Pioneering cardiologist Jeremiah Stamler dies at 102: “Dr. Jeremiah Stamler, founding chair and professor emeritus of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, is credited with teaching the world about the links between diet and cardiovascular health.
Stamler also discovered new ways to treat hypertension and, in the 1970s, helped introduce the concept of cardiovascular ‘risk factors’ like cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and smoking… He also helped establish the connection between increased sodium intake and high blood pressure.”
Dr. Stamler was a real giant in the field of epidemiology and prevention. He was a pioneer in discovering risk factors that we now take for granted. He once commented to me about a popular breakfast item: Lox (low salt), yes…but no cream cheese!
About Covid-19
Association of Child Masking With COVID-19–Related Closures in US Childcare Programs: “In this survey study of 6654 childcare professionals from all 50 states, child masking at baseline (May 22 to June 8, 2020) was associated with a 13% reduction in program closure within the following year, and continued child masking throughout the 1-year study period was associated with a 14% reduction in program closure.
Meaning These results suggest that masking of children in childcare programs is associated with reduced program closures, supporting current masking recommendation in younger children provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Yet Another COVID-19 Testing Company That Got Millions From The Feds Being Investigated After Patients Say Their Results Were Flawed: “The list of Chicago-based companies that operate COVID-19 testing sites now under investigation is growing, with a third company under scrutiny after collecting more than $154 million from the federal government amid a sea of consumer complaints.
Northshore Clinical Laboratories, which is not affiliated with NorthShore HealthSystem, worked with third-party pop-ups all over the United States before ending its partnerships with them in late December. It’s also partnered with schools, nursing homes, politicians and other groups on testing and vaccinations. It’s processed at least 5 million tests, according to a federal report.”
Hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin does not improve outcomes for adults hospitalized with COVID-19: “A clinical trial has found that the combination of remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not more effective than remdesivir alone for treating adults hospitalized with the disease. The trial also found that the safety of this experimental treatment may vary depending on whether a person naturally generates SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies before receiving it. The results of the multinational Phase 3 trial were published today in the journal The Lancet.”
About health insurance
Health Coverage Changes From 2020-2021: “KEY POINTS:
The most recent National Health Interview Survey shows that the uninsured rate for the U.S. population was 8.9 percent for Q3 2021 (July – September 2021), down from 10.3 percent for Q4 2020.
Individuals with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level experienced the largest decrease.
The uninsured rate for children decreased by 2.2 percentage points and for working-age adults (18-64) decreased by 1.5 percentage points.
Coverage gains were somewhat larger for private coverage than public coverage.
These data suggest that policies including the American Rescue Plan, the 2021 Marketplace
Special Enrollment Period, and state Medicaid expansions, in addition to the economic recovery, have helped Americans gain insurance coverage during the COVID-19 public health crisis.”
Physician Compensation Arrangements and Financial Performance Incentives in US Health Systems: “Do health system physician compensation arrangements primarily incentivize volume or value?
Findings This cross-sectional mixed-methods study of 31 physician organizations affiliated with 22 US health systems found that volume was a component of primary care and specialist compensation for most POs (83.9% and 93.3%, respectively), representing a substantial portion of compensation when included (mean, 68.2% and 73.7%, respectively). While most primary care and specialist compensation arrangements included performance-based incentives, they averaged less than 10% of compensation.”
CMS: $49M In Grants To Boost Medicaid, CHIP Enrollment: “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opened $49.4 million in grant funding Thursday to advance Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment and retention among kids, parents and pregnant individuals…
Organizations including state and local governments, tribal organizations, not-for-profits, schools and more can apply to receive up to $1.5 million each over three years to help more children gain health coverage. Applications will be open until March 28.”
Number of ACOs increases modestly to 483 for 2022, which advocates say should be wake-up call: “CMS announced that 66 new ACOs were joining the program this year and that 140 existing ACOs renewed their membership. This brings the total number of ACOs in the MSSP to 483 this year, slightly up from the 477 that were running in 2021.
But the number of beneficiaries who are cared for by an ACO continues to grow.
As of Jan. 1, 2022, more than 11 million Medicare beneficiaries get care from a provider in an MSSP ACO, up by 340,000 (3%) from 2021, CMS' analysis said.”
Oscar Health Delivers Historic Growth, Issues Guidance for 2022 of More Than $6B in Premiums: “For full year 2022, Oscar projects premiums will increase to $6.1 billion - $6.4 billion, a YoY increase of roughly 80% at the midpoint. The Company is also projecting an Adjusted EBITDA loss of ($380) million to ($480) million, which reflects both improving MLR and administrative expense ratios YoY.”
Georgia Bill Aims to Limit Profits of Medicaid Managed-Care Companies: “Georgia lawmakers will consider a bill that could force the state’s Medicaid managed-care insurers to repay millions of dollars if their spending on medical care doesn’t reach a certain threshold…
Tucked inside the legislation is a provision that would require the Medicaid managed-care companies to refund payments to the state if they don’t spend enough on medical care and quality improvements for patients.
Georgia Health News and KHN reported in September that Georgia was one of only a few states that doesn’t mandate a minimum level of medical spending for its Medicaid insurers.
Each year, Georgia pays three insurance companies — CareSource, Peach State Health Plan, and Amerigroup — a total of more than $4 billion to run the federal-state health insurance program for low-income residents and people with disabilities. For 2019 and 2020, the companies’ combined profits averaged $189 million per year, according to insurer filings reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
12% of US hospitals critically understaffed, 23% anticipate shortages: Numbers by state: “More than 12 percent — or 742 of 6,008 — of hospitals reporting staffing levels in the U.S. are experiencing critical staffing shortages, according to HHS data posted Jan. 27.”
About pharma
Samsung shells out $2.3 billion for Biogen stake in biosimilar joint venture: “Samsung Biologics announced Thursday that it has agreed to buyout Biogen's stake in their nearly decade-long biosimilars joint venture Samsung Bioepis for $2.3 billion.”
About the public’s health
Doctors, nurses, hospitals warn blood shortage could jeopardize ability to meet patients' needs:
A reminder that this problem persists:
”In an statement issued by the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association, workers said that the current "severity and duration" of the blood supply shortage could "significantly jeopardize" the ability of health care providers to meet the many urgent needs around the country.
The U.S. currently faces its worst blood shortage in over a decade.”
Use of 15-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine and 20-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Among U.S. Adults: Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2022: The “Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended 15-valent PCV (PCV15) or 20-valent PCV (PCV20) for PCV–naïve adults who are either aged ≥65 years or aged 19–64 years with certain underlying conditions. When PCV15 is used, it should be followed by a dose of PPSV23, typically ≥1 year later.”
Addressing the unprecedented behavioral-health challenges facing Generation Z: “A series of consumer surveys and interviews conducted by McKinsey indicate stark differences among generations, with Gen Z reporting the least positive life outlook, including lower levels of emotional and social well-being than older generations. One in four Gen Z respondents reported feeling more emotionally distressed (25 percent), almost double the levels reported by millennial and Gen X respondents (13 percent each), and more than triple the levels reported by baby boomer respondents (8 percent).”
About healthcare IT
Research shows gender, specialty, geography among top factors contributing to “pajama time” work for clinicians: “Conducted in the first half of 2021, the findings from the athenahealth Research and Insights team show that factors including region, gender, organizational structure, and medical specialty are all associated with the amount of time clinicians spend documenting in the EHR.”
Higher charting times were characteristic of larger organizations; adult-medicine primary care clinicians, followed by neurologists; female practitioners in all specialties; and New England region location. Of note is that patient volume does not correlate well with these hours. The study noted, for example: “Despite data showing that orthopedic surgeons schedule the most patients weekly, they spend the least amount of time in the EHR as compared to other top specialties.”