About Covid-19
FDA recommends repeat at-home Covid tests to reduce risk of false negatives Further explanations of the new guidelines: The FDA issued guidance “recommending that people testing themselves for COVID-19 at home take a repeat test within 48 hours to rule out a potential false negative.
In its guidance, the FDA noted that at-home tests are less likely to detect the coronavirus than PCR lab tests. This inaccuracy is more likely to occur early on in the infection in people who display no symptoms…
The FDA recommended that people take one initial test if they suspect they may be infected or exposed to COVID-19. If they test negative and have some symptoms, then they should test again 48 hours after the first test. If the second test is still negative, a laboratory molecular-based test should be considered.
If a person has no COVID-19 symptoms but believes they have been exposed to the virus, the FDA said they should also test themselves a second time, also 48 hours after their first at-home test. If the second test is negative, they should take an additional third test another 48 hours afterward.”
About health insurance
Trends in the Source of New Enrollees to Medicare Advantage [MA] From 2012 to 2019 “This study found that from 2012 to 2019, growth in MA enrollment was primarily attributable to TM [traditional Medicare] beneficiaries who switched to MA rather than to newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries enrolling in MA. Also, beneficiaries who switched from TM were more likely to have a disability or to be dually eligible for Medicaid than were new enrollees.”
The authors speculated on reasons for these findings but neglected to mention lower overall beneficiary costs for MA plans, particularly for those need frequent services.
Humana Completes Divestiture of Majority Interest in Kindred at Home Hospice and Personal Care Divisions to CD&R “Humana Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed its previously-announced transaction with private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (‘CD&R’) to divest a majority interest [60%] in the Hospice and Personal Care divisions of Humana’s Kindred at Home subsidiary (‘KAH Hospice’). These divisions include patient-centered services for Hospice, Palliative, Community and Personal Care. Upon closing, the Hospice and Personal Care divisions have been restructured into a new standalone company.”
The $2.8 billion deal was first announced in April.
Health Care Service Corporation to Acquire Trustmark Health Benefits “ Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) has signed a definitive agreement with Trustco Holdings, Inc. (Trustmark) to purchase its wholly owned subsidiary, Trustmark Health Benefits (Health Benefits), which is a leading third-party administrator of health benefits. The acquisition will provide HCSC with additional capabilities to serve a broader set of customers seeking customizable and flexible health benefit solutions.”
Oscar Health sees big enrollment growth in Q2, will pause +Oscar deals As usual, the “good news” is reported first- higher enrollment and higher revenue. It is only in point three that we get to the important information: “The company lost $112.1 million in the second quarter. In the first six months of the year, the company lost $189.4 million, rising 16.8 percent from a loss of $162.2 million year over year.”
The loss did not come from spending on patient care, since: “The company's medical loss ratio in the second quarter was 82.2 percent, which was only slightly different from 82.4 percent during the same period last year.”
Perhaps the company has a failed business model?
About the public’s health
Polio virus is found in New York City wastewater “Health authorities announced Friday that polio virus has been found in New York City wastewater, a discovery that extends the known presence of the virus from the region’s northern suburbs to the nation’s largest city.
City and state health departments offered no details of where in New York City the virus was discovered but said there were six positive samples collected in June and July. They said the finding suggests ‘likely local circulation of the virus.’”
Officials suggest checking/updating immunization status. The next question is whether other cities should also test their waste waters?
J&J to remove talc products from shelves worldwide, replacing with cornstarch-based portfolio Finally: “After controversially spinning out its talc liabilities and filing for bankruptcy in an attempt to settle 38,000 lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson is now changing up the formula for its baby powder products.
J&J is beginning the transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio...”
The Implications of the Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe v Wade for Women With Pregnancy-Associated Cancers The headline explains the article’s content. It is well-written and thoughtful.
About health technology
NEW STUDY SHOWS ABBOTT'S BLOOD TEST FOR CONCUSSION COULD PREDICT OUTCOMES FROM BRAIN INJURY AND INFORM TREATMENT INTERVENTIONS “A new study published in The Lancet Neurology demonstrates the ability of two blood-based biomarkers to predict how someone will recover from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Testing for these two biomarkers in the immediate aftermath of an injury can help health care providers determine the best way to treat and care for patients.
This research shows that when a clinician conducts a blood test for these brain proteins soon after a possible injury, they quickly get a more accurate picture of how severe the injury is, the expected course of recovery and the longer-term implications of the TBI. The markers were measured using Abbott's i-STAT™ TBI Plasma test, as well as on the company's ARCHITECT core laboratory instrument using research prototype assays, both of which helped predict recovery…
The day-of-injury blood tests had a high probability of predicting death at six months, 87% for GFAP and 89% for UCH-L1; and a high probability of predicting severe disability at the same timepoint, 86% for both GFAP and UCH-L1.”
The test is an important breakthrough in addressing TBI; however, it will need to be priced low enough to gain widespread use- think about high school football games.