About COVID-19
Seasonal human coronavirus antibodies are boosted upon SARS-CoV-2 infection but not associated with protection: “Our studies indicate that most individuals possessed hCoV [human coronavirus]-reactive antibodies before the COVID-19 pandemic. We determined that ∼20% of these individuals possessed non-neutralizing antibodies that cross-reacted with SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins. These antibodies were not associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections or hospitalizations, but they were boosted upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
U.S. to start sending COVID-19 vaccines directly to community health centers: “The government will send doses to 250 centers nationwide selected based on their proximity to vulnerable groups, such as homeless people and those with limited proficiency in English, they said. Typically, vaccine doses would go to state governments for distribution to health centers.
Eventually the effort will expand to more than 1,300 community health centers.”
Verily links with Janssen for at-home COVID-19 immune system study: “Verily is teaming up with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division to observe the body’s earliest immune responses to a coronavirus infection, with people participating in the research from within their own homes.
The study will be launched through Verily’s Project Baseline testing program and aims to collect biological information and real-world data in the weeks immediately after a person tests positive for COVID-19.”
Verily is “Google’s life-science-focused sibling company…”
About hospitals and health systems
Tenet Healthcare posts $414M profit in 4th quarter: “Tenet Healthcare beat Wall Street expectations Tuesday as it posted a profit of $414 million, or $3.86 per share, in the final quarter of a year of historic challenges.
The fourth-quarter earnings are a jump from a loss of $3 million, or three cents per share, in the same quarter of 2019. The Dallas-based health system reported revenue was up 2.2% at $4.9 billion for the quarter from fourth-quarter revenue in 2019.”
Kaiser Permanente income narrowed to $2.2B last year amid COVID-19 squeeze: “Kaiser Permanente generated $2.2 billion in operating income last year as the hospital system weathered financial challenges from the pandemic.
Kaiser announced late Friday that it generated $88.7 billion in total operating revenue in 2020, up about 5% compared with $84.5 billion the year before. The system’s operating income dropped to $2.2 billion, down about 19% from the income of $2.7 billion generated in 2019.
The system touted membership gains in its health plan and its ‘integrated model’ in handling the financial fallout from COVID-19 that forced patient volumes to plummet.”
An example of payer-provider integration that shields such a system from losses when “volumes plummet.”
Negligent Credentialing Suit in Iowa Could Affect Hospitals Everywhere: This case is perhaps the most-talked-about action in healthcare because of far-reaching implications. “Should the Iowa Supreme Court recognize that there is a tort claim for negligent credentialing, it could spell increased accountability and liability for hospitals.” Read the article for more details.
Hospitals’ Covid-19 heroics have them poised for power in the new Washington: “The hospital business is booming on Capitol Hill like never before. Lawmakers showered the industry with more than $275 billion last year, and handed hospitals wins even on seemingly unrelated issues. And Democrats’ agenda will almost certainly be better for their bottom lines.
The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the industry’s image in Washington, where large health care systems have long been vilified as corporate profit mongers instead of community caregivers. Now, more than two dozen lobbyists and consultants told STAT that they are keenly aware of just how much power the industry has accrued — and are prepared to seize the moment.”
7 hospital construction projects costing $500M or more: FYI
About healthcare IT
50-State Survey of Telehealth Commercial Insurance Laws: A really good summary as of January, 2021 by law firm Foley & Lardner.
Nuance Announces Acquisition of Saykara: “ Nuance Communications, Inc…. announced the acquisition of Saykara, Inc., a like-minded startup focused on developing a mobile AI assistant to automate clinical documentation for physicians. The acquisition underscores Nuance's ongoing expansion of market and technical leadership in conversational artificial intelligence (AI) and ambient clinical intelligence (ACI) solutions that reduce clinician burnout, enhance patient experiences, and improve overall health system financial integrity.”
Stolen Chatham county data posted online after cyber incident, includes personnel files, other sensitive documents: Cyber criminals are serious about the consequences of not cooperating with them. “Sensitive data files stolen following Chatham County’s Oct. 28 governmental 'cyber incident’ have been posted online by the criminal enterprise responsible, the News + Record has learned.
The files include such things as personnel records of some county employees, medical evaluations of children who are the subjects of neglect cases, eviction notices and documents related to ongoing investigations within the Chatham County Sheriff’s office.”
Physiological Data from a Wearable Device Identifies SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Symptoms and Predicts COVID-19 Diagnosis: Observational Study: “Longitudinally collected HRV [heart rate variability] metrics from a commonly worn commercial wearable device (Apple Watch) can identify the diagnosis of COVID-19 and COVID-19 related symptoms. Prior to the diagnosis of COVID-19 by nasal PCR, significant changes in HRV were observed demonstrating its predictive ability to identify COVID-19 infection.”
Deep-learning-assisted analysis of echocardiographic videos improves predictions of all-cause mortality: Published research from Geisinger Clinic: “Here we show that a convolutional neural network trained on raw pixel data in 812,278 echocardiographic videos from 34,362 individuals provides superior predictions of one-year all-cause mortality. The model’s predictions outperformed the widely used pooled cohort equations, the Seattle Heart Failure score (measured in an independent dataset of 2,404 patients with heart failure who underwent 3,384 echocardiograms), and a machine learning model involving 58 human-derived variables from echocardiograms and 100 clinical variables derived from electronic health records. We also show that cardiologists assisted by the model substantially improved the sensitivity of their predictions of one-year all-cause mortality by 13% while maintaining prediction specificity. Large unstructured datasets may enable deep learning to improve a wide range of clinical prediction models.”
About pharma
Fresenius To Pay $50M For Impeding FDA Investigation: “Indian drug manufacturer Fresenius Kabi Oncology Ltd. will plead guilty and pay $50 million to end claims that it destroyed and hid records related to the production of cancer drugs before a 2013 investigation by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, the U. S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday. The DOJ charged FKOL in Nevada federal court with violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for failing to turn over certain documents requested by the FDA, prosecutors said in a release.”
PacBio nets $900M from SoftBank to support its long-read sequencing goals: “Just over a year after Illumina’s $1.2 billion bid for its fellow sequencer manufacturer fell apart under federal scrutiny, Pacific Biosciences has secured a new benefactor with a $900 million commitment from SoftBank.
The Japanese conglomerate has signed up to purchase convertible senior notes due in 2028 at $43.50 apiece, or a 30% premium above PacBio’s 30-day closing average, through its SB Management subsidiary.”
About healthcare professionals
Apollo To Make An Up To $470M Investment In Health Care Biz: “Apollo Global Management said Tuesday it will make an up to $470 million investment in emergency medicine and hospitalist services business US Acute Care Solutions as the physician-owned group buys out the minority stake of a separate private equity firm. Apollo's preferred equity stake in the Canton, Ohio-based business facilitates a full recapitalization of the company, as well as an exit of Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe, the asset manager said. As a result of the deal, USACS will be 90% owned by its physicians and continue to be controlled by its doctors..”
About health insurance
Biden Administration Backs ACA at Top Court, Flipping Trump’s Stance: “President Joe Biden’s administration told the U.S. Supreme Court the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, filing an unusual letter that flips the government’s position three months after the justices heard arguments on the law.
The Trump administration had argued against the health-care law, also known as Obamacare, when the justices heard the case Nov. 10.
Opponents are trying to invalidate the entire law by pointing to a Republican-backed 2017 tax change that eliminated a penalty for not having insurance. The penalty was central to the 2012 Supreme Court decision that upheld the so-called individual mandate to have insurance as a legitimate use of Congress’ constitutional taxing power.”
Amid Pandemic, 53% of California Employers Prefer Health Plans with High-quality Providers Over Low-cost Plans; 86% Will Pay More for Top-quality Networks: “When researchers asked California health benefit managers to rank priorities, the study found that:
· Fifty-three percent (53%) of businesses preferred offering health plans that featured high-quality care providers
· Less than half of employers (42%) prioritized low-cost plans with smaller provider networks
· Eighty-six percent (86%) of employers would pay more for plans with the best-rated health care providers
The survey’s results reflect other impacts of the pandemic, as well. For example:
· Seventy-one percent (71%) of health benefit decision-makers surveyed reported their employees having to switch doctors because of the pandemic; of this group, 93% said they expect employees to pick health plans with in-network doctors close to them.
· Forty-two percent (42%) of employers preferred health plans with telehealth and virtual-care options; these allow employees to engage providers and use resources while practicing social distancing.”