December 19, 2019 | U.S. docs struggle to coordinate care

INDUSTRY NEWS

House-passed drug bill unlikely to be enacted

As expected, the House passed ambitious legislation to allow the federal government to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies. The goal is to lower rising prescription drug prices. If enacted, it would make significant changes to Medicare. But few expect it to get that far. It passed on a largely party-line vote, and the Senate is expected to vote it down. And even if it does pass, the President has promised to veto it. However, as the New York Times notes, cutting prescription drug costs is a “huge priority” for voters and politicians of both parties. (New York Times)

Obamacare case: SCOTUS favoring insurers over Trump? 

The U.S. Supreme Court seems to be sympathizing with the insurers in Maine Community Health Options v. United States, Kaiser Health News reports. There didn’t even appear to be a partisan split as the court heard arguments over whether the federal government could renege on Congress’ promise to pay health insurers billions to motivate them to participate in the Obamacare marketplaces. Health insurers hope to recoup $12 billion. A ruling is expected this spring. (Kaiser Health News)

INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION

Illustrating the CF journey with gratitude and glitter

Pastor-turned-artist Dylan Mortimer is on his third pair of lungs. And he’s grateful. He often shares his journey onstage as a speaker, but he’s primarily an artist–one who buys glitter by the pound to illustrate his battle with cystic fibrosis. He uses patterns and shapes inspired by the structure of the lungs and cells, and by ambulance rides, scars and operating rooms. “I’m taking scars and wounds and making them bright and shiny,” he says. (Kaiser Health News)

Berwick to industry: “Look inward”

To address social determinants of health, the health care industry must explore how it is contributing to social problems, Dr. Donald Berwick, of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and former CMS chief, said at the IHI annual forum. “Do you have a living wage? Is structural racism a part of your system? Are there people on the borderlines of food security and homelessness who work for you?” Berwick asked. “Instead of arguing for higher hospital reimbursement, which is their main agenda, how about arguing for proper distribution of social investments in causes of illness.” (Fierce Healthcare)

CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS

Investigation: Slow VA payments left vets facing collections

The VA failed to pay bills to private doctors, leaving thousands of veterans facing collection agencies and denial of care, according to a whistle-blower-spurred investigation. The internal VA investigation found a deeply flawed system used when veterans seek care outside the VA. The errors highlight persistent issues at the VA, including failures to update antiquated computer systems and the confusion and lack of accountability that has come from an increase in the use of private health care among veterans. (Wall Street Journal)

International study: U.S. docs struggle to coordinate care

Primary care doctors in the U.S. struggle to coordinate care and communicate with other health and social service providers, according to results from the 2019 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, published in Health Affairs. Only 49% of U.S. primary care doctors said they communicated with their patients’ specialists, compared to 70% in France, New Zealand and Norway. Only 37% of U.S. physicians said they or a provider in their practice made home visits frequently or occasionally, compared to 70% or more in all of the other countries. (Health Affairs; Commonwealth Fund)

NEW & NOTED

Hahn now FDA chief: The Senate voted 72-18 to confirm cancer specialist and hospital exec Dr. Stephen Hahn as FDA commissioner. He sidestepped questions in his hearing about vaping but nevertheless won the support of even longtime critics of the tobacco industry. (AP)

FCC approves 988: The FCC has approved designating 988 as direct line to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Now it’s open for public comment, and the rulemaking process will commence. For now, the hotline number remains 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). (CNN)

Kroger’s latest partnership: Kroger 360care expands the retailer’s health care services, according to the company, and allows hospitals and health care networks to use Kroger's resources to provide more access and lower-cost care. It’s partnered with Tennessee’s Ascension Saint Thomas Health. Similar collaborations are in the works. (Healthcare Dive; announcement)

MULTI-MEDIA

New evidence supports easy intermittent fasting 

Keeping food to a 10-hour window during the day reduced weight, lipids and blood pressure in metabolic syndrome, a small trial reported in Cell Metabolism. Researchers tracked a group of overweight participants who followed this approach for about three months. The result: a 3% reduction in their weight and a 4% reduction in abdominal visceral fat. (NPR; Cell Metabolism)

MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING

“I believe that there is hope in the most hopeless situations. That’s certainly what has kept me alive.”–Dylan Mortimer, artist with cystic fibrosis who has undergone two double lung transplants in the past two years, quoted by Kaiser Health News