) had declared bankruptcy, a clear sign of imminent closure.
The 31 transactions involving bankrupt organizations included 34 hospitals in total; only 6 of these hospitals have subsequently closed. More than 80% were saved from bankruptcy and remain operational today.”
How hospitals can use Z codes to track social determinants of health: “Z codes, which are ICD-10-CM codes used to identify non-medical factors that may affect a patient's health status, are a useful way to track social determinants of health and capture standardized data for Medicare beneficiaries. However, they are underused, with Z codes reported from only 1.59 percent of beneficiaries in 2019, according to a new CMS report.”
About pharma
Johnson & Johnson Places Talc Injury Claims in Bankruptcy: “Johnson & Johnson placed into bankruptcy its liabilities for tens of thousands of claims linking talc-based products to cancer, hoping to drive a settlement of personal-injury claims that are expected to grow for decades to come…
Thursday’s bankruptcy also confirms the fears of injury lawyers, who had voiced worries that J&J would put talc claims into chapter 11 to stop jury verdicts, protect assets and pressure plaintiffs to accept settlements.”
Walgreens makes $5.2B investment in VillageMD, becomes majority owner: Walgreens said Oct. 14 it has agreed to make a $5.2 billion investment in VillageMD, which will make it the majority owner.
The investment will increase Walgreens' ownership stake in the primary care company from 30 percent to 63 percent. VillageMD will remain an independent company with its own management and board.
Walgreens has said its goal is to open at least 600 primary care clinics within its stores in more than 30 U.S. markets by 2025, and 1,000 by 2027.”
About health insurance
Double-digit growth dots UnitedHealth Q3 results: 10 things to know: Details about the parent (UnitedHealth Group) and its two subsidiaries.
Medicare Advantage [MA] vs. Traditional Medicare[TM]: How Do Beneficiaries’ Characteristics and Experiences Differ?: This Commonwealth Fund study is worth reading. A few takeaways:
MA plans had healthier beneficiaries in the past, but now MA and TM programs have patients with similar characteristics. Patient experience scores are similar as are many quality measures; however, MA plans provide more consistent primary care availability and continuity of care.
About the public’s health
Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Upper Bound Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepared Foods: Guidance for Industry: From the FDA:
”This guidance is intended to provide measurable voluntary short-term (2.5-year) goals for sodium content1 in commercially processed, packaged, and prepared foods2 to reduce excess population sodium intake, while recognizing and supporting the important roles sodium plays in food technology and food safety…
Average sodium intake in the U.S. is approximately 3,400 milligrams/day (mg/day) (Ref 3). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025…advises individuals 14 years and older to limit their consumption to 2,300 mg/day…”