March 25, 2021 | PCPs recovering, but new challenges await
INDUSTRY NEWS
PCPs recovering, but new challenges await
Independent primary care physicians—at least those practices that survived the pandemic—are more financially stable. Patient volumes are returning to normal. But they face other challenges, including concerns about the downstream impact of delayed care. PCPs are also frustrated by their exclusion from the vaccine distribution process. Nevertheless, many have invested considerable time into trying to locate a vaccine for their most vulnerable patients. Being left out of the loop raises another problem: There’s no record of the vaccination until the patient informs the PCP. (Healthcare Dive)
Eleven years later, ACA is gaining traction
The Affordable Care Act appears more popular than ever: More than 200,000 Americans signed up for health insurance under the law during the first two weeks of the special open enrollment period. More surprising, conservative states—in particular, Alabama and Wyoming—are considering expanding Medicaid. One reason is that a provision in the stimulus law makes Medicaid expansion more fiscally appealing, the New York Times reports. (New York Times)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Amazon enters the care delivery business
It’s official: Amazon is providing health care services nationwide. It will immediately expand its Amazon Care telemedicine program to interested employers in Washington and, this summer, will expand nationally to all Amazon workers and to private employers in the US. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, the Amazon Care app connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment telephonically 24/7. In the Seattle area, it also includes in-person services such as pharmacy delivery and house calls from nurses. (AP)
Convincing soldiers to get their shot
The military is facing COVID vaccine skepticism, and because the vaccines are approved under an Emergency Use Authorization, no one can force service members to receive one. So the leadership at Fort Bragg, N.C., came up with a plan. Listen to soldiers, walk them through concerns and then turn once-skeptical soldiers into vaccine ambassadors. Those soldiers offer testimonials through a podcast. There’s also an effort to lead by example, with leaders who get the vaccine serving as an example to junior service members. (Washington Post)
INDUSTRY NEWS
PCPs recovering, but new challenges await
Independent primary care physicians—at least those practices that survived the pandemic—are more financially stable. Patient volumes are returning to normal. But they face other challenges, including concerns about the downstream impact of delayed care. PCPs are also frustrated by their exclusion from the vaccine distribution process. Nevertheless, many have invested considerable time into trying to locate a vaccine for their most vulnerable patients. Being left out of the loop raises another problem: There’s no record of the vaccination until the patient informs the PCP. (Healthcare Dive)
Eleven years later, ACA is gaining traction
The Affordable Care Act appears more popular than ever: More than 200,000 Americans signed up for health insurance under the law during the first two weeks of the special open enrollment period. More surprising, conservative states—in particular, Alabama and Wyoming—are considering expanding Medicaid. One reason is that a provision in the stimulus law makes Medicaid expansion more fiscally appealing, the New York Times reports. (New York Times)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Amazon enters the care delivery business
It’s official: Amazon is providing health care services nationwide. It will immediately expand its Amazon Care telemedicine program to interested employers in Washington and, this summer, will expand nationally to all Amazon workers and to private employers in the US. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, the Amazon Care app connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment telephonically 24/7. In the Seattle area, it also includes in-person services such as pharmacy delivery and house calls from nurses. (AP)
Convincing soldiers to get their shot
The military is facing COVID vaccine skepticism, and because the vaccines are approved under an Emergency Use Authorization, no one can force service members to receive one. So the leadership at Fort Bragg, N.C., came up with a plan. Listen to soldiers, walk them through concerns and then turn once-skeptical soldiers into vaccine ambassadors. Those soldiers offer testimonials through a podcast. There’s also an effort to lead by example, with leaders who get the vaccine serving as an example to junior service members. (Washington Post)
INDUSTRY NEWS
PCPs recovering, but new challenges await
Independent primary care physicians—at least those practices that survived the pandemic—are more financially stable. Patient volumes are returning to normal. But they face other challenges, including concerns about the downstream impact of delayed care. PCPs are also frustrated by their exclusion from the vaccine distribution process. Nevertheless, many have invested considerable time into trying to locate a vaccine for their most vulnerable patients. Being left out of the loop raises another problem: There’s no record of the vaccination until the patient informs the PCP. (Healthcare Dive)
Eleven years later, ACA is gaining traction
The Affordable Care Act appears more popular than ever: More than 200,000 Americans signed up for health insurance under the law during the first two weeks of the special open enrollment period. More surprising, conservative states—in particular, Alabama and Wyoming—are considering expanding Medicaid. One reason is that a provision in the stimulus law makes Medicaid expansion more fiscally appealing, the New York Times reports. (New York Times)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Amazon enters the care delivery business
It’s official: Amazon is providing health care services nationwide. It will immediately expand its Amazon Care telemedicine program to interested employers in Washington and, this summer, will expand nationally to all Amazon workers and to private employers in the US. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, the Amazon Care app connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment telephonically 24/7. In the Seattle area, it also includes in-person services such as pharmacy delivery and house calls from nurses. (AP)
Convincing soldiers to get their shot
The military is facing COVID vaccine skepticism, and because the vaccines are approved under an Emergency Use Authorization, no one can force service members to receive one. So the leadership at Fort Bragg, N.C., came up with a plan. Listen to soldiers, walk them through concerns and then turn once-skeptical soldiers into vaccine ambassadors. Those soldiers offer testimonials through a podcast. There’s also an effort to lead by example, with leaders who get the vaccine serving as an example to junior service members. (Washington Post)
INDUSTRY NEWS
PCPs recovering, but new challenges await
Independent primary care physicians—at least those practices that survived the pandemic—are more financially stable. Patient volumes are returning to normal. But they face other challenges, including concerns about the downstream impact of delayed care. PCPs are also frustrated by their exclusion from the vaccine distribution process. Nevertheless, many have invested considerable time into trying to locate a vaccine for their most vulnerable patients. Being left out of the loop raises another problem: There’s no record of the vaccination until the patient informs the PCP. (Healthcare Dive)
Eleven years later, ACA is gaining traction
The Affordable Care Act appears more popular than ever: More than 200,000 Americans signed up for health insurance under the law during the first two weeks of the special open enrollment period. More surprising, conservative states—in particular, Alabama and Wyoming—are considering expanding Medicaid. One reason is that a provision in the stimulus law makes Medicaid expansion more fiscally appealing, the New York Times reports. (New York Times)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Amazon enters the care delivery business
It’s official: Amazon is providing health care services nationwide. It will immediately expand its Amazon Care telemedicine program to interested employers in Washington and, this summer, will expand nationally to all Amazon workers and to private employers in the US. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, the Amazon Care app connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment telephonically 24/7. In the Seattle area, it also includes in-person services such as pharmacy delivery and house calls from nurses. (AP)
Convincing soldiers to get their shot
The military is facing COVID vaccine skepticism, and because the vaccines are approved under an Emergency Use Authorization, no one can force service members to receive one. So the leadership at Fort Bragg, N.C., came up with a plan. Listen to soldiers, walk them through concerns and then turn once-skeptical soldiers into vaccine ambassadors. Those soldiers offer testimonials through a podcast. There’s also an effort to lead by example, with leaders who get the vaccine serving as an example to junior service members. (Washington Post)
REGISTER NOW: Building Vaccine Confidence During COVID-19:The Role of the Medical Neighborhood | GTMRx Institute & Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) April 6 Virtual Event
Vaccinating Americans is critical to preventing severe illness or death from COVID-19 and ultimately stopping the pandemic. It is also essential in getting people back to work, to play, and to living. To achieve widespread vaccination, engagement of the medical neighborhood is fundamental when implementing community programs designed to effectively build vaccine confidence. While we have seen encouraging vaccination rates, urgent action is necessary to reach herd immunity which experts estimate would require anywhere from 70% to 90% of the U.S. population be fully vaccinated. The reasons people are skeptical about taking the coronavirus vaccine are complex. Building vaccine confidence requires proactive and thoughtful public awareness, education, and engagement of a variety of local stakeholders including community members. During this event, GTMRx will announce the National Task Force: Building Vaccine Confidence in the Medical Neighborhood.
Hear opening remarks from:
Senator William H. Frist, MD · Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP · President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Anand Parekh, MD · Chief Medical Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center
Katherine H. Capps · Executive Director and Co-Founder, GTMRx Institute
Hear from the CDC's Deputy Incident Manager for CDC’s COVID-19 Response:
Karen Remley, MD · Director, CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Medical Neighborhood Panel discussion moderated by Susan Dentzer, Senior Policy Fellow, Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, to include:
Sree Chaguturu, MD · Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark
Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA · Founder and CEO, Grapevine Health
Bruce Gellin, MD, MPH · President, Global Immunization, Sabin Vaccine Institute
Join BPC & GTMRx April 6, 2021 from 10:30 am - 12:00 noon ET. Register Here.
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
Study: Team-based care is best
Team-based care is best, according to an aptly titled paper in Health Affairs, “Provider Teams Outperform Solo Providers in Managing Chronic Diseases and Could Improve the Value of Care.” Looking at patients with type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, researchers found that, regardless of team composition, provider teams outperformed solo providers. They also found that among solo providers, care management and outcome differ little between physicians and nonphysicians. (HealthDay; Health Affairs)
To be healthy, help one another
Research shows that both tangible and emotional support correlate with better outcomes for both the recipient and the provider. One reason: Giving and receiving support, or reciprocity, may buffer stress. “In other words, we can all benefit, and lengthen our lives, if we support one another,” Nancy Freeborne, DrPH, MPH, PA-C writes in Psychology Today. We see it in times of national distress, including the pandemic. But Freeborne argues this is something we need to continue in good times and bad. (Psychology Today)
NEW & NOTED
More testing for students: The Biden administration will spend $10 billion to screen schoolchildren for COVID-19 to accelerate the return to in-person learning. The CDC will administer the program and is giving $10 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to states and certain cities to set up testing. (Politico)
Home care saves money: Home-based care can lower costs by 44% in the first 90 days following a hospital discharge, according to a new report from Avalere Health. Other findings include a 22% reduction in hospital readmissions rates during the initial 30/60/90-day period, a 21% percent reduction in emergency department visits and a 71% reduction in skilled nursing facility expenditures. (Home Health Care News; the report)
High-touch disruption: MedPage Today’s series on disruptors recently featured Iora Health, which has 47 primary care practices. It assigns a care team to new patients and works with them to develop a shared care plan. Iora interacts with them 19 times a year, according to co-founder Rushika Fernandopulle, MD. Nine are via email or text, four are video visits, four are in-person and two are telephone calls. This high-touch approach has led to a 40% lower hospitalization rate, he reports. (MedPage Today*)
MULTI-MEDIA
Women, the coronavirus and the vaccine
Wonder why women are experiencing more side effects to the coronavirus vaccine—and to the virus itself? Sabra Klein, PhD, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-director of the Center for Women's Health, Sex, and Gender Research, explains the biological reasons behind the data on MedPage Today’s "Track the Vax" podcast. ("Track the Vax"*)
MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING
“We need to make being supportive a part of our daily ‘to do’ list. As you make your lists for the week, include outreach. Try to have three outreaches a day. Some will be in the form of tangible support—'Can I drive you to the airport?’ Some will be more emotional support—'How is your arthritis pain?’”—Nancy Freeborne, DrPH, MPH, PA-C, writing in Psychology Today
