September 9, 2021 | Avoidable COVID hospitalizations: $2.3B in two months

INDUSTRY NEWS

Avoidable COVID hospitalizations: $2.3B in two months

More than 98% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 between May and July were unvaccinated, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Its analysis of CDC data indicates there were 37,000 preventable COVID-19 hospitalizations in June and another 76,000 in July. The estimated average hospitalization cost for COVID-19 hovers around $20,000, which means that avoidable COVID-19 hospitalizations cost the U.S. health system $2.3 billion in those two months alone, according to KFF analysis. (KFF analysis; Healthcare Dive)

Support for primary care COVID vaccines

Gov. Jared Polis announced that Colorado has begun offering primary care practices grants of between $60,000 and $120,000 to help them administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents. “By making it easier for physicians in clinics and offices across the state to administer the free COVID-19 vaccines, we might not only boost our community immunity to the virus, but also begin to make these critical health care connections for more Coloradans,” state Rep. Yadira Caraveo of the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce said in a statement. (Canon City Daily Record)

Underpaying for COVID testing

Some insurers reimburse COVID testing for less than cost. Pediatricians using in-office rapid testing appear to be the most affected. According to the New York Times, many doctors identified UnitedHealthcare and certain state Medicaid plans as the ones that routinely pay test rates that do not cover the cost of supplies. Some doctors have stopped testing certain patients, and others have given up testing altogether. (New York Times*)

INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION

Leaders: Create federal council to coordinate primary care

Many factors contribute to the neglect of primary care, according to members of the Primary Care Centers Roundtable. One, the absence of a government entity responsible for a national primary care strategy, could be readily addressed, they write in a NEJM Perspective piece. It wouldn’t solve the problem, “but without such a concerted effort, the most important infrastructure available for advancing health equity will continue to erode.” Such an initiative “should include oversight, tools, and resources for rebuilding primary care, with clear accountability vested in a single council and an overarching goal of achieving health equity.” (NEJM)

CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS

Cancer pain’s long-term nonclinical impact

Cancer survivors who experience pain appear to have adverse employment and financial outcomes years after treatment, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Individuals with any pain also had significantly increased likelihood of adverse financial outcomes including borrowing money or going into debt, inability to cover medical costs and worrying about paying medical bills. “First, we were surprised by how many individuals were experiencing substantial pain. Second, we were surprised by the strength of the relationship between pain level and study outcomes,” Dr. Michael Halpern, one of the authors, said in a prepared statement. (Healio; Journal of Clinical Oncology)

Social distancing impairs diabetes management

Social distancing may negatively affect the diabetes management in older adults, according to research published in Diabetes & Metabolism. "Fasting glucose and HBA1c levels and body weight increased during [social distancing]. Participants with reduced physical activity gained more weight and had higher blood glucose levels," the researchers wrote. “Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, health professionals and diabetes educators should monitor changes in lifestyle factors in older adults with diabetes.” (Diabetes & Metabolism)

NEW & NOTED

Cut sugar, cut CVD rates: Reducing the sugar content in commercially prepared food by 20%, and in beverages by 40%, may help prevent 2.48 million heart disease events over 10 years, according to research published in Circulation. Health care cost savings could reach $4.28 billion over that period. (Circulation; HealthDay)

Environmental health: The Biden administration is creating the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. It will be the first federal program aimed specifically at understanding how planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels also affect human health. It will be part of HHS. (New York Times*)

Dr. Dollar General? In an August earnings call, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos indicated the company is considering offering services many in rural areas lack, including eye care, telemedicine and prescription delivery to stores. (Wall Street Journal)

MULTI-MEDIA

Rationing is on the table

The U.S. health care system is again buckling under the weight of a COVID-19 surge that has filled more than 100,000 hospital beds nationwide and forced some states to consider enacting what’s termed a "crisis standards of care" — a last resort plan for rationing medical care during a catastrophic event. (NPR)

MARKETVOICES…QUOTES WORTH READING

“I feel torn between my obligation and my desire to have patients see me, and my ability to stay in business. […] It feels like a lose-lose situation. I could say no to testing, and drive my patients away. Or I can say yes, and keep operating at a loss.”—Dr. Reshma Chugani, a pediatrician, talking about the consequences of insurers not fully covering the cost of COVID testing, quoted in the New York Times