Old Medicare Rules Impact Easy Access To Home Medical Equipment

Stat: Old Medicare Rules Threaten Access To Home Medical Equipment 
Pandemic-related breaks in global supply chains for drugs and essential medical supplies are affecting the more than 4.5 million people who receive health care at home and the companies they count on to provide and service their oxygen machines, wheelchairs, hospital-style beds, prosthetic devices, and other durable home medical equipment. Compounding the crisis are federal rules that have long underpaid companies providing home medical equipment and that are now forcing them to swallow the pandemic-related cost increases they’re facing. If those rules don’t change, countless people could lose access to home care. (Marx, 7/2)

In news about digital health care —

Stat: How A Flurry Of Deals Is Shaping The New Digital Health Landscape
Teladoc’s blockbuster merger with Livongo in 2020 would’ve been unthinkable just a few years ago. Health technology companies didn’t typically command enormous valuations, and they certainly didn’t sell for $18.5 billion. The deal’s timing, in the depths of the pandemic, wasn’t just fortuitous for Livongo and Teladoc shareholders. Rather, it set the stage for a wave of mergers and acquisitions that have ultimately ushered in a new era in virtual care. (Brodwin, 7/2)

Modern Healthcare: Shifting Priorities Stall Insurers' Digital Transformation
Health insurers are digitizing their operations by taking notes from, say, people who shop at Warby Parker. But while member claims can provide a window into a patient's health, personalizing coverage and healthcare is not as simple as picking up a pair of spectacles. A recent Deloitte survey of 35 technology leaders at health plans with 50,000 members or more highlighted this challenge, with 49% of respondents saying a lack of clear vision around how to best engage patients and providers presents the biggest blind spot in their digital transformation. (Tepper, 7/1)

Modern Healthcare: FTC Antitrust Probes Eye Hospitals, PBMs And Drug Companies
The Federal Trade Commission is focusing its antitrust sights on the healthcare industry, primarily hospitals, drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers. The agency on Thursday voted to prioritize investigations into healthcare, tech and digital platforms over the next decade and authorized the use of subpoenas and other "compulsory" methods to obtain information. No further details were announced about specific companies it would investigate. (Hellmann, 7/1)

In other health care industry news —

Axios: COVID-19 Vaccines Raise Walgreens' Foot Traffic, Profits 
Walgreens has given out 25 million COVID-19 vaccinations in its stores this year, including 17 million from March through May. Walgreens executives said the vaccines were the main reason why the company recorded higher foot traffic, sales and profits in the quarter. But this boost may be short-lived, as demand for vaccines has slowed down considerably since late April. (Herman, 7/1)

Axios: Drug And Device Companies Slow Down Doctor Payments During Pandemic 
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies paid $9.1 billion in consulting fees, hotel stays, meals and royalties to physicians and teaching hospitals in 2020, a 16% drop from 2019, according to new data released by the federal government. The industry reeled back payments as the pandemic halted travel, speakers' programs and other junkets. But experts say, and data show, that the billions of dollars still may create inappropriate relationships and sway doctors to prescribe those companies' medications and devices. (Herman, 7/1)

North Carolina Health News: Patients, Providers Wait To See How Medicaid Managed Care Goes 
Dave Richard woke up at midnight on July 1, sent a few emails to legislators and to people on his work team, and went back to sleep. It was a rather unremarkable evening, and by his account, a peaceful sleep for Richard, given that something remarkable was happening. Midnight was the time that the state’s Medicaid plan made the big switchover from being a state-run and managed program to care for millions of low income North Carolinians to being a program managed by private insurance companies. (Hoban, 7/2)

Modern Healthcare: HCA Closes On Brookdale Majority Stake. Here Are Five Things To Know
HCA Healthcare said Thursday it has closed on its purchase, announced in February, of a majority stake in Brookdale Senior Living's home health, hospice and outpatient therapy arm. Here are five things to know: 1) Nashville-based HCA bought an 80% equity stake in Brookdale Health Care Services for $400 million. Brookdale owns the remaining 20%. 2) Going forward, HCA and Brookdale Senior Living will operate Brookdale Health Care Services as a joint venture, which HCA says will boost quality, patient experience and access to services. (Bannow, 7/1)

WSB-TV Channel 2- Atlanta: Judge Says Class-Action Lawsuit Against Atlanta-Based Health Share Ministry Can Go Forward 
A federal judge has ruled that a class-action lawsuit can move forward against an Atlanta company Channel 2 Action News has been investigating for more than two years. Aliera Companies has always maintained it is not an insurance company. That’s how it avoids following federal and state rules and laws that governor insurers. But a judge disagreed. (Gray, 7/1)

KHN: Hospital Prices Must Now Be Transparent. For Many Consumers, They’re Still Anyone’s Guess. 
A colonoscopy might cost you or your insurer a few hundred dollars — or several thousand, depending on which hospital or insurer you use. Long hidden, such price variations are supposed to be available in stark black and white under a Trump administration price transparency rule that took effect at the start of this year. It requires hospitals to post a range of actual prices — everything from the rates they offer cash-paying customers to costs negotiated with insurers. (Appleby, 7/2)