First Edition: Oct. 16, 2023

KFF Health News: Doctors Abandon A Diagnosis Used To Justify Police Custody Deaths. It Might Live On, Anyway
Brooks Walsh hadn’t questioned whether “excited delirium syndrome” was a legitimate medical diagnosis before the high-profile police killings of Elijah McClain in Colorado in 2019 and George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020. The emergency physician in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was familiar with the term from treating patients who were so severely agitated and combative that they needed medication just to be evaluated. (Hawryluk and Rayasam, 10/16)

KFF Health News: Medicare Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New And What To Consider
Consumers know it’s fall when stores start offering Halloween candy and flu shots — and airwaves and mailboxes are filled with advertisements for Medicare options. It’s annual open enrollment time again for the 65 million Americans covered by Medicare, the federal health program for older people and some people with disabilities. (Appleby, 10/16)

KFF Health News: A Third Of Schools Don’t Have A Nurse. Here’s Why That’s A Problem
Jodi Bobbitt, the school nurse at William Ramsay Elementary in Alexandria, Virginia, is always ready to see children with a wide range of injuries and illnesses. One day during the first week of school, the parade started before the first bell when a little girl walked in with red, irritated eyes. Then it got busy. A student fell from the monkey bars and another tripped while playing tag. Two kids hit each other’s heads with lunchboxes and needed ice packs. A young boy had a stomachache. Bobbitt also saw her regular kiddos: one who has special needs and uses a wheelchair and another who has diabetes and gets his blood sugar checked daily before lunch. (DeGuzman, 10/16)

KFF Health News: Listen: Inroads For Women In California’s Health Care Workforce 
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart moderated a panel about women in the health care workforce for an event hosted by Capitol Weekly on Sept. 28 in Sacramento. California faces a shortfall of health care workers, especially among women. Women account for 39% of doctors in the state, according to KFF, but are beginning to make critical gains. In 2022, the percentage of medical school graduates who were women had grown to 51% in the state while the percentage of male graduates had fallen, according to Kathryn Phillips, the California Health Care Foundation’s associate director for improving access. (KFF Health News publishes California Healthline, which is an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.) (10/16)

KFF Health News: Journalists Offer Insights On Mobile Clinics And Suicide Prevention 
KFF Health News chief rural health correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble discussed Dollar General mobile clinics on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Oct. 11. ... KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed how talking openly about suicide can be a critical part of deterring suicide deaths — even when having those discussions is challenging — on Connecticut Public’s “Where We Live” on Sept. 29. (10/14)

The New York Times: Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy, Facing Slumping Sales And Opioid Suits 
Rite Aid, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, weighed down by billions of dollars in debt, declining sales and more than a thousand federal, state and local lawsuits claiming it filled thousands of illegal prescriptions for painkillers. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New Jersey. Its largest creditors include the pharmaceutical company McKesson Corporation and the insurer Humana Health. The pharmacy has raised $3.45 billion to fund its operations while it is in bankruptcy, during which it expects to continue to operate its stores and serve its customers. (Holman and Hirsch, 10/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy, Undone By Years Of Losses
Your local Rite Aid could soon disappear, a casualty of years of losses and failed mergers. In the end, Rite Aid was too small and too poor to pay the costs of lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Sunday in New Jersey, unable to find the money to settle hundreds of federal, state and private lawsuits alleging it oversupplied prescription painkillers. The filing puts all those suits on hold. (Nassauer and Gladstone, 10/15)

Stat: What's Changing In Medicare's Open Enrollment This Year?
It’s the middle of October — the time of year that’s filled with pumpkin spice lattes, jumbo-sized bags of Halloween candy, and endless advertisements to sign up for Medicare. Medicare’s annual enrollment period kicked off Sunday and runs through Dec. 7, allowing eligible older adults and people with disabilities to sign up for traditional Medicare coverage or Medicare Advantage, the alternative option that is run by health insurance companies. (Herman, 10/15)

Axios: Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Fall Again
Medicare Advantage plans' average star ratings have fallen for the second straight year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The ratings are a closely watched metric intended to help seniors pick better-performing plans, based on up to 40 quality measures. The scores also determine if insurers qualify for bonuses from Medicare, and consumers can switch into the highest-scoring plans year-round. (Goldman, 10/16)

Modern Healthcare: Centene, Elevance See Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Dip In 2024
Medicare Advantage insurers will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in 2024 amid another year of lower star ratings, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed Friday. For the 2024 plan year, 42% of plans with prescription drug coverage are rated at least four stars out of five and will receive bonuses from the quality ratings program, down from 51% this year. Nonprofit insurers outperformed for-profit companies: 56% of nonprofit Medicare Advantage carriers will earn bonuses compared with 36% of for-profit companies, according to CMS data. (Tepper, 10/13)

Stat: Medicare To Cover More Brain Scans Related To Alzheimer’s Drugs
Medicare has officially expanded its coverage policy for brain scans that detect a brain plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the agency announced on Friday. Amyloid PET scans are important tools to help determine whether patients with mild cognitive impairment are good candidates for new Alzheimer’s drugs, including Eisai and Biogen’s drug Leqembi, which means there will likely be an increase in demand for the scans as uptake increases. (Cohrs, 10/13)

The New York Times: Scientists Investigating Alzheimer’s Drug Faulted In Leaked Report
A neuroscientist whose studies undergird an experimental Alzheimer’s drug was “reckless” in his failure to keep or provide original data, an offense that “amounts to significant research misconduct,” an investigation by his university has concluded. The drug, simufilam, is made by Cassava Sciences, a pharmaceutical company based in Texas, and is in advanced clinical trials. The neuroscientist, Hoau-Yan Wang, a professor at the City College of New York, frequently collaborated with Lindsay H. Burns, the company’s chief scientist, on studies that outside experts and journals have called into question. (Mandavilli, 10/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Gov. Newsom Signs Health Care Worker Minimum Wage Bill
Hundreds of thousands of California health care workers are poised to receive wage increases under a bill signed late Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom that will gradually raise the minimum wage for health industry workers to $25 an hour over the next several years. The legislation, introduced by State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, makes California the first state to enact a minimum wage for health industry workers. (Ho, 10/13)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente, Unions Make Tentative Deal
Kaiser Permanente has reached a tentative deal to resolve a labor dispute with more than 75,000 union workers. The Oakland, California-based health system and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced Friday that negotiators made a four-year agreement that averts further strikes. The unions had planned a second walkout for Nov. 1-8. (Devereaux, 10/13)

Capital & Main: Kaiser's Massive Mental Health Care Settlement Sends Strong Message To Providers That Ignore Patient Needs
Kaiser Permanente’s $200 million settlement with the State of California for its repeated failures to provide patients with adequate and timely mental health care was a long while coming. The deficiencies themselves? Kaiser’s own employees say they’ve been hiding in plain sight. (Kreidler, 10/13)

Stat: Next-Generation Covid Vaccines Get $500 Million In Federal Funding 
The Biden administration announced Friday that it is investing in three potential vaccines and a range of new technologies aimed at staying ahead of Covid-19. The $500 million investment across 13 projects is the latest installment in the federal government’s Project NextGen, a $5 billion plan to develop new Covid-19 treatments, vaccines, and ways of delivering them. The Health and Human Services Department this summer channeled $1.4 billion to similar goals. (Owermohle, 10/13)

CIDRAP: US COVID Markers Trend Downward 
After a small rise from very low levels over the summer months, US COVID markers last week registered declines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest data update. Of the main severity indicators, hospitalizations declined 8.2% from the previous week, and deaths were down 3.8%. Early indicators also fell, with emergency department visits for COVID-19 down 17.7% from the past week and test positivity down 0.8%. The national test positivity rate is at 10.1%, but is a bit lower in the South and Southeast than in the rest of the country. (Schnirring, 10/13)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Senate Passes Ban On COVID Vaccine Mandates By Private Businesses 
A sweeping ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees of private Texas businesses passed the Texas Senate early Friday, although medical facilities would be allowed to enact other policies to help lower the risks to vulnerable patients. Senate Bill 7, by Galveston Republican Sen. Mayes Middleton, would subject private employers to state fines and other actions if they fire or punish employees or contractors who refuse the shot. (Harper, 10/13)

CIDRAP: Review Estimates 69% 3-Dose Vaccine Efficacy Against Long COVID
A meta-analysis today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology estimates a vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 69% for three doses of COVID-19 vaccine against long COVID, while two doses offer 37% efficacy. Led by researchers at the University of Iowa, the meta-analysis involved 24 studies on COVID-19 VE against long COVID among recipients of at least two doses of a vaccine before or after infection from December 2019 to June 2023. (Van Beusekom, 10/13)

USA Today: Why Don't Kids Usually Get Really Sick From COVID? The Nose Knows
It has been clear since early in the coronavirus pandemic that children ‒ typically magnets for colds and the flu ‒ weren't getting very sick from COVID-19. Now, a study suggests the answer lies in their noses. The study from researchers at Stanford University and Cincinnati Children's Hospital found the immune systems of younger children typically wipe out the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it arrives in the nose. (Weintraub, 10/14)

The New York Times: Wearables Track Parkinson’s Better Than Human Observation, Study Finds
An Oxford University researcher and her team showed that digital wearable devices can track the progression of Parkinson’s disease in an individual more effectively than human clinical observation can, according to a newly published paper. By tracking more than 100 metrics picked up by the devices, researchers were able to discern subtle changes in the movements of subjects with Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that afflicts 10 million people worldwide. (Richtel, 10/15)

NBC News: Raynaud's Disease Phenomenon: Study Pinpoints Genes Which Could Lead To Better Treatments
Raynaud’s phenomenon, which causes parts of the body like the fingers and the toes to go cold and numb, likely stems from two genes, a study published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications found. The results of the study — the largest genetic study of the condition to date — could lead to more effective treatments, experts said. (Mantel, 10/13)

The Washington Post: Blood Transfusion Crisis Puts U.S. At Risk, Doctors’ JAMA Op-Ed Says
The United States faces a “bloody transfusion problem” that is fueling preventable deaths and putting national security at risk, three military and civilian physicians write in a JAMA opinion essay. The JAMA op-ed, published Oct. 12, highlights blood transfusions’ importance in emergency care. Emergency transfusions can decrease deaths, especially when given early, the physicians write. But not enough health-care facilities and emergency vehicles are equipped for the procedures, they add, and that presents a “substantial risk to our nation’s security infrastructure.” (Blakemore, 10/15)

AP: A Doctors Group Calls Its 'Excited Delirium' Paper Outdated And Withdraws Its Approval 
A leading doctors group on Thursday formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” a document that critics say has been used to justify excessive force by police. The American College of Emergency Physicians in a statement called the paper outdated and said the term excited delirium should not be used by members who testify in civil or criminal cases. The group’s directors voted on the matter Thursday in Philadelphia. (Johnson, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Abortion Bans Complicate Medical Training, Risk Worsening OB/GYN Shortages 
Because of new restrictions on abortion, a generation of doctors will be ill-equipped to meet their patients’ needs because of insufficient gynecological training, experts warn. (Hutchinson, 10/13)

Modern Healthcare: Maternity Units Risk Closure Amid Payment, Staffing Problems
A growing number of hospitals have been forced to cut inpatient maternity services as costs rise and staffing challenges persist. Inpatient maternity care is an expensive operation, requiring specialized clinicians and equipment ready to go 24 hours a day. And payer reimbursements often fall short, clinicians say. (Hudson, 10/13)

NBC News: As 3 Alabama Hospitals Prepare To Close Maternity Units, Fears Rise
By the end of the month, two Alabama hospitals will stop delivering babies. A third will follow suit a few weeks later. That will leave two counties — Shelby and Monroe — without any birthing hospitals, and strip a predominantly Black neighborhood in Birmingham of a sought-after maternity unit. After that, pregnant women in Shelby County will have to travel at least 17 miles farther to reach a hospital with an OB-GYN. And because the county, one of Alabama’s largest, is bordered by another whose hospital also lacks an obstetrics unit, some of those residents are also losing the closest place they could go to deliver their babies. (Harris, 10/15)

The Charlotte Ledger and North Carolina Health News: Atrium Halts Lawsuits For Medical Debt 
Atrium Health, the state’s top collector of medical debt in recent years, has quietly stopped suing patients for unpaid medical bills. The change was praised by critics ... [However,] the change won’t help hundreds of patients who still have judgments against them and liens on their homes. (Crouch, 10/16)

New Haven Independent: Yale Fertility Clinic Patients Launch New Lawsuit Over Fentanyl Diversion
Seven former patients at a Yale fertility clinic have launched a new lawsuit against the university — in the latest turn in a high-profile scandal involving fentanyl theft and excruciatingly painful procedures for patients who were told they were getting painkillers, but wound up being operated on sober. (Shirnekhi, 10/14)

Los Angeles Times: Prominent Physician Executive Returns To MemorialCare As CEO Of Its Expanding Ambulatory Enterprise
David Kim, M.D., an accomplished and respected physician leader, has been named to serve as CEO of MemorialCare Medical Foundation, MemorialCare Medical Group, and Greater Newport Physicians, and as Executive Vice President of MemorialCare Health System’s parent entity, effective August 21. ... His appointment follows the recent retirement of Dr. Mark Schafer, who served as Chief Executive Officer of MemorialCare Medical Foundation for nearly 10 years. Dr. Kim joins MemorialCare from the Providence health system, where he successfully served as chief executive of the Providence Clinical Network. (10/15)

AP: Elf Bar Finds An Easy Way Around US Vape Import Ban: A Name Change 
Four months after U.S. regulators tried to block imports of Elf Bar, the top-selling Chinese disposable e-cigarette remains widely available thanks to a simple but effective tactic: changing its name. Convenience stores in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York and other cities remain fully stocked with the brightly colored vapes, sold in fruity flavors like strawberry melon and claiming to contain 5,000 “puffs” per device. ... The newer vaping devices bear a different name, EBCreate, and list different Chinese manufacturers than those targeted by the FDA. (Perrone, 10/13)

The New York Times: California’s Ban On Red Food Dye Puts FDA On The Spot 
Thirty-three years after the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in red lipstick and other cosmetics by linking it to cancer, California has become the first state to ban the chemical in food. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a law this month that outlawed the red dye and three other chemicals. Red No. 3 is used in Halloween treats and other foods, including private-label candy, cookies and frostings sold at national chains such as Walmart and Target. (Jewett and Creswell, 10/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Youths May Sue Facebook, TikTok For Mental Harm, Judge Rules
A group of youngsters who say they suffer from addiction to social media can sue Facebook, TikTok and other platforms for practices allegedly intended to induce them to spend more time online, increasing the providers’ advertising revenue while causing mental harm to the youths, a judge ruled Friday. (Egelko, 10/13)

USA Today: Trauma From Afar Of Israel-Hamas War As Loved Ones Look On
Mental health experts warn that the violent, shocking images and news about the conflict exacerbate traumatic stress. The barrage of information and images elicits a response that – even though a person has not been directly exposed to an event – can have profound effects on health and well-being. (Cuevas, 10/15)