Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amazon Will Expand Its WorkingWell Program To All US Workers In 2021
CNBC: Relentless Amazon Has New Plan To Cut Worker Injuries By 50%
Amazon announced Monday that WorkingWell, a program that provides employees with physical, mental and nutritional support, among other wellness services, will be rolled out across the entire U.S. operations network by year-end, with the aim of cutting recordable incident rates — an OSHA measurement of worker injury and illness — by 50% by 2025. (Rosenbaum, 5/17)
In news about the health care industry —
Modern Healthcare: Telehealth Firms Continue To Report Revenue Growth, Net Losses In Q1
Telehealth companies continued to see revenue gains in 2021's first quarter as they prepare their business for a world not dominated by the COVID-19 crisis. Amwell posted $57.6 million in revenue for the quarter, up 7.2% from the year-ago period, while Teladoc Health, a market leader in the telehealth space, continued to see sizeable growth with $453.7 million in quarterly revenue, up 150.9% year-over-year. SOC Telemed, which focuses on the acute-care sector, posted $14.8 million, up 0.1%. (Kim Cohen, 5/14)
Axios: Mental Health Visits Among Vulnerable Populations Dropped Significantly During Pandemic
People insured with Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program aren't using mental health care services at the same rate as the rest of the population, new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show. Virtual mental health visits skyrocketed last year, but vulnerable populations went with out treatment during a time period when stress, substance abuse, anxiety and depression were at all-time highs. (Fernandez, 5/14)
Philadelphia Inquirer: An Employer-Driven Hospital Rating System Gains Ground
The latest Leapfrog hospital safety grades for 47 Philadelphia-area hospitals awarded top marks — an A — to 15 area hospitals, including four to Jefferson Health and three each to Main Line Health and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The Leapfrog Group, founded in 2000 by major national employers, also awarded a C to Lankenau Medical Center. And it gave three D’s — to Brandywine, Phoenixville, and Pottstown, all owned by financially troubled Tower Health. (Brubaker, 5/16)
KHN: ‘Kicking You When You’re Down’: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly For Parking
For cancer patients, the road from diagnosis to survivorship feels like a never-ending parade of medical appointments: surgeries, bloodwork, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, scans. The routine is time-consuming and costly. So, when hospitals charge patients double-digit parking fees, patients often leave the garage demoralized. Iram Leon vividly remembers the first time he went for a follow-up MRI appointment at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, after he had been treated at another hospital for a brain tumor. (Ritzel, 5/17)
