About Covid-19
Biden administration announces launch of HHS office focused on long Covid research “On Monday, HHS announced the formation of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice to lead the federal government’s response to long Covid, a sometimes-debilitating condition marked by symptoms of Covid-19 that last weeks or months beyond the initial infection. It’s estimated that up to 23 million people in the United States have developed long Covid.”
About health insurance/insurers
CMS announces lower Medicare Part D premium for 2024 “The projected average total Part D beneficiary premium is projected to decrease by 1.8% in 2024, from $56.49 in 2023 to $55.50 in 2024, according to an announcement Monday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The average total monthly premium for Medicare Part D coverage in 2024 of $55.50 represents the sum of the average basic premium and the average supplemental premium for plans with enhanced coverage. It is the most accurate current projection of what people will pay in 2024 for Part D premiums, CMS said.”
Biden-Harris administration announces new Medicare dementia care model “In the GUIDE care model, participating providers will establish dementia care programs through which they will assign people with dementia and their caregivers to ‘care navigators’ who will help them in accessing services and support. Unpaid caregivers would also be connected with training programs and education on best practices.
Medicare Part B-enrolled providers who are able to bill for Medicare Physician Fee Schedule services and agree to the requirements of the GUIDE model are eligible to apply. Suppliers of durable medical equipment and laboratory equipment are excluded from eligibility.”
Elevance Health to rebrand Amerigroup plans as Wellpoint in 6 states “Last year, Blues plan giant Anthem unveiled a corporate rebrand as Elevance Health, a move it said better illustrated its ambitions to be more than just a health plan.
Now, the company is updating the branding for its Amerigroup segment to Wellpoint in a bid to better align the government insurance business with its push toward whole health, Elevance Health tells Fierce Healthcare exclusively. The rebrand will roll out in January 2024, pending regulatory approvals, in six states: Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Best Hospitals Honor Roll US News annual report. Twenty two hospitals are listed alphabetically as top hospitals. Specialties have rank orders.
The CMS star ratings of Leapfrog's 'F' hospitals “Two of the 12 hospitals that received "F" grades from The Leapfrog Group in spring 2023 earned four-star ratings on the CMS 2023 star rankings listing released July 26.
While six of the ‘F’-rated hospitals received one-star ratings from CMS, three earned two stars.”
About healthcare IT
Amazon Clinic expands nationwide to provide messaging and video visits for common health conditions “ Today, we’re excited to announce that Amazon Clinic is now available to customers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., offering more people easy access to licensed clinicians for virtual care.
In addition to message-based consultations in 34 states, Amazon Clinic now supports video visits nationwide. Amazon Clinic offers customers 24/7 access to clinicians directly through Amazon.com and the Amazon mobile app.”
CMS Responding to Data Breach at Contractor “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have responded to a May 2023 data breach in Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer software on the corporate network of Maximus Federal Services, Inc. (Maximus), a contractor to the Medicare program, that involved Medicare beneficiaries’ personally identifiable information (PII) and/or protected health information (PHI). No HHS or CMS systems were impacted. Maximus is among the many organizations in the United States that have been impacted by the MOVEit vulnerability. This week, CMS and Maximus are sending letters to individuals who may have been impacted notifying them of the breach, and explaining actions being taken in response. CMS estimates the MOVEit breach impacted approximately 612,000 current Medicare beneficiaries.”
About healthcare personnel
2023 PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION REPORT Well worth reading/perusing.
About health technology
With 3 AA batteries and 2 acupuncture needles, a device controls gene expression in live mice “Researchers have created a battery-powered device that stimulates gene expression and prompts cells to produce insulin in diabetic mice, cracking open a door to a future where wearable electronics could program cell and gene therapies.”
Thermo Fisher settles Henrietta Lacks lawsuit over 'HeLa' cell line “Laboratory equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific has settled a lawsuit brought by the estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have fueled biomedical research for decades, lawyers for the estate said on Tuesday.
The story of Lacks, a young African-American woman who died in Baltimore in 1951, was made famous in Rebecca Skloot's 2010 best-selling book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," which became a feature film in 2017.
Lacks' estate sued Thermo Fisher in Baltimore federal court in 2021, asserting her family had "not seen a dime" of money that Thermo Fisher made from cultivating the "HeLa" line of cells that originated from tissue taken without Lacks' consent during a medical procedure in 1951.
Terms of the agreement were confidential.”
About healthcare finance
EQRx's low cost drug dream ends in Revolution “EQRx's mission to revolutionize drug pricing has come to an end with another type of revolution: an acquisition, to be exact. The Alexis Borisy biotech will be acquired by another of the serial biotech founder's startups, Revolution Medicines.
The deal will add $1 billion to Revolution's balance sheet, which will be used to push a handful of oncology assets further into the clinic. The all-stock transaction—which is expected to close in November—has already been approved by the directors of both companies.”