About Covid-19
Early data shows past infection does not ward off Omicron, but vaccines effective: “People infected with earlier variants of COVID do not appear to be protected against Omicron, although vaccination does prevent serious illness, a top South African scientist said on Thursday.
‘We believe that previous infection does not provide protection from Omicron,’ said Anne von Gottberg, an expert at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Outlining early research into the newly emerged variant, she said doctors were seeing ‘an increase for Omicron reinfections.’”
Immunogenicity of Extended mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dosing Intervals: “Longer mRNA vaccine dosing intervals demonstrated improved immunogenicity, which was consistent when responses were measured based on timing of the first or second dose. These data suggest that extending dosing intervals may be particularly advantageous against the Delta variant.”
FDA asks for 55 years to complete FOIA request on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine: “Hungry for details on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine? Just file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and wait until the U.S. tricentennial in 2076. That's the schedule the FDA proposed in documents filed in a U.S. District Court this week.
According to the documents filed in a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the FDA asked a federal judge for 55 years to complete a FOIA request for data and information on the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty.”
Biden seeks to require private health plans to pay for at-home Covid tests: “However, the requirement will not take effect immediately. Three federal departments — Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury — must still issue official guidance on the reimbursement requirement, language that may not be published until Jan. 15.
The forthcoming policy change will also not be retroactive, meaning people will not be able to obtain reimbursement for at-home tests they already purchased, the senior administration official said. It is also unclear if limitations will be placed on the number of at-home tests individuals can submit for reimbursement.”
Insurance companies are worried that such a policy will result in price gouging, which has occurred in the past. Eventually, such behavior will cause increased premiums- no such thing as a free lunch.
Biden pledges to fight new variant ‘with science and speed,’ as omicron cases multiply and winter outlook worsens: Reinforcing yesterday’s report on the summary of measures the federal government is proposing.
The article has videos of Biden and Fauci. “The president’s plan includes campaigns to increase vaccinations and booster shots, more stringent testing for international travelers and plans to make rapid at-home coronavirus testing free for more people. While some of the measures are new — notably a plan to launch ‘family mobile vaccination clinics,’ where all eligible members of a family could simultaneously get shots and boosters — others build on existing tactics, such as rallying businesses to impose vaccination-or-testing mandates for employees.”
Omicron COVID-19 variant found in five U.S. states: “New York has confirmed five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, its governor said on Thursday, bringing to five the number of U.S. states having detected the variant, with 10 reported infections nationwide.
California, Colorado and Minnesota have found cases of the coronavirus variant among patients who were fully vaccinated and developed mild symptoms, while Hawaii reported a case with an unvaccinated person, who had moderate symptoms.”
Walmart extends COVID leave policy, brings back vaccination incentives: “Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, is responding to the threat of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 by extending its COVID leave policy for associates through March 31, 2022, as well as reintroducing its vaccine incentive for frontline associates to provide $150 after an associate becomes fully vaccinated.
The COVID leave policy, which was implemented in March 2020 during the initial surge of the pandemic, provides up to two weeks of paid time off if an associate contracts COVID-19, if a facility is part of a mandated quarantine or if an associate is required to quarantine by a health care provider, government agency or Walmart.”
About pharma
In the Years before the COVID-19 Pandemic, Nearly 13 Million Adults Delayed or Did Not Get Needed Prescription Drugs Because of Costs: From the Urban Institute:
”In this brief, we explore prescription drug affordability challenges using pooled 2018 and 2019 data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We primarily focus on the extent to which elderly adults ages 65 and older with Medicare and nonelderly adults ages 19 to 64 with year-round private insurance delay or forgo needed prescription drugs because of the cost and their out-of-pocket spending burdens. We find the following:
Nearly 13 million adults delayed or did not get needed prescription drugs in the past year because of the cost, including 2.3 million elderly Medicare beneficiaries and 3.8 million nonelderly adults with private insurance, 1.1 million with Medicaid, and 4.1 million who were uninsured at any point during the year.
About 1 in 10 adults who were uninsured all year (9.5 percent) or part of the year (11.6 percent) reported unmet prescription drug needs, compared with 4.9 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, 3.0 percent of privately insured adults, and 5.6 percent of adults with Medicaid.
For both Medicare beneficiaries and privately insured adults, unmet prescription drug needs were most common among women, people with low incomes, and people with multiple chronic health conditions. Nearly all Medicare beneficiaries and more than 8 in 10 privately insured adults with unmet needs have been diagnosed with a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and respiratory illnesses.
More than one-quarter of adults with Medicare (25.4 percent) and 5.3 percent of privately insured adults spent more than 1 percent of their family incomes on their individual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. More than 3 percent of Medicare beneficiaries—and nearly 7 percent of beneficiaries with unmet prescription drug needs—spent more than 10 percent of their family incomes on prescription drugs.”
PCMA pulls lawsuit over rebate disclosure rule after reaching deal with Biden admin: “The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) pulled its lawsuit, filed back in August in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, after having engaged with the Biden administration on a resolution. The administration issued a final rule last month that still required PBMs to disclose rebate prices to the federal government but won't be released publicly.
The lawsuit centered on a rule passed near the end of the Trump administration that required PBMs to publicly post the rebate amounts they negotiate with drugmakers.”
Sanofi to Progress 10 New Candidates in Vaccine Pipeline: “Six of those candidates will leverage the mRNA Center of Excellence that the company established in June, into which it pledged to pump $500 million a year…
A giant in the vaccine industry that hasn’t yet had success in the COVID-19 space, the company said sustained growth will be driven by its four core franchises: influenza, meningitis, PPH3 and boosters, as well as the planned launch of nirsevimab, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody for all infant protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
About the public’s health
Financial incentives for smoking cessation in pregnancy: multicentre randomised controlled trial: “Financial incentives to reward smoking abstinence compared with no financial incentives were associated with an increased abstinence rate in pregnant smokers. Financial incentives dependent on smoking abstinence could be implemented as a safe and effective intervention to help pregnant smokers quit smoking.”
The success of using financial incentives to motivate behavior is situationally dependent— which is why these specific studies need to be performed.
HHS seeks comment on efforts to improve organ transplant equity, dialysis care: “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is soliciting public feedback on potential changes to rulemaking it's considering to improve both the organ transplantation system and dialysis care -- part of a broader effort to introduce more equity into the healthcare system.
The formal Request for Information issued by the agency stems from a Biden Administration goal of improving health outcomes for the roughly 106,000 people who are living with organ failure and are awaiting a transplant.”
FDA approves trivalent hepatitis B vaccine for adults: “According to VBI Vaccines, PreHevbrio contains the S, pre-S2 and pre-S1 HBV surface antigens and is the only approved three-antigen HBV vaccine for adults…
The approval of PreHevbrio was based on the results of two phase 3 studies that compared the vaccine with a monovalent HBV vaccine. Adults aged 18 years and older who received PreHevbrio elicited higher rates of seroprotection (91.4% vs. 76.5%). This included adults aged 45 years and older (89.4% vs. 73.1%).
PreHevbrio is expected to be available in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022, VBI Vaccines said.”
About healthcare IT
Assessment of Patient Preferences for Telehealth in Post–COVID-19 Pandemic Health Care: “In this survey study of 2080 adults, most respondents were willing to use video visits in the future but, when presented with the choice between an in-person or a video visit for nonemergency care, most preferred in-person care. Willingness to pay for preferred visit modality was higher for those who preferred in-person care, and those who preferred video visits were more sensitive to out-of-pocket cost.”
Google rolls out new search tools for health information on Medicare services, languages spoken by providers: “Announced Thursday in a blog post by Hema Budaraju, director of Google Search's social impact division, the additions make it easier for patients to seek out doctors near them that fulfill their individual needs, addressing questions like whether a provider accepts Medicare or what languages that provider speaks.”
The Digital Experience is the Key Driver of Growth and Patient Retention, According to Press Ganey’s 2021 Consumer Report: From a Press Ganey survey:
“All generations are increasingly shopping online for healthcare. 44% of baby boomers and 60% of millennials and Gen Z prefer researching healthcare providers on their smartphone or tablet, representing a 27% and 13% increase from 2019, respectively.
Digital drives patient choice. In fact, they rely on digital resources more than twice as much as provider referrals when choosing a healthcare provider. [Emphasis added]On average, consumers use three different websites during their healthcare research process and five reviews before making a decision.
Search engines are just the start. Among the top five websites used, consumers rely on a brand’s website, WebMD, Healthgrades and Facebook the most to research a provider.
Online reviews prevent referral leakage. 83% of patients go online to read reviews about a provider after they receive a referral. 84% would not see their referred provider if they had less than a four-star rating.
Customer service is the new bedside manner. Assuming quality care is received, patients rate “customer service” (71%) and “communication” (64%) as more important than even “bedside manner” when it comes to rating a five-star experience.
Telehealth isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. More than one-third of patients have used telehealth in the past year—a 38% increase since 2019—and usage surged among baby boomers during the same period.
About health insurance
Providers slam House for not delaying nearly 10% Medicare payment cuts in must-pass spending deal: “Major provider groups were livid that a continuing resolution to fund the federal government also doesn’t stave off nearly 10% in cuts to Medicare payments set to go into effect on Jan. 1.
The Federation of American Hospitals and American Medical Association were upset that legislative language to fund the government through Feb. 18 does not delay cuts from several sources including the Sequester and PAYGO law. Other providers have been lobbying Congress fervently on the cuts.”
Unum: Workers to pay more attention during open enrollment this year:
“Two-thirds of workers surveyed by employee benefits provider Unum said they plan to pay more attention and spend more time reviewing their choices during open enrollment this year. Unum polled 1,500 full-time U.S. workers in August.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they will enroll in benefits they did not have last year. The uptick may be due to greater awareness; two-thirds of workers said they are more interested or aware of the choices their employers provide.
Concern over finances and mental health will drive workers' choices, Unum's findings indicated.”
About hospitals and health systems
State-by-state breakdown of 73 hospital closures: About 60 million people — nearly 1 in 5 Americans — live in rural areas and depend on their local hospitals for care. More than 70 of those hospitals have ended all services since 2011, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.”
Texas hospital will pay $18.2M to settle false claims case: “The settlement resolves allegations that Flower Mound Hospital, a partially physician-owned facility, violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law when it repurchased shares from physician-owners aged 63 or older and then resold those shares to younger physicians. Prosecutors allege that hospital leaders took into account the volume or value of physicians' referrals when selecting which physicians to resell the shares to and determining the number of shares each physician would receive.”
About medical devices
Device Recalls Soar in Recent Months: “Medical device recalls increased by more than 35 percent to 235 incidents in the third quarter of 2021, up from just 173 in the second quarter, reversing a year-long trend of declining numbers, a new analysis suggests.” See this FDA website for specific products.