About health insurance/insurers
Trends in Social Spending by Private Health Insurers “Between 2017 and 2021, total identifiable social spending for the top 20 private health insurers was at least $1.87 billion. The top 6 insurers by market share made up 72% of total social spending. As a percent of net income, these six insurers, on average, spent 0.11% of dollars on SDoH in 2017, 1.6% in 2020, and 0.67% in 2021. Most funds went to housing ($1.2 billion) and food security ($238 million) programs. $247 million were allocated towards “general SDoH.” The least amount of funding was directed to transportation ($13.4 million), followed by social and community context ($49.7 million), education ($57.2 million), and employment ($58.6 million).”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Illinois OKs Atrium, Advocate Aurora merger “The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board unanimously approved a plan to change ownership for 10 Advocate Aurora facilities in the state covered by the system's plan to merge with Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health…”
AHA: Drugmaker 340B restrictions are harming safety net hospitals financially “A new hospital industry report charges that safety net and charity care hospitals are losing millions due to drug companies cutting off sales of pharmaceuticals discounted under the 340B program to contract pharmacies.
The report, released Monday and conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA), focuses on the impact of restrictions conducted by nearly 20 drugmakers. The federal government and some of the companies have been battling in court over the moves.”
Cleveland Clinic to bill up to $50 for MyChart messages “Cleveland Clinic will begin to bill for Epic MyChart messages requiring a provider's clinical time and expertise beginning Nov. 17.
Patients have been able to send MyChart messages for free, and providers typically respond within three business days. But now the health system plans to bill for messages about medication changes, new symptoms, changes to long-term medical conditions, checkups on long-term conditions and requests to complete medical forms sent through MyChart, according to a news release from Cleveland Clinic.
Messages to schedule an appointment, get prescription refills and ask questions that could lead to an appointment will remain free. Patients can also give providers health updates without any extra charges.”
Other systems are also starting to implement these types of charges.
Oracle Cerner, Labcorp partner to manage hospital labs in 10 states “Oracle Cerner has partnered with life sciences company Labcorp to manage hospital-based laboratories in 10 states.
Under the partnership, Cerner's laboratory information system will help Labcorp centralize operations and streamline processes within the hospital-based labs at a leading health system, according to a Nov. 14 press release from Oracle Cerner. The aim is to enhance patient care and improve lab efficiency.
The partnership also allows Labcorp to build and expand upon the labs' existing technologies to standardize and optimize workflows for better efficiency as well as support information sharing across the health system.”
Providence's operating loss grows to $1.1B for 2022 “Providence, a 51-hospital system headquartered in Renton, Wash., ended the first nine months of 2022 with an operating loss of $1.1 billion, according to financial documents released Nov. 14.
The system said in a Nov. 11 news release that its third quarter financial results showed the ‘ongoing impact of inflation, the national healthcare labor shortage, delayed reimbursement from payers, global supply chain disruptions and financial market weakness.’”
Hospital acquired infections were on the rise in 2021, says CDC “Several healthcare acquired infections (HAIs), such as central line-associated bloodstream infections and ventilator events, showed increased prevalence in 2021, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Four of six common infections increased over 2020, with the biggest increase occurring with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which showed a 14% year-over-year increase.
Following that were ventilator-associated events (VAEs) at 12%; central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) at 7%; and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIS) at 5%.”
About pharma
Walmart Agrees to Pay $3.1 Billion to Settle Opioid Lawsuits “Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, has agreed to pay $3.1 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits over its pharmacies’ roles in the opioid crisis, the company and lawyers for states, local governments and tribes announced Tuesday.”
About the public’s health
More than 100 healthcare organizations have signed on to climate resilience pledge, HHS says “More than 100 health systems, payers, drug manufacturers, associations and other industry organizations have signed on to the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas and climate resilience pledge, according to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement timed with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).”
Inappropriate outpatient antibiotics linked to adverse drug events, excess health care costs “Of nearly 3.3 million eligible adults (median age, 43 years; 41% male), 43% and 56% received inappropriate antibiotics for sinusitis and pharyngitis, respectively. For viral infections, 7%, 32%, 52%, and 66% received inappropriate antibiotics for influenza, viral upper respiratory infection, nonsuppurative otitis media, and bronchitis, respectively.”
The FDA has banned certain vapes and medicines. We still bought these 13 products in its backyard From a STAT investigation: “The Food and Drug Administration, as the name suggests, is supposed to police the United States’ food and drug supply.
But there are still illegal products available for easy purchase at gas stations and convenience stores all over the country — including in the FDA’s own backyard. We know, we bought them.
Some of the products STAT found around the FDA’s suburban Maryland campus are outright dangerous, like an unapproved cough medicine linked to childrens’ deaths. Others, like CBD gummies and vapes, have become ubiquitous at convenience stores, but are still illegal nonetheless.”
About healthcare IT
Consolidated telemedicine implementation guide From the WHO: In response to the global increase in demand, this guide provides an overview of key steps and considerations for implementing telemedicine and optimizing its benefits and impact. The guide aims to be an evolving document that harnesses learnings emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, while synthesizing key considerations from WHO resources relevant developed over the past decade. Overall, this consolidated guide provides a comprehensive overview of the key planning, implementation and maintenance processes to inform a costed investment plan and support countries across different stages in their telemedicine journey.”
Amazon Clinic makes debut “Amazon is expanding its healthcare presence with a new virtual offering called Amazon Clinic.
Amazon Clinic, unveiled on Nov. 15, will allow patients in 32 states to message clinicians through a secure portal to seek personalized treatments and prescriptions for common conditions such as urinary tract infections, dandruff and migraines. Patients can also seek birth control options, according to a press release from Amazon.”
About healthcare personnel
Primary Care Physician Supply by County-Level Characteristics, 2010-2019 “The number of PCPs per 100 000 population did not meaningfully increase across US counties by poverty quartile or racial and ethnic minority concentration between 2010 and 2019. However, counties with the second-highest poverty level experienced a decline in PCP supply, potentially due to federal policies preferentially allocating resources to counties with the highest poverty level. The number of PCPs per capita also declined in counties in rural areas and in the South. As a result, the rural-urban difference in PCP supply widened over the study period.
Despite recent federal investments, PCP supply has remained unchanged or even worsened among communities that face unmet health needs.”
Average Appointment Wait Times Across 15 Metro Markets “The average appointment wait time, measured across five specialties in 15 metropolitan areas, is 26 days in 2022. This represents an increase of 8% over 2017 – the last time wait times were measured in the same survey…
Of the five different specialties included in the survey, average wait time was as follows:
dermatology: 34.5 days
OB-GYN: 31.4 days
cardiology: 26.6 days
family medicine: 20.6 days
orthopedic surgery: 16.9 days”