The Latest
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Teladoc guides to softer 2021, suggesting easing of pandemic boom
Shares of the virtual care giant slumped 7% after fourth-quarter results showed a net loss of $485.1 million last year despite surging volumes.
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Adobe Stock
Sponsored by MedHub, LLCLongitudinal integrated clerkships – True patient-centered care
How programs overcome administrative challenges to immerse medical students in community-based care.
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Retrieved from C-SPAN on February 23, 2021
Becerra backs price transparency, provider competition at first Senate panel
President Joe Biden's pick for HHS chief turns Wednesday to the finance panel, which will vote on sending the nomination to the full Senate.
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Fotolia
Rising expenses threaten hospitals' financial recovery: AHA, Kaufman Hall report
Costs to treat COVID-19 patients are continuing to hamper finances as more lucrative services sluggishly recover, according to the report from the consultants and the hospital lobby.
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Retrieved from The White House/YouTube on January 21, 2021
ACLA urges Biden to fund uninsured COVID-19 testing, close coverage loopholes
The plea from the trade group for Quest and LabCorp is the latest in a row between labs and insurers over paying for the diagnostics and comes as a $2 billion federal testing fund runs dry.
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Lifespan, Care New England ink deal to create academic medical system with Brown University
"If the COVID pandemic taught us one thing it is that we are better when we work together," Lifespan CEO Timothy Babineau said.
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Jacob Bell / BioPharma Dive
FDA review supports safety, efficacy of J&J coronavirus vaccine
Agency scientists noted the shot's strong protection against severe COVID-19, even for the virus variant first detected in South Africa and known to weaken vaccine potency.
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Fotolia
Visits to rheumatologists, primary care topped pre-pandemic levels in December
Despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the final months of 2020, outpatient visits stayed stable, according to a new report from Harvard researchers. But the trend varied by specialty.
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Biden asks SCOTUS to drop Medicaid work requirement arguments
The high court has already canceled some oral arguments defending Trump-era policies, including a suit defending Mexico border wall funding and another forcing migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed.
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Yujin Kim/Healthcare Dive
Hospitals still struggle with volumes, finances due to COVID-19
Kaufman Hall's national hospital flash report found ED visits were down 24.7% year over year in January, suggesting one of the biggest feeders into inpatient admissions will remain significantly depressed.
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Retrieved from C-SPAN on February 23, 2021
Becerra embraces healthcare antitrust record at first Senate hearing
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., gave a taste of GOP opposition to the nominee for HHS Secretary on Tuesday by accusing him of disregarding the value of private sector innovation.
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Oscar Health eyes $6.7B valuation with upcoming IPO
Even though the startup added members to plans and expanded to several states last year, it faces flagging financial performance that could tamp down investor enthusiasm.
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Jacob Bell
FDA lays out shortened path for testing vaccines against new coronavirus variants
Lengthy trials won't be needed for updating shots against emerging viral strains, the agency told developers in newly published guidance.
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Retrieved from Manatt on February 18, 2021
Obama admin alum Chiquita Brooks-LaSure picked to head CMS
Brooks-LaSure will have a lot on her plate. Biden during his campaign ran on expanding the role of the Affordable Care Act and perhaps attempting to build in a public option or lowered Medicare age eligibility.
UPDATED: Feb. 19, 2021 at 11:14 a.m. -
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2020). "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2" [Micrograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Why this week's FDA meeting on J&J's coronavirus vaccine will be important
The FDA is widely expected to authorize the drugmaker's one-dose shot. But the advisory committee meeting beforehand will offer a window into debate over several key issues.
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Peter Ashkenaz, ONC
Q&ADon Rucker reflects on highs and lows of tenure as ONC head and the future of health IT
In this exit interview, Rucker, who has been national coordinator since 2017, looked back on his time at the agency and predicted what industry might expect from the Biden administration.
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Jacob Bell
FDA starts review of how skin pigmentation affects pulse oximeter results
The agency is evaluating published literature related to factors that may affect device accuracy and performance following pressure from senators to address concerns that "racism may be embedded in key clinical tools."
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Hospital admissions not linked to COVID-19 fell dramatically in fall, especially in Midwest
The latest analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation gives a fuller picture of how the pandemic affected inpatient volume throughout 2020, focusing on trends by age, sex and region.
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Capping hospital prices could save $235B annually, Rand study says
The American Hospital Association blasted the report, casting blame on the insurance industry and noting that sector's recent healthy profits.
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Google opens new office near Mayo Clinic campus to galvanize tech collaboration
The goal of the venture is to form an "AI factory," churning out algorithms and other digital products powered by Google in several clinical specialties.
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Anthem-backed digital startup Sharecare goes public in $3.9B blank check deal
The startup, launched by WebMD founder Jeff Arnold and medical TV personality Mehmet Oz, will merge with special purpose acquisition company Falcon Capital Acquisition and is the latest in the digital health SPAC craze.
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Baylor Scott and White, other hospitals stressed as storms pummel Texas, southern states
The dominant Texas health system with 51 hospitals closed drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites and rescheduled vaccine appointments while other systems in Louisiana and elsewhere are putting off elective care.
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Payer profits nosedived in Q4 on increased COVID-19 expenses
Still, major insurers ended 2020 in the black, buoyed by the pullback in utilization during earlier quarters.
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One-third of primary care docs have 'no idea' when practice will get COVID-19 vaccine: survey
The report also found confidence in telehealth is rising after many providers rushed to become established on virtual platforms in the early months of the pandemic.
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CVS to jump back into individual ACA markets in 2022
The health giant has yet to disclose specific geographies or the cost of the plans, with newly installed CEO Karen Lynch telling investors Tuesday to expect more details in the second quarter.
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Dollar Photo Club
Biden admin begins plan to rescind Medicaid work mandates in win for providers
The policies threatened to lower hospitals' Medicaid revenues as enrollees lost coverage, raising uncompensated care costs. But lawsuits and the pandemic have kept states from implementing the controversial Trump-era requirements.
