July 15, 2021 | Renewed vax effort turns to PCPs
INDUSTRY NEWS
A new executive order encourages the Justice Department and FTC to review and possibly revise their merger guidelines. It highlighted hospital consolidation, which the order said has harmed consumers. The White House is urging antitrust regulators to recognize that "the law allows them to challenge prior bad mergers that past Administrations did not previously challenge." All this will likely amplify federal scrutiny of hospital mergers, according to The Wall Street Journal. (The Wall Street Journal; Healthcare Dive)
OIG finds lack of oversight for networked devices
Medicare lacks consistent oversight of networked device cybersecurity in hospitals, according to the HHS Office of Inspector General. “CMS’s survey protocol does not include requirements for networked device cybersecurity, and the [Medicare accreditation organizations] do not use their discretion to require hospitals to have such cybersecurity plans.” It calls on CMS to incorporate cybersecurity as part of its hospital quality oversight process. Hospitals often do not include device cybersecurity in their emergency-preparedness risk assessments, nor do they—or does CMS—plan to update their survey protocol requirements to address networked devices or general cybersecurity. (Healthcare Finance News; OIG report)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
How PCPs can integrate clinical pharmacists
A recent paper in Family Practice Management explains, in detail, how family physicians can integrate clinical pharmacists in their practices. “Clinical pharmacists are uniquely capable of collaborating with primary care physicians to relieve their heavy workload and help improve care for a wide variety of patients. They have your back. If you are fortunate enough to have a clinical pharmacist on your team, learn their strengths, leverage their skills, and champion similar collaborations that extend excellence throughout the health care system,” the authors conclude. (FPM)
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
Pandemic changing health care consumption
The pandemic pushed people to embrace new avenues of care, according to CVS Health’s latest Health Care Insights Study. For example, routine care from primary care providers decreased from 62% in 2020 to 56%, but interest in alternatives grew. In 2020, 12% of people reported using online resources for care; that increased to 19% in 2021. More than half of consumers (57%) indicated they had used virtual care for a health care visit. Providers also indicated having access to virtual visits (72%) and telehealth (71%) would be very or somewhat valuable for their patients in terms of communication. (Fierce Healthcare; CVS announcement)
A survey of health care executives found less than 20% were satisfied with their organization's digital health solutions, and 68% said they wanted a digital platform that was customizable, according to a Sage Growth Partners study. While 84% of executives said having a real-time view of each patient's care journey is important to success, only 27% have that ability. “Optimizing the care journey around the needs of the patient means joining up siloes between clinical and administrative teams, using technology that can coordinate both aspects of care,” the authors wrote. (EHR Intelligence)
Renewed vax effort turns to PCPs
The Biden administration has turbocharged its vaccine efforts. Outreach will become increasingly personalized, and it will include going door-to-door and visiting places of worship. Primary care will play a large role: “My team is going to place renewed emphasis on getting the vaccines to more and more family doctors and health care providers so more Americans can get this shot at their doctor’s office from the folks that they know and they trust the most,” President Biden said. (The Washington Post*, GTMRx report)
The Get the Medications Right™ (GTMRx) Institute is sharing new survey results that assess the medication management habits and needs of over 1,000 people. Nearly one quarter of people cited that their medications are not routinely reviewed and evaluated by their medical team—shocking, given that one-third are taking four or more medications and/or supplements per day. (GTMRx, Chain Drug Review)
NEW & NOTED
Walgreens expands PC efforts: Walgreens and VillageMD plan to open 29 new Village Medical at Walgreens locations in Texas this year. “[W]e're excited to expand our primary care and pharmacy service offerings in Texas," Jamie Vortherms, vice president of health care services at Walgreens, said in a news release. (Becker's Hospital Review)
Google partners with HCA: Google has struck a deal with hospital group HCA Healthcare to use patient records to develop algorithms with the stated goal of improving efficiency, patient care and health care decision-making. Hospitals are uniquely positioned as brokers for patient data, and, despite privacy concerns have actively sought to capitalize on that data with tech and pharma companies, The Wall Street Journal reports. (WSJ*)
MULTI-MEDIA
There’s something in the water
STAT News’ “First Opinion” podcast features biostatistician Aparna Keshaviah talking about the benefits of wastewater testing as a public health measure. Sewers carry all sorts of information about a community, including the personal care products people use, the drugs they take and even biomarkers of disease. (STAT News)
MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING
“The status quo hasn’t worked. If we can’t help the markets, we will have to give up on the markets.”—said Dr. Leemore Dafny, a health economist at Harvard Business School, talking about the hospital consolidation in an interview with The Wall Street Journal*