Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amazon Moves Further Into Health Industry
Stat: Amazon Debuts Wearable Halo, Marking Its Entry Into Health Tracking
Joining the ranks of other health tech giants, Amazon on Thursday debuted a wrist wearable that could give it a toehold into the increasingly hot field of health tracking. Called Halo, the screenless device can track sleep, body temperature, physical activity, and voice patterns, and will also give users the option to link some health data to their electronic medical records. (Brodwin, 8/27)
Modern Healthcare: Sharp HealthCare First To Deploy Amazon's New Health Wearable
Amazon on Thursday unveiled a new health gadget, dubbed the Amazon Halo Band, with plans already underway to distribute the wearable device to some patients at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. Cerner Corp. customers, such as Sharp HealthCare, will be able to let patients share data from the wearable into their medical record—the latest step in a partnership with Amazon that Cerner announced last summer. (Cohen, 8/27)
In other health industry news —
Stat: NIH Awards Grant To EcoHealth Alliance After Political Uproar
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $7.5 million grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on finding unknown viruses in nature, months after the cancellation of an earlier award to the group prompted an outcry over political interference. EcoHealth had previously established a partnership with a virology laboratory in Wuhan, China — the city where the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have begun — under the terms of a five-year grant from the NIH. That grant was due to run through 2024 but was abruptly canceled in April. (Branswell, 8/27)
Modern Healthcare: Allina Health, BCBS Of Minnesota Form Value-Based Payment Model
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Allina Health formed a six-year value-based payment model, the organizations announced Thursday. The insurer, which covers about a third of Minnesotans, and the 11-hospital system based in Minneapolis aim to reduce costs by 10% over five years by incentivizing more preventative and coordinated care, the organizations said. This would boost doctor-patient relationships, limit administrative expense and ultimately improve outcomes for around 130,000 Blue Cross members who receive care at Allina each year, executives said. (Kacik, 8/27)
Dallas Morning News: UT Southwestern And Children’s Health To Build First Joint Project In RedBird Mall
Children’s Health, the region’s leading pediatric provider, is teaming with UT Southwestern Medical Center to bring an outpatient clinic to RedBird Mall and expand treatment options for children in southern Dallas. The joint project is the first since UT Southwestern and Children’s formed a pediatric partnership last year, and it’s notable that they chose to expand in an underserved community where health disparities are common. (Schnurman, 8/27)
Stat: Employers Plan How To Blunt The Cost Of Gene Therapies, Pricey New Drugs
As the pharmaceutical industry develops increasingly expensive medicines – notably, those costing seven figures – a new survey finds the largest employers in the U.S. plan to boost the use of various tactics to mitigate the expense and, in some cases, possibly postpone access for employees. For instance, 44% of 122 employers expect to delay placing million-dollar-drugs on their formularies for a set amount of time, or at least until a pharmacy benefits manager vets safety and effectiveness. (Silverman, 8/27)
