About healthcare IT
Athenahealth to be acquired for $17B: 6 details : “Athenahealth has entered an agreement to be jointly acquired by private equity firms Hellman & Friedman and Bain Capital for $17 billion, the Watertown, Mass.-based EHR company said Nov. 22…
The joint investment includes Hellman & Friedman, Bain Capital Private Equity and Bain Capital Tech Opportunities; Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital, an Elliott Investment Management affiliate, will each keep a minority investment in Athenahealth.
Veritas and Elliott acquired Athenahealth in February 2019 for $5.7 billion. Under the purchase, the company went private and removed its common stock from Nasdaq.”
Shorter Hospital Stays Associated with Patient Portal Use: “Patients who were hospitalized for either COVID-19 or heart failure were more likely to have shorter hospital stays if they had an active patient portal account.” The authors use this measure as a proxy for patient engagement. The differences between lengths of stay for use and non-use of the portal were minimal only for those over age 85.
About Covid-19
US COVID-19 deaths in 2021 surpass last year's toll: “385,348 COVID-19 deaths — 15 more than the 2020 total —have so far been recorded in 2021, and that number will only rise in the days and weeks to come.”
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trial data confirms high efficacy, long-term protection in adolescents: “Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday morning that their vaccine provides long-term protection against the coronavirus in youth ages 12 to 15, according to data from their late-stage vaccine trial.
A two-dose series of the vaccine proved to be 100 percent effective against the coronavirus, measured seven days to over four months after the second dose, the company said in a news release.”
The influence of gender and ethnicity on facemasks and respiratory protective equipment fit: a systematic review and meta-analysis: “The literature reports on largely Caucasian or single ethnic populations, and BAME [Black, Asian and minority ethnic] people remain under-represented, limiting comparisons between ethnic groups. Facial anthropometrics vary between gender and likely between ethnicity, which may contribute to lower PR [Pass Rates] among females and ethnic minorities, particularly Asians. There is a need for studies including a broader spectrum of ethnicities and for consideration of female and BAME users during RPE [Respiratory Protective Equipment] development.”
Plant-derived antiviral drug is effective in blocking highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, say scientists: “In a new study published in Virulence, a group of scientists, led by Professor Kin-Chow Chang from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University [of Nottingham], found that the Delta variant, compared with other recent variants, showed the highest ability to multiply in cells, and was most able to directly spread to neighbouring cells. In co-infections with two different SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Delta variant also boosted the multiplication of its co-infected partners.
The study also showed that a novel natural antiviral drug called thapsigargin (TG), recently discovered by the same group of scientists to block other viruses, including the original SARS-CoV-2, was just as effective at treating all of the newer SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Delta variant.”
About the public’s health
The cost of gun violence in the US, by the numbers: “Every year, gun violence kills nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. and costs the nation $280 billion, including medical, criminal justice and quality-of-life expenses.”
About health insurance
Providers face 40% hit to Part B reimbursements under Dem drug price reforms: “Providers could face a 40% cut on average to their Medicare Part B drug reimbursements under legislation that gives Medicare the power to negotiate a small amount of drug prices in Parts B and D, a new analysis finds.
The analysis, released Thursday by consulting firm Avalere, examines the effect of a drug pricing negotiation framework that was included in a roughly $2 trillion package that passed the House on Friday.”
About pharma
BioNTech's skin cancer therapy wins FDA's fast track designation: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the fast track status to the BNT111 infusion, which is designed to instruct the body to produce four proteins that are characteristic of melanoma cells and trigger an immune response against those cancer cells in the body.” It is based on mRNA technology.
About hospitals and health systems
AdventHealth's net income slides in Q3: “AdventHealth, a 46-hospital system based in Altamonte Springs, Fla., recorded higher revenue in the third quarter of 2021, but ended the period with lower operating income, according to recently released financial documents…
The boost largely was driven by an increase in net patient service revenue….
The decrease in operating income was attributed to an increase in expenses, which grew from nearly $3 billion in the third quarter of 2020 to $3.5 billion in the third quarter of 2021.
AdventHealth said expenses increased because contract labor costs are still at elevated levels, supply costs are up and it saw higher-acuity patients.”
Advocate Aurora's operating income narrows in Q3: “Despite posting higher revenue in the third quarter of 2021, Advocate Aurora Health saw its operating income shrink when compared to the same quarter last year, according to recently released financial documents.
The health system, which has dual headquarters in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill., recorded revenue of $3.6 billion in the third quarter of 2021. In the same period last year, Advocate Aurora had revenue of $3.5 billion.
Advocate Aurora Health, which has 24 acute care hospitals, also saw its expenses rise in the quarter ended Sept. 30 to $3.4 billion, up 6.3 percent compared to the same quarter last year.”
Tower Health to temporarily close urgent care centers on Sundays: “West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health will temporarily close its urgent care centers on Sundays starting Nov. 28 because of staffing shortages…”