healthy muse healthcare news.
HLTH 2020 highlights.
As one of the largest health care conferences especially for innovation, here are some of the key takeaways and trends to watch from HLTH 2020 courtesy of Healthcare Dive:
- Retail: Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens expansion plans including making the pharmacist a central, connected figure in preventive health care.
- Payments: While value-based care models might not save money as intended, the models DID have an impact on quality of care provided and better patient outcomes.
- Integrated Care: More and more providers are working on addressing social determinants of health and implementing integrated care models.
More reading: 5 key insights from 2020’s MedTech conference
UnitedHealthcare kicks off Q3 earnings.
- UnitedHealthcare reported its Q3 earnings, kicking off earnings szn for healthcare. The insurance behemoth beat earnings (what’s new) and raised guidance (notable), reporting a medical loss ratio of 81.9%.
- Other things to know: United said that patient volumes (AKA, utilization) were at 95% of pre-COVID levels. Its Optum arm delivered significant growth of 21.4%. And notably, the payor said it hasn’t seen a material increase in Medicaid members stemming from job loss during the pandemic, as a lag of about 6 months is expected between loss of job and Medicaid enrollment.
Coronavirus updates: delayed vaccines
Cases are on the rise. The latest numbers here.
- While deaths are a lagging indicator, they have leveled off for the time being. Hospitalizations are trickling upward.
Vaccines: Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine trial was paused early last week after an unexplained illness, similarly to AstraZeneca’s trial. In other ‘pausing’ news, the U.S. paused Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment trial after discovering some safety issues. The pauses mean that the system is working, not the other way around.
- Other vaccine updates: after the FDA’s updated, more stringent vaccine guidance, Pfizer is expected to apply for emergency use by the end of November. Anthony Fauci will have the last say on vaccine approvals. CVS and Walgreens will be administering vaccines to seniors in long-term care for free.
Death rates in the U.S. have been far higher than other countries during the pandemic. The NPR article links the higher death rates to a failure to successfully implement public health measures. Meanwhile, other countries are starting to experience a second wave. Or maybe it’s the third wave?
Quick Hits
Biz Hits
- Teladoc has officially sued fellow telehealth giant Amwell for patent infringements involving robotic push carts. (WSJ Paywall).
- Speaking of Teladongo, the newly combined firm just made its first ‘cross’ sale to Guidewell Health, a 50,000 member Florida Blue plan. The plan will now be able to access Livongo’s chronic care management platform for diabetes.
- Eargo, a newly public firm developing a new almost-invisible hearing aid, is a company to watch in the highly underserved hearing market. It raised $141 million in its successful IPO. (Link)
- Ascension just told its administrative employees that they will permanently work from home.
Policy Hits
- Insolvent: Medicare’s going broke in 4ish years. What now?
- Any Advil? A change in definition for ‘lost revenue’ is giving providers headaches as they try to figure out what’s going on with the COVID relief funding.
- Gift cards: Seniors won’t be getting Trump’s drug discount cards until after the election. That is, if they’re even legal?
- Transparency: “Why is the price of an x-ray unknowable?” The AHA struggles to explain health care pricing in the latest price transparency case.
- Telehealth: CMS just expanded the list of types of telehealth services that can receive Medicare payments.
Other Hits
- Check out the Commonwealth Fund’s new Medicare data hub.
- Taylor Swift as EHR vendor logos: a thread.
- Wildfire smoke in US has exposed millions to pollution, causing health issues.
- How about psychedelic treatment for depression?
Thought-Provoking Editorials
- The two months in 1980 that shaped the future of biotech (Stat)
- Value-based care: no progress since 1997? (THCB)
- Why Black Americans have negative sentiment toward the U.S. health care system. (The Undefeated)
- Inside the fall of the CDC (ProPublica)
Healthy Muse Top Picks
- Learn more about what would happen if the ACA were struck down entirely by the Supreme Court. (Brookings)
- Read about how home health titan LHC Group’s business strategy, including joint venture partnerships and customizing each one in order to optimize care in different types of markets. (HHCN)
- The ‘nerdy virologists’ steering the U.S. vaccine race. (Politico)
Thanks for reading.
Save yourself some time by subscribing to our all-in-one newsletter. Subscribers get the first edition – every Monday night.
About the Healthy Muse.
The Healthy Muse was created to educate people on the healthcare system. It’s one weekly e-mail updating you on all the major election news, broader trends, big stories, and policy updates. Learn more about our vision here.
Get smarter and sign up below today.