The 8 greatest healthcare leaders in 2021, per Fortune: Not household names because it is a global list. No Fauci!
About Covid-19
U.S. to bolster public health workforce to fight COVID-19, future pandemics: “Of the $7.4 billion, $4.4 billion will go to states and local public health departments to address disease outbreaks and hire school nurses. It will also be used to expand the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ability to track outbreaks and to create a service corps dedicated to public health. The remaining $3 billion will boost local public health workforces ahead of future challenges, with an emphasis on recruiting diverse candidates, the White House said.”
Hundreds of Epidemiologists Expected Mask-Wearing in Public for at Least a Year: “When federal health officials said on Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks in most places, it came as a surprise to many people in public health. It also was a stark contrast with the views of a large majority of epidemiologists surveyed in the last two weeks by The New York Times.
In the informal survey, 80 percent said they thought Americans would need to wear masks in public indoor places for at least another year. Just 5 percent said people would no longer need to wear masks indoors by this summer.
In large crowds outdoors, like at a concert or protest, 88 percent of the epidemiologists said it was necessary even for fully vaccinated people to wear masks.”
Delaying second Pfizer vaccines to 12 weeks significantly increases antibody responses in older people: “Antibody response in people aged over 80 is three-and-a-half times greater in those who have the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after 12 weeks compared to those who have it at a three-week interval, finds a new study led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Public Health England.
The study, supported by the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, of 175 people who were aged over 80 and living independently is the first direct comparison of the immune response in any age group between those who are given the second Pfizer vaccine at a three-week interval and those at a 12-week interval.”
Immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines in Pregnant and Lactating Women: “In this exploratory analysis of a convenience sample, receipt of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was immunogenic in pregnant women, and vaccine-elicited antibodies were transported to infant cord blood and breast milk. Pregnant and nonpregnant women who were vaccinated developed cross-reactive antibody responses and T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.”
Blood Expert Says He Found Why Some Covid-19 Vaccines Trigger Rare Clots: “Andreas Greinacher of the University of Greifswald in Germany believes viral vector vaccines, which use modified adenoviruses to convey genetic material into vaccine recipients to fight COVID-19, could cause an autoimmune response that leads to blood clots…
According to Greinacher, that reaction could be tied to stray proteins and a preservative he has found in the AstraZeneca vaccine.
He and his team have just begun examining Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, but has identified more than 1000 proteins in AstraZeneca's vaccine derived from human cells, as well as a preservative known as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
Their hypothesis is that EDTA, which is common to drugs and other products, helps those proteins stray into the bloodstream, where they bind to a blood component called platelet factor 4 (PF4), forming complexes that activate the production of antibodies.
The inflammation caused by the vaccines, combined with the PF4 complexes, could trick the immune system into believing the body had been infected by bacteria, triggering a defense mechanism that then runs out of control and causes clotting and bleeding.”
About health insurance
You’ve Added Your Kids to Your Health Plan. What About Mom?: “…a California lawmaker is pushing a bill that would require private health plans regulated by the state to extend coverage to some subscribers’ parents. Business groups and others fear the legislation could jack up insurance premiums, but the bill has strong backing from health advocacy and immigrants’ rights organizations, as immigrants make up a sizable portion of California’s uninsured population.”
This proposal is a great subject for policy discussions ranging from classrooms to statehouses.
Oscar Health posts $87.4M loss in first quarter of 2021: “Oscar Health posted an $87.4 million loss in the first quarter of 2021, the insurer reported Thursday, marking an improvement from its $96.9 million loss in the first quarter of 2020…
Revenue rose significantly year over year, the company said in its earnings report, reaching $389 million compared to $88.4 million in the first quarter of 2021…
Oscar Health officially went public in March. While its reach has continued to grow in terms of membership, the company has historically struggled to turn a profit.”
About healthcare devices
Magnets in Cell Phones and Smart Watches May Affect Pacemakers and Other Implanted Medical Devices: “Some consumer electronic devices, such as certain cell phones and smart watches, include high field strength magnets. Recent studies have shown that consumer electronic devices with high field strength magnets may cause certain implanted medical devices to switch to ‘magnet mode’ and suspend normal operations until the magnet is moved away from the medical device.
Many implanted medical devices are designed with a ‘magnet mode’ to allow for safe operation during certain medical procedures such as undergoing an MRI scan. These safety features are typically engaged by physicians with the use of a high field strength magnet that is placed near the implanted device placing it into a ‘magnet mode.’ Removal of the magnetic field causes the device to return to normal operation.”
Becton Dickinson’s Self-Collection HPV Test Receives CE Mark: “Becton Dickinson has received CE mark certification for its Onclarity HPV Assay, a human papillomavirus test that can also help screen for cervical cancer.
Using the assay, women can collect vaginal samples at home and send them to a laboratory for processing on the company’s Viper LT or COR systems.”
About hospitals and health systems
3 Ascension Texas hospitals to pay $20.9M for alleged kickbacks: “Three Ascension hospitals in Texas agreed to pay $20.9 million for allegedly paying multiple physician groups above fair market value for services, according to a recent news release from the HHS' Office of Inspector General.”
Atrium Health posts $18M loss in Q1 due to higher expenses: “Atrium Health posted a $18 million loss of operating revenue for the first quarter due to higher operating expenses.
But the 42-hospital system did post net operating revenue of $1.9 billion for the first quarter, slightly above the $1.98 billion that it budgeted, according to an earnings report released during the system’s board meeting Tuesday.”
About pharma
Heron's newly-minted opioid alternative for post-surgical pain headed for blockbusterland, analysts say: “The FDA this week cleared Zynrelef to help patients manage pain for up to 72 hours after a bunionectomy, groin hernia repair or total knee replacement. The approval will allow Heron to target around 2.1 million procedures at launch, the company said in an approval presentation Thursday.
At a wholesale acquisition price of $267.50 for a 400 mg/12 mg vial and $135.50 for a 200 mg/6 mg vial, Zynrelef could be looking at a market worth some $300 million for those three procedures, analysts at Evercore ISI wrote in a note to clients this week.
Still, Heron was expecting a wider label.”
About healthcare IT
Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030: The ONC is soliciting comments about what will/should/can change as a result of interoperability.
Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on Executive Order Charting a New Course to Improve the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Protect Federal Government Networks: This document is the text of Wednesday’s White House Press Briefing about the President’s Executive Order [EO] addressing cybersecurity: “[T]oday’s executive order makes a down payment towards modernizing our cyber defenses and safeguarding many of the services on which we rely. It reflects a fundamental shift in our mindset — from incident response to prevention, from talking about security to doing security — setting aggressive but achievable goals to make the federal government a leader in cybersecurity, and improve software security and incident response.”
For example, tools “like multi-factor authentication, encryption, endpoint detection response, logging, and operating in a zero-trust environment will be rolled out across government networks on a tight timeline as you’ll see in the EO.”