November 4, 2021 | Poll: Many people don’t understand vaccines
INDUSTRY NEWS
Poll: Many people don’t understand vaccines
A new Axios/Ipsos poll finds Americans are uncertain about how well the COVID-19 vaccines work. That lack of knowledge is a likely factor in the continued vaccine holdout, USA Today reports. In the poll, only slightly more than 25% of respondents correctly said that a vaccinated 80-year-old is at greater risk of dying of COVID-19 than an unvaccinated 30-year-old. And only 40% knew that vaccinated people are less likely to test positive for the coronavirus than the unvaccinated. (Ipsos; USA Today; GTMRx report)
New rule directly addresses ESRD disparities
CMS issued a final rule Friday that will reward providers that improve rates of home dialysis and kidney transplants among low-income Medicare and dual-eligible beneficiaries. It updates payment rates for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System and makes changes to the quality incentive program and ESRD Treatment Choices Model. This is the first CMS Innovation Center model to directly address health equity, Fierce Healthcare reports. CMS studies show that disadvantaged people with Medicare have higher rates of ESRD, higher readmission rates and greater costs. (Fierce Healthcare)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
HHS to include PCPs in overdose-curbing effort
HHS has launched its Overdose Prevention Strategy. It focuses on primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment and recovery support. The strategy has a four-part strategy: primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment and recovery support. It includes a role for primary care: "A major opportunity to enhance access to evidence-based treatment is the potential improvement of the integration of [substance use disorder] treatment with primary care and specialty mental health care,” according to the announcement. (MedPage Today; HHS overdose prevention site)
For ACOs, experience matters
New analysis from researchers at Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University and Leavitt Partners showed 67% of Shared Savings Program ACOs are earning shared savings in 2020, up from 50-57% the previous year. The analysis also found, as in previous years, physician-led and smaller ACOs were more likely to achieve shared savings. Another finding: Success takes time. More experienced ACOs seemed more likely to achieve savings. About 52% of the ACOs in their third and 83% in their fourth year achieved shared savings. After that, 83% percent of fourth year ACOs generated savings. (RevCycleIntelligence; Health Affairs)
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
Consumers wary of facial-recognition tech
Facial recognition technologies help diagnose certain conditions, assist with touch-free check-ins and even deter fraud. However, over 70% of patients responding to a survey said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about data privacy when asked about a hypothetical precision health study that would use facial recognition technology, according to research published in PLOS One. Over 55% percent of respondents were equally concerned about the privacy of medical records, DNA and facial images collected for precision health research. (Health IT Security; PLOS One)
Needed: A more comprehensive approach to medication management
The way we manage medications isn’t keeping pace with the science. “We have an explosion of life-saving medications,” says Katherine H. Capps, co-founder and executive director of GTMRx. “But multiple medications prescribed by multiple physicians to treat multiple conditions is a huge area of risk.” Each clinician means well, but the system lacks the stop points to change how we practice and pay for care, how we use companion and complementary diagnostics, and how we ensure health IT best serves the goal of optimal patient care, she says. (Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare)
NEW & NOTED
A decade of penalties: In its 10th annual round of readmission penalties, Medicare is reducing its payments to 2,499 hospitals, or 47% of all facilities. The average penalty is a 0.64% reduction. Penalties, though often small, are credited with helping reduce the number of readmissions, according to Kaiser Health News. (KHN)
Understand the upcoding scandal: Kaiser Permanente allegedly coerced employees to upcode claims for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, resulting in an estimated 75% error rate, according to a new complaint from the U.S. Justice Department. Modern Healthcare reviews the allegations and offers an explainer. (Modern Healthcare*)
Employer group creates a health care company: The Purchaser Business Group on Health has launched a company, Emsana Health, to develop health care products for large employers. According to the announcement, it’s “designed to address the concerns of many U.S. employers that the health care services they buy are of uncertain quality and exorbitantly priced. Its first business unit: EmsanaRx, a pharmacy benefit manager. (Healthcare Dive; announcement)
MULTI-MEDIA
Not just COVID-19 in the ED
We’re starting to see the impact of pandemic-related treatment delays. Emergency departments across the country are overwhelmed, not only with COVID-19 but also with patients with other acute illnesses. It’s all contributing to burnout. (NPR)
MARKETVOICES…QUOTES WORTH READING
“We have so many scientific advancements, and the way we practice isn’t keeping up with those discoveries. It’s essential we get medications right. It’s fundamental to how we transform care.”—Katherine H. Capps, co-founder and executive director of GTMRx, quoted in Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare