About hospitals and health systems
2021 Healthcare Consumer Experience Study: Among the findings: “More than one-third (35%) of survey respondents say they have changed (or would change) healthcare providers to get a better digital patient administrative experience. And one-third (33%) have changed or would change payers to get a better digital member experience.”
CONSUMER EXPERIENCE TRENDS IN HEALTHCARE 2021: In a different study (this one by Press Ganey), below are some highlights:
“Digital drives choice: Patients rely on digital resources 2.2x more than provider referrals when choosing a healthcare provider.
Referral leakage: 84% would not see a referred provider if they were rated under 4 stars.
The rise of virtual health: Over 1/3 of patients have used telehealth in the past year—a 337.6% increase since 2019.
Patient as customer: Assuming quality care, patients rate “customer service” (70.8%) and “communication” (63.4%) as more important than even “bedside manner” when it comes to a 5-star experience.
Shopping for healthcare: On average, consumers use three different websites during their healthcare research process and read 51⁄2 reviews before making a decision.”
CMS to roll out 'birthing-friendly' hospital tag on Care Compare site: “The Biden administration wants to add a ‘birthing-friendly’ designation to facilities on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS') Care Compare website.
The designation, announced Tuesday as part of a larger call to action from the White House to address maternal care, would apply to hospitals that provide perinatal care and participate in a maternity care quality improvement collaborative.
CMS is also encouraging states to take advantage of an option in the American Rescue Plan Act to provide a year of postpartum coverage to pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”
About Covid-19
Booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be critical against omicron, companies’ study suggests: “The early data, which is not yet peer reviewed or published, suggests that two shots may not be sufficient to prevent infection from omicron and echoes a finding published Tuesday afternoonby leading scientists in South Africa.
Both studies suggest that higher levels of antibodies — whether triggered by a booster shot or a previous infection in addition to vaccination — may restore protection.”
If you are looking for reasons why we have not controlled the Covid-19 pandemic, the two articles below should help clarify the problem:
Losing your job because of vaccine mandates? You can collect unemployment benefits in these states: “At least three red states -- Iowa, Tennessee and Florida -- have recently passed laws extending eligibility to these folks as part of broader measures restricting employer vaccine mandates.
Kansas' GOP-led legislature approved a similar bill that Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, recently signed. And in Arkansas, which is controlled by Republicans, a law curtailing vaccine mandates will take effect in January.
Other states, including Wyoming and Wisconsin, have looked into such provisions, and more are expected to consider similar legislation when lawmakers return to their capitols in January.”
Half of Americans Back Biden’s Vaccine-or-Test Mandate for Private Sector, WSJ Poll Finds: “Fifty percent of voters said they support Mr. Biden’s vaccine requirements for the private sector, which direct companies with 100 or more employees to require workers to either get vaccinated or tested weekly, while 47% oppose them. A slightly larger share of voters support state and local vaccine mandates for public safety workers, such as police officers, firefighters and first responders, with 55% in favor and 44% opposed.
Voters were also divided on whether the Covid-19 vaccine should be mandatory for school-aged children, with more people in favor of requiring vaccines for older children. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would support schools requiring that children 12 and older get vaccinated, while 45% said they were opposed to the idea. Voters were evenly split, 48%-48%, on whether schools should mandate vaccines for children ages 5 to 11.”
6 states account for 60% of US COVID-19 hospitalizations: “Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois are mostly driving this increase. These states make up 35 percent of the population among states with increasing hospitalizations, but comprise 60 percent of new hospital beds filled between Nov. 10 and Dec. 5, according to an NBC News analysis of HHS data.”
WHO Says ‘No’ to Convalescent Plasma for Nonsevere COVID-19: “A review of 16 different trials that included 16,236 COVID-19 patients with nonsevere, severe and critical COVID-19 infection found that the plasma did not improve survival or reduce the need for supplemental oxygen for nonsevere patients, a WHO panel found.”
About the public’s health
United Health Foundation report: U.S. deaths rose 17% between 2019 and 2020: “While overall U.S. deaths increased 17% from 2019 to 2020, people also reported a 13% increase in high health status during the same time.
The report examined more than 80 measures from 30 data sources, with the goal of illuminating the strengths and pitfalls of this country’s health. It offers a look into disparities by age, gender, race, ethnicity, geography, education and income level. The report is available at AmericasHealthRankings.org, as is an interactive breakdown of the data.”
The report also has rankings of states. Colorado is the healthiest, West Virginia the least healthy.
About health insurance
House passes bill that delays 6% in Medicare cuts, postpones radiation oncology model: “The House passed by a vote of 222 to 212 a bill that delays 6% in Medicare cuts set to go into effect Jan. 1 and reduce most of a 3.75% cut to physicians, handing providers a major win they have been fervently lobbying Congress for.”
The action was a delay that still needs to clear the Senate. Read the article for more details.
UnitedHealthcare Must Pay TeamHealth $62 Million For Shortchanging Clinicians, Jury Says: “UnitedHealthcare must pay $62.65 million in total damages for shortchanging TeamHealth clinicians, a Las Vegas jury decided Tuesday.
The jury unanimously found the nation’s largest insurer guilty of fraud and unjust enrichment, saying it had formed and violated an implied contract with TeamHealth and engaged in unjust and oppressive claims practices. The private equity-backed provider group initially demanded $100 million in punitive damages when it alleged the insurer reimbursed clinicians at unlawfully low rates. The jury awarded the plaintiff $60 million. With the $2.65 million TeamHealth won in compensatory damages last week, UnitedHealthcare’s total obligation reached $62.65 million. UnitedHealthcare will reportedly appeal the ruling.”
About pharma
Vyera Pharmaceuticals to pay $40M in price-gouging settlement: “As part of a drug-pricing inflation settlement, Vyera Pharmaceuticals will pay $40 million in relief to victims affected by its price-gouging scheme involving the lifesaving drug Daraprim, the Federal Trade Commission announced Dec. 7.
The FTC and seven state co-plaintiffs filed the Dec. 7 court order after a January 2020 complaint alleging Vyera, former CEO Martin Shkreli and his associate Kevin Mulleady engaged in anticompetitive practices when they raised the price of the drug from $17.50 to $750 per tablet after acquiring it in 2015.”
About healthcare IT
Microsoft’s $19.7B Nuance buy hits a snag with EU antitrust probe: “The E.U.’s antitrust regulator began issuing the questionnaires after the companies submitted the acquisition for approval last month. It currently has until Dec. 21 to either officially widen the probe or give the all-clear.
Either way, the transaction is seemingly no longer on track to close by the end of the year, as Microsoft and Nuance initially planned when they announced their agreement in April.”
Amazon launches new elder care subscription service Alexa Together with emergency assistance, fall detection: “Amazon has officially launched Alexa Together, a subscription-based service helping caregivers provide remote support to elderly loved ones, the tech giant said Tuesday.
First announced in late September, the service uses Amazon’s range of Echo devices with new features like fall detection and 24/7 emergency assistance supporting the health and wellbeing of older users.
Family members can choose to receive notifications through the Alexa app when their loved one uses their device for the first time each day and will be contacted along with emergency services if the user calls for help.”