About Covid-19
Becerra shoots down giving more than 60 days notice on ending COVID-19 public health emergency: “Giving more than 60 days notice that the COVID-19 public health emergency will end is going to be difficult, as states and lawmakers have pressed for a longer heads-up, according to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra.
The secretary spoke with reporters Friday during a press conference that included remarks on the status of unwinding the public health emergency (PHE) and how the agency’s COVID-19 relief efforts will be impacted if Congress doesn’t approve additional funding.”
AstraZeneca’s Evusheld Wins UK Nod for Preventing COVID-19: “The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved AstraZeneca’s Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) for the prevention of COVID-19, making it the first antibody combination cleared in the country for the indication…
One dose of Evusheld confers protection for an estimated six months for immunocompromised individuals and others who are unlikely to mount an adequate response to COVID-19 vaccination, AstraZeneca said.”
Black adult hospitalizations reached a pandemic high during the omicron wave, CDC study finds: “Black adults were four times as likely to be hospitalized compared with White adults during the height of the omicron variant surge, which started in mid-December and continued through January, the report said. In January, the CDC found, hospitalization rates for Black patients reached the highest level for any racial or ethnic group since the dawn of the pandemic…
And fewer Black adults had been immunized compared with White adults…
According to the report, as of Jan. 26, only 39.6 percent of Black people older than 18 had received their primary series of two shots and just 43.9 percent of that group had received a booster once eligible. Meanwhile, 47.3 percent of White adults had been vaccinated with the initial series of shots, and 54.5 percent of eligible White adults had been boosted during that same time period, the report said.”
U.S. health officials seek Covid-19 hospital safety complaints following POLITICO report: “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to notify hospitals that patients should be allowed to wear their N95s when entering, said Ives-Rublee, who works at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. CMS also wants to ensure patients know where to lodge complaints if a facility requests someone remove their mask or doesn’t follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Next week, CMS plans to discuss the matter with state survey agencies, which consider complaints about health care facilities, two of the people familiar said.
The agency moves follow POLITICO’s report on Wednesday, which found that hospitals around the country ask patients to replace their N95s with less protective surgical masks.”
Looming COVID drug cuts prompt plans to reclaim, redistribute unused supply: “With President Joe Biden’s $15.6 billion request for COVID-19 relief stalled in Congress, the federal government plans to begin significantly cutting the number of viral treatments available to the states, according to internal planning documents obtained by ABC News, which show a decrease of some 30%.
The drawdown, which begins Monday, includes monoclonal antibodies that have been shown to work against the omicron variant.”
Judge bars D.C. from vaccinating children without parental consent: “A federal judge barred the District of Columbia from enforcing a law that allowed minors to be vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge after parents said the legislation violates religious liberty.”
About health insurance
HHS wants to get 'money's worth' on Medicare Advantage, will look into coding practices: “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is examining risk adjustment tactics that have led to overpayments to some Medicare Advantage plans, Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters Friday.
Becerra said the agency has seen evidence of charges going beyond what would be necessary for MA plans using tactics such as up-coding. The remarks come as some progressive lawmakers have clamored for more scrutiny of the popular program that enables seniors to use their Medicare benefit to buy a private plan.”
Credit Companies Will Remove Stains From Repaid Medical Debts: “The companies [Equifax, Experian and TransUnion] said the changes would eliminate up to 70 percent of the medical debt accounts on consumers’ credit reports, which contain reams of data used to calculate the all-important three-digit credit score that is the key to mortgages, car loans, rental agreements and more.
Starting on July 1, medical debts that were paid after they went to collections will no longer appear on consumers’ credit reports, where they can currently linger for up to seven years.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
3 kidney care providers—Fresenius Health Partners, Cricket Health and InterWell Health—plan to merge in deal valued at $2.4B: Three big players in the kidney care market—Fresenius Health Partners, Cricket Health, and InterWell Health—plan to form a new value-based care company to expand in the care of earlier stages of kidney disease.
The deal, announced Monday morning, will create a company valued at $2.4 billion, according to the companies.
The merger brings together expertise in value-based kidney care contracting of Fresenius Health Partners, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America, InterWell Health’s network of more than 1,600 nephrologists and startup Cricket Health’s technology-enabled care model and patient engagement platform. Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest operator of dialysis centers.”
About pharma
Humira monopoly nears its end: “Next January, the first copycat version of Humira, an injectable drug approved for an array of inflammatory diseases, is set to launch in the U.S. Its arrival will mark the end of a two-decade run of market exclusivity during which Humira's maker, AbbVie, has earned nearly $200 billion from sales of the drug.
Eight more biosimilars — as copies of biologic drugs are called — are expected to become available over the course of 2023, putting AbbVie under pressure. Anticipating the competition, the company has spent the past several years attempting to lessen its reliance on Humira, which as recently as 2019 accounted for more than half its revenue.”
Merck KGaA to Pay Over $3 Million to Patients After Thyroid Drug Formulation Change: “France’s highest court has ordered European drugmaker Merck KGaA to pay more than $3.6 million to patients who received a thyroid drug Levothyrox (levothyroxine sodium) with diminished quality following a change in its formulation.
In 2017, the company removed lactose and added mannitol and citric acid to the drug’s formulation to make it easier to tolerate.”
About the public’s health
Alcohol-Related Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic: “The number and rate of alcohol-related deaths increased approximately 25% between 2019 and 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates increased prior to the pandemic, but less rapidly (2.2% mean annual percent change between 1999 and 2017). The rate increase for alcohol-related deaths in 2020 outpaced the increase in all-cause mortality, which was 16.6%.”
US adult smoking rate fell during first year of pandemic: “U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to a new all-time low in 2020, with 1 in 8 adults saying they were current smokers, according to survey data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult e-cigarette use also dropped, the CDC reported...
Use of cigars, smokeless tobacco and pipes was flat. Current use of electronic cigarettes dropped to 3.7%, down from 4.5% the year before.
Cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product, with 12.5% of adults using them, down from 14%.”
Effect of Medical Marijuana Card Ownership on Pain, Insomnia, and Affective Disorder Symptoms in Adults: “In this randomized clinical trial involving 186 participants, immediate acquisition of a medical marijuana card increased the incidence and severity of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and resulted in no significant improvement in pain, anxiety, or depressive symptoms, but improved self-reported sleep quality.”
‘Alarming’ Trend in Uterine Cancer Incidence: High-Risk Histologies on the Rise: “The incidence of high-risk uterine cancer is increasing in the United States, particularly among Black patients, according to a study presented at the SGO 2022 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
This finding may be partially explained by increasing obesity rates, and it may be time to reconsider the role of obesity in uterine cancer, according to Cortney Eakin, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, who presented the study at the meeting.”
Senate plan for permanent daylight saving time faces doubts in the House: “‘It could be weeks — or it could be months’ before House Democratic leaders decide whether to tee up a vote on eliminating the biannual clock changes that have governed daily life in most states for decades, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D.-N.J.), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee that oversees time change policies. While the Sunshine Protection Act, which unanimously passed the Senate on Tuesday, would nationally shift clocks an hour later to maximize daylight, some doctors have argued that adopting permanent standard time would be a healthier option and better align with humans’ natural rhythms.”
Nine out of Ten Healthcare Executives Say That Health Equity Initiatives are a Top Business Priority, according to Accenture and HIMSS Insights: “Nine out of Ten Healthcare Executives Say That Health Equity Initiatives are a Top Business Priority, according to Accenture and HIMSS Insights.
Yet only 36% have a dedicated health equity agenda budget.”
As Cigarette Taxes Rise, Infant Deaths Decline: “A 10 percentage-point increase in total cigarette tax was associated with a 2.6% decrease in newborn deaths and a 1.9% decline in infant deaths, according to researcher Anthony Laverty, from Imperial College London, and his colleagues.”
The SEC proposed a landmark climate disclosure rule. Here’s what to know: “The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday approved a landmark proposal to require all publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and the risks they face from climate change.
The proposed rule from the Wall Street regulator mandates that hundreds of businesses report their planet-warming emissions in a standardized way for the first time.”
About healthcare IT
Becerra: HHS Will Fight For More Telehealth After Public Health Emergency Ends: “‘The Department of Health and Human Services will seek to sustain and expand access to telemedicine after the federal government declares the COVID-19 public health emergency to be over,’ Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday.”
HIMSS22: 3 interoperability policy updates: “Here are three details policymakers shared at the conference: 1. Penalties for providers who violate information-blocking regulations…
2. Payer-to-payer data-sharing regulations will build on FHIR…
3. Bringing public health agencies into health information networks.”
Smartphone App Can Help Detect Genetic Risk for Heart Attacks: “Researchers from Scripps Research Institute developed a new app called MyGeneRank that can predict the genetic risk for heart attacks along with information from 23andMe…
Users can connect their 23andMe information to the MyGeneRank app using an iPhone or Android smartphone. After syncing the data, the app calculates the user's risk score for a heart attack based on the latest genetic risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). One year later, the app follows up, asking the user questions about their use of lipid-lowering medications.”
About healthcare personnel
Socioeconomic Diversity of the Matriculating US Medical Student Body by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex, 2017-2019: “In this exploratory survey study, high-income households were overrepresented in the medical student body both overall and within each racial and ethnic group. The underrepresentation of low-income groups was nearly ubiquitous across race and ethnicity groups.”
Nursing Facility Staffing Shortages During the COVID-19 Pandemic: “As of the week ending February 27, 2022, the most recent data available, 29% of nursing facilities reported at least one staffing shortage (approximately 4,000 out of 14,000 facilities)…
Nursing facilities were most likely to report a shortage of aides and least likely to report a shortage of clinical staff as of February 27, 2022…
The Biden Administration plans to propose new regulations that would establish a minimum nursing facility staffing requirement within the next year.”
About health technology
Medtech's top 10 money raisers of 2021: “2021’s total looks… like $11.2 billion” See the article for company specifics.