December 23, 2021 | Even higher-income Americans are skipping care

INDUSTRY NEWS

ACO, medical home participation grew in 2020

Physician participation in ACOs and medical homes continued to grow during the pandemic, according to the most recent AMA Policy Research Perspectives report. Nearly 43% of physicians were in practices that participated in a commercial ACO in 2020, vs. 32% in 2016. Meanwhile, nearly 30% of physicians were in practices in a Medicaid ACO, up from 21% in 2016. For Medicare ACOs, participation rose to 37%, from 29% in 2014 (although that’s lower than 2018’s 38%). Additionally, nearly one-third of doctors worked in practices participating in medical homes in 2020, up from 23.7% in 2014. (AMA announcement; AMA Policy Research Perspectives)

Yale/Commonwealth Fund: Vaccine averted 1.1M deaths

One year since the U.S. vaccination campaign launched, 1.1 million additional COVID-19 deaths and more than 10.3 million additional COVID-19 hospitalizations have been averted, according to Commonwealth Fund/Yale University report released this month. Daily deaths from COVID could have jumped to as high as 21,000 per day – nearly 5.2 times the level of the record peak of more than 4,000 deaths per day recorded in January 2021. These findings, the report says, “point to the tremendous power of vaccination to reduce disease and death from COVID-19.” (Commonwealth Fund)

INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION

Telehealth the predominant model in mental health?

Wolters Kluwer Health recently shared predictions and insights for 2022 from some of its leaders. They warn about digital information overload, nurse burnout and the need to unlock unstructured health care data. Vikram Savkar, VP and GM of Medicine Segment of Health Learning, predicts that telemedicine will become a “permanent, significant fixture” in health care. “It’s already happening, and I expect to see specialties like mental health and urgent care shifting to a predominantly virtual model in 2022.” (Electronic Health Reporter)

CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS

Provider recommendations increase vax uptake

A clinician recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines at every visit could increase coverage and confidence in vaccines, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The percentage of survey respondents who received a recommendation for a COVID-19 vaccine from a clinician rose from 34.6% in April to 40.5% in September, and 77.6% of those who had been given a recommendation had received at least one vaccine dose, compared with 61.9% who did not get a recommendation. Respondents who received a recommendation were more likely to think COVID-19 vaccines are important and safe. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; Healio Primary Care)

Doc pay increases, but they’re still leaving

Physician pay increased as the labor market tightened, but it’s not enough to keep many from leaving the profession., according to Doximity's annual physician compensation report. It found that average pay increased 3.8% in 2021, up from a 1.5% rise in 2020. However, more than 73% of physicians reported feeling overworked amid the pandemic, and 50% said they are considering an employment change because of it. That’s on top of the 1% of the workforce who already retired early under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Healthcare Dive; Modern Healthcare*; compensation report)

Even higher-income Americans are skipping care

Thirty percent of Americans skipped necessary medical care in the past three months because they could not afford it, according to a survey from the West Health Policy Center and Gallup— a percentage that tripled from nine months ago, reaching its highest point during the pandemic, The Hill reports. It’s not just the poor: 20% of those from households that earn more than $120,000 also reported they postponed health care due to financial reasons — an increase from 3% in March. (The Hill)

NEW & NOTED

Will psilocybin relieve clinician burnout? What may be the first US study to examine a psychedelic's effects on the mental health of health care workers is moving forward. The randomized clinical trial is studying how psilocybin combined with psychotherapy might help frontline health care workers handle pandemic-induced distress. (Medpage Today)

Increased mortality post-COVID: New research shows that people who are hospitalized with severe illness due to COVID-19 are more than twice as likely to die in the following year compared to people who did not contract the virus. The study author discusses the research. (WUSF)

Lower income associated with HF mortality:Lower household income (below 150% of the federal poverty level) is associated with higher risk for heart failure mortality, according to a study presented at the recent American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. (Healio Cardiology)

MULTI-MEDIA

Suicide prevention: Reaching people where they are

During the time that American hip hop artist Logic’s song “1-800-273-8255” topped the charts, calls to the suicide helpline increased and suicides decreased, according to a study published in The BMJ. The song is about an exchange between someone expressing suicidal thinking and an operator at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) who ultimately changes that person’s mind. (STAT News; music video)

MARKETVOICES…QUOTES WORTH READING

“It tells me that we're at a breaking point and … those that are desperate are not just low-income individuals but even those that are more affluent ... And we’re gonna have to find a way out of that.”—Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, in an interview with the The Hill about how even people earning significantly higher than the median income are struggling with health care costs.