World Happiness Report 2023 See, especially Fig. 2.1 on page 34. Once again, Finland tops the list.
About Covid-19
CDC: XBB.1.16, or ‘Arcturus,’ Responsible for Nearly 10% of New COVID-19 Cases “XBB.1.16, referred to as “arcturus,” was responsible for 9.6% of new infections this week, according to CDC estimates. That’s up from nearly 6% of cases the week before and about 3% two weeks prior.
Given the strain’s growth in the U.S., it is possible that it could overtake XBB.1.5 in the near future as the dominant strain in the country…
Many experts don’t believe arcturus will lead to another surge in the U.S. given the high level of immunity in the population from previous infections, vaccinations or both.”
About health insurance/insurers
Elevance Health expands concierge care program to chronic conditions like Crohn's disease, diabetes “About a year ago, Elevance Health launched a pilot program to offer digital concierge care to members who were recovering from COVID-19 infections.
Since then, the insurer has expanded that initiative to offer concierge care management to members with a number of chronic conditions including Crohn's disease, cancer and diabetes.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
18 hospital, health system sales in the works FYI
About pharma
U.S. Supreme Court preserves broad access to abortion pill “The justices, in a brief order, granted emergency requests by the Justice Department and the pill's manufacturer Danco Laboratories to put on hold an April 7 preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas. The judge's order would have greatly limited the availability of mifepristone while litigation proceeds in a challenge by anti-abortion groups to the pill's federal regulatory approval.”
1 pharma trend to watch this quarter: Moody's Because of upcoming “patent cliffs”: “Expect high pharmaceutical acquisition activity to continue, the financial business said, over the next year and year and a half. Pending acquisitions include Amgen buying Horizon Therapeutics for $27.8 billion, Pfizer buying Seagen for $43 billion and Merck buyingPrometheus Biosciences for $10.8 billion.
Companies with high potential for significant mergers and acquisitions include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck and Royalty Pharma. Those with moderate potential are AbbVie, Biogen, Gilead, Pfizer and Viatris; and those with a low potential include Amgen, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Regeneron.”
J&J Unit Loses Bid to Dismiss Tylenol-Autism Warning Lawsuit “Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. still faces litigation alleging prenatal exposure to Tylenol caused a child’s autism, after a federal judge decided the claims weren’t preempted.
Cherise Chapman alleged the J&J unit didn’t sufficiently caution pregnant women about the risks of acetaminophen pain relief products, long marketed as the only safe pain relievers for use during pregnancy.”
White Bagging, Brown Bagging, and Site of Service Policies: Best Practices in Addressing Provider Markup in the Commercial Insurance Market Read the Introduction to understand this strategy for lowering the cost of specialty pharmaceuticals.
About healthcare IT
VA pauses $16B Oracle Cerner EHR deployments indefinitely to address error-ridden early rollout “The Department of Veterans Affairs is putting its big-ticket electronic health record overhaul with Oracle on an indefinite pause to address issues among five sites where the new system had been implemented, according to a Friday morning announcement.
The beleaguered effort involves a $16 billion contract with Oracle Cerner, which inherited the project last June when Oracle acquired Cerner for nearly $30 billion. Executives had vowed to get the rollout “back on track” amid lawmaker scrutiny that has persisted into 2023.”
About healthcare personnel
State Department cap on EB-3 visas limits international relief for nursing shortage “International nurses hoping to apply for a green card to work in the U.S. will likely have to wait until 2025 before they can make the move due to a recently imposed cap on new EB-3 visa petition filings, advocates and immigration law experts warn.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has announced in its May bulletin a visa retrogression for its EB-3 subcategory, which includes all occupations that require at least an associate’s degree but not a master’s degree.
Because demand for the subcategory’s green cards has hit its 40,000-green card annual limit for the fiscal year, only applicants with petitions filed earlier than June 1, 2022, may continue with their applications, according to the notice.”