Biden's State of the Union: 7 healthcare takeaways: An excellent summary of the headline’s topic.
Also, read: AHIP Comments on President Biden’s State of the Union Health Care Priorities
About Covid-19
Omicron subvariant doubling every week in US: “The subvariant accounted for an estimated 8.3 percent of COVID-19 cases in the week ending Feb. 26…
The U.S. has confirmed 2,796 COVID-19 cases involving BA.2 as of Feb. 28, according to outbreak.info, a platform that tracks data on coronavirus variants and is supported by the CDC and other national research groups.
The subvariant has been found in every U.S. state and 86 countries worldwide.”
White House rolls out next COVID-19 plan: 8 details: “The debut of the 96-page plan coincides with falling COVID-19 cases in the U.S., which President Joe Biden mentioned during his State of the Union address to Congress on March 1.”
Declines in COVID concerns and mask mandate support: “Twenty-four percent are extremely or very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with COVID-19. This is down from 36% who felt the same in the past couple of months, when the omicron variant caused a spike in cases. Vaccinated adults are about twice as likely as unvaccinated Americans to be concerned about infection (28% vs. 13%)…
Half of Americans approve of mask mandates compared with 28% who oppose. Yet, support for this measure is down from 55% who supported the mask mandates in August 2021 and 75% in December 2020.
Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 are more likely to support mask mandates than the unvaccinated. Even when controlling for vaccine status, Democrats are also more likely than Republicans and independents to say they support the policy.”
FDA doubles dosage of Covid-19 monoclonal antibody, raising concerns about access and supply: “‘Based on the most recent information and data available, Evusheld may be less active against certain Omicron subvariants. The dosing regimen was revised because available data indicate that a higher dose of Evusheld may be more likely to prevent infection by the COVID-19 Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.1.1 than the originally authorized Evusheld dose,’ the FDA said in a news release.”
Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Nonimmunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years — VISION Network, 10 States, April 2021–January 2022: “Two doses protect against COVID-19–associated emergency department and urgent care encounters among children and adolescents. However, vaccine effectiveness (VE) was lower during Omicron predominance and decreased with time since vaccination; a booster dose restored VE to 81% among adolescents aged 16–17 years. Overall, 2-dose VE against COVID-19–associated hospitalization was 73%–94%.”
Hospital Worker Vaccination Rate Data Withheld Until October: “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has three months-worth of data on vaccination rates that it started requiring hospitals to submit Oct. 1, 2021. ‘CMS will not be updating this measure with quarterly refreshes until the agency has a full year of data in October 2022,’ a CMS spokesperson said in an email.
The agency said it takes time to collect the data, analyze it, and get it ready for public viewing. Advocates say the data, even if incomplete, could help patients make informed decisions about the risks associated with visiting a hospital.”
About health insurance
Variation in Estimated Surgical Procedure Times Across Patient Characteristics and Surgeon Specialty: This article and the accompanying editorial highlight the inaccuracy of using a time component to set RVUs for surgery.
”How do procedure times estimated using Medicare claims compare with the times used in the valuation process for determining Medicare payments for procedures?
Findings In this cross-sectional study that analyzed 4.9 million procedures, the mean estimated procedure time was 27% lower than the time currently used in the valuation process. There was substantial variation across specialties in the difference between estimated and valuation procedure times.”
When 1 Plus 1 Equals 3—The Art, Not Science, of RVU Valuations: One highlight:
”…each work measure—operative time, length of stay, etc—is multiplied by an intensity factor to allow higher or lower rates of compensation per unit time. Intensity is the true black box of the RVU update process. These modifiers vary more than 40-fold from 1 procedure to the next with no relationship between intensity and any traditional measure of surgical complexity.7 There is little justification that any procedure should pay a physician more than 40 times more, per minute, than another.”
Better Medicare Alliance: 99.9% of Medicare Advantage plans offering supplemental benefits: “A new study found that 99.9% of Medicare Advantage plans are offering supplemental benefits in 2022, with vision and hearing benefits the most widely offered…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded the number of benefits MA plans could offer to enrollees in 2018 and 2019.
The benefit most widely offered by MA plans was vision coverage, an option included in 97% of plans. This was shortly followed by hearing (94%), fitness (94%) and dental care at 91%.”
Feds Report $88B In Medical Debt On Credit Reports: “Medical debt is far and away the most common type of liability on credit reports. On Tuesday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials questioned whether it belongs there at all. As of last year, 58% of all third-party debt collections were for medical debt, the agency determined in a new report. About 20% of U.S. households owe medical debt, which appears on 43 million credit reports, the CFPB found.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Cleveland Clinic's operating income more than triples in 2021: “Cleveland Clinic posted an operating income of $746.3 million in 2021, more than triple the $232.4 million recorded in 2020, according to its recently released financial results.
The 19-hospital system also reported a 66.7 percent increase in net income for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2021, from $1.3 billion in 2020 to $2.2 billion in 2021.”
About pharma
Harvard, MIT Win Patent Dispute Over Gene-Editing Technology: “A federal patent board says the valuable rights to develop and market gene editing, the transfer of genetic technology between living organisms with the potential to cure diseases, belong not to UC Berkeley but to a research institute affiliated with Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A researcher with the Broad Institute published a study in 2012 describing how the so-called CRISPR technology could be used to alter genes in humans, other animals and plants. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Broad in 2014, but it was challenged by the University of California, which contended the work was not original. Six months before Broad's study, a team of scientists led by UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna had issued the first report on the use of CRISPR to alter DNA.
On Monday, however, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board said Broad's research had been original and its patent was valid. Although the Berkeley study was the first to uncover technology that could transform genetic material, the board said, it involved DNA in bacteria and had no direct application to genes in plants and animals, whose cells are classified as ‘eukaryotes.’”
Boots sale thrown off course by fewer buyers and market turmoil: “ Plans for a multi-billion-pound sale of UK chemist Boots have run into a series of difficulties after a potential buyer walked away and bidders raised concerns about financing a deal with markets in turmoil because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Highlight text A consortium of Bain Capital and CVC Capital, previously seen as a leading candidate to buy the business from US parent Walgreens Boots Alliance, did not make a bid ahead of a deadline last week, two people with knowledge of the matter said.”
Nevada joins a little-known, ambitious state consortium dedicated to better drug prices: “After months of talks, the state of Nevada has joined a consortium formed by Oregon and Washington to pool purchasing power and get better prices on prescription drugs, the latest bid by a state government to try to blunt the rising cost of medicines.
The Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium, which began in 2006, claims to facilitate the purchase of more than $800 million in prescription drugs each year and saved at least 1 million people in Oregon and Washington nearly $100 million over the last six years.”
DIGITAL CONSUMER TRENDS IN PHARMA 2022: From Press Ganey. Some highlights:
”Nearly 1 in 2 [of surveyed persons] says finding the right doctor is a barrier to treatment
Almost 50% research prescriptions, medications, and medical devices on brand websites
~90% want physician directories available on life sciences and pharmaceutical sites
83% are more likely to use (or recommend) a brand website that has a doctor directory
Most consumers would prefer a digital appointment scheduling option”
Federal Judge Rejects Eli Lilly’s Request That Whistleblower Suit Be Tossed Out : “This week, a federal judge in Chicago rejected Lilly’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that the plaintiff, lawyer and pharmacist Ronald Streck, have presented evidence to the court suggesting that Lilly made false statements to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the amounts it charged distributors for its medicines between 2005 and 2016.”
About the public’s health
Class-action lawsuits hit Abbott over contaminated baby formulas: “Several class-action lawsuits have been filed against Abbott Laboratories, claiming the company’s baby powder formulas—notably its Similac line— are making infants sick with bacterial infections, some so severe that several babies have been hospitalized and two have died…
Salmonella newport and another type of bacteria called cronobacter sakazakii have been linked to baby powder formulas manufactured at Abbott’s Sturgis, Mich., plant.”
About healthcare IT
Telemedicine destinations boost demand for medical office space: “More than 30% of telemedicine visits resulted in a physical office visit, according to a new survey by JLL…Notably, the survey did not indicate whether it was a new or returning patient, or what type of treatment the patients were looking for, the researchers say….
Despite this, the number of calls to specialists has increased the demand for medical offices, said Jay Johnson, managing director of JLL Healthcare.
’Demand for medical office buildings is growing and supply has not kept pace. Rents for medical office buildings have peaked in the U.S. in the past couple of years,’ he said, adding that demand for medical office space rentals has been strong. before the pandemic. ‘The pandemic has not dampened this trend and has potentially reinforced it.’”
Allscripts Veradigm Ink Collaborates with the Social Security Administration: “Under the agreement, the agency will be able to request medical records electronically through the Veradigm network when processing disability claims. The health care providers in the company’s network will then receive electronic requests for medical records from the SSA with patient authorization, which can then be automatically released.”
About health technology
Magnets in newer portable electronic devices can interfere with implanted defibrillators: “Magnet technology is increasingly being used in portable electronic devices, such as the Apple AirPods Pro charging case, the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation and the Microsoft Surface Pen. However, if the devices are carried in pockets near the chest, and the individual has an implanted cardiac device (ICD), the magnets may interfere with the ICD’s ability to help regulate the heart, according to new research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.”