Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As The Pandemic Spread, Health Care CEOs Pocketed More Pay Than Before
Axios: Health Care CEO Pay Soars During Pandemic
The CEOs of 178 health care companies collectively made $3.2 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, which was 31% more than 2019, according to an Axios analysis of financial filings. Health care executives took home more than ever because a vast majority of their pay still comes in the form of stock. So while the coronavirus ravaged people's lives, the health care system and the broader economy, the soaring stock market immunized executives' pay. (Herman, 6/14)
Stat: Meet The Unlikely Veteran-Turned-Doctor Shaping Amazon’s Health Plans
If you know the name Vin Gupta, chances are it’s because he tends to spar with politicians and others spouting anti-science rhetoric, and to as vast an audience as possible. He’s a medical commentator on NBC and MSNBC, a practicing intensive care physician, a public health researcher, a faculty member at the University of Washington — and a voracious tweeter. So it seems unlikely that someone so outward-facing has a day job at, of all places, Amazon, a notoriously tight-lipped tech behemoth that is rocketing full force into health care delivery. (Brodwin, 6/14)
CIDRAP: Health Workers Should Wear N95s In Community Surges, Researchers Say
Healthcare providers should wear N95 respirators when COVID-19 rates are high in the community, not just if they're dealing directly with COVID-19 patients, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The commentary, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases late last week, outlines three reasons. (6/14)
AP: Floss Boss: Dental Student Gets $10k To Pursue Invention
A dental student at Virginia Commonwealth University has been awarded $10,000 by her school to develop a prototype for her invention to help those wearing braces floss between their teeth. Student Christina Gordon first developed her idea for the Proxy-Flosser when she was 10 years old and looking for a better way to complete the tedious task. (6/13)
AP: Los Angeles Dentist Charged With Sex Assaults On Patients
A Los Angeles dentist was charged Monday with sexually abusing nine women while they were undergoing procedures. Emad Fathy Moawad, 50, was charged with more than a dozen counts of sexual battery by restraint and other acts involving force. ... Prosecutors allege that between 2013 and 2018, Moawad molested women ranging from 27 to 73 years old. Moawad was sued in 2019 by a woman who alleged that while under anesthesia in 2017, Moawad molested her and that she reported the allegations to police, the Los Angeles Times reported. (6/15)
North Carolina Health News: Expanding Medication-Assisted Therapy Training
About a decade ago, Blake Fagan vowed he would never write a prescription for Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone used to curb the opioid craving. The Asheville family physician had seen the ravages of the opioid crisis up close and couldn’t imagine aiding and abetting it which he believed medication-assisted therapy would do... These days, Fagan not only prescribes Suboxone (the generic name is buprenorphine), he sees that primary care doctors in residency programs in North Carolina are qualified to prescribe the drug, too. He views this as another spoke in the wheel of addiction treatment. (Newsome, 6/14)
