Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cigna Subsidiary Evernorth To Acquire Telehealth Provider MDLive
Stat: Cigna's Evernorth To Acquire Telehealth Company MDLive
Riding a wave of pandemic-fueled momentum for virtual care, Cigna subsidiary Evernorth is acquiring telehealth provider MDLive, the companies announced Friday. The news marks a significant strategic pivot for MDLive — which had at one point planned to go public at the start of the year — and reflects broader shifts in the virtual care landscape as the public stage for telehealth companies grows increasingly crowded. (Brodwin, 2/26)
Billings Gazette: Proposed Billings Medical School Responds To For-Profit Criticisms
In a repeat from five years ago, two private medical schools are looking to set up shop in Montana, and their parallel efforts are causing some friction. Rocky Vista University is hoping to open an osteopathic medical school on Billings’ West End, with the first class of students entering in 2023. Rocky Vista, established in the Denver suburb of Parker in 2006, was the first for-profit medical school in the U.S. to open in modern times. Touro College and University System is hoping to open a school adjacent to the campus of Benefis Healthcare Systems, a hospital in Great Falls. Established in 1971, the New York-based school is a nonprofit. (Hall and Tollefson, 2/28)
Modern Healthcare: Providers Weigh Risks, Rewards Of Post-COVID Collaboration
Despite having some of the fewest beds per capita in the country, Albuquerque-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services has been able to manage surges of COVID-19 patients by teaming up with its competitors. Presbyterian, Lovelace Health System, University of New Mexico Health System and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center established four hubs to centralize and coordinate care across northern and central New Mexico. Hub hospitals would support smaller facilities to keep care in their respective communities. If a community hospital lacked a certain specialist, one could call in from the university to consult physicians over video. They monitored real-time data to assess shortages and hub hospitals would work with state and national authorities to direct testing equipment, staffing or supplies accordingly. (Kacik, 2/27)
NBC News: Inside 'Post-Covid' Clinics: How Specialized Centers Are Trying To Treat Long-Haulers
As the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. appears to be turning a corner, another health crisis is brewing: Covid-19 survivors struggling to bounce back to their former selves. Of the more than 28 million Americans diagnosed with Covid-19, an estimated 10 to 30 percent — possibly as many as 8.4 million people — fall into the category commonly known as "long-haulers." (Edwards, 3/1)
The Wall Street Journal: When Covid-19 Hit, Mayo Clinic Had To Rethink Its Technology
Mayo Clinic, like many health providers, has been pushed to its limits by the Covid-19 pandemic. Its intensive-care units were often filled to or near capacity in 2020. And while doctors throughout the health system rushed to find ways to care for the wave of sick patients infected by the new virus, many of the medical and support staff were being sent home to work remotely. The information-technology team led by Mayo Clinic Chief Information Officer Cris Ross faced immense challenges. Practically overnight, remote, secure and fast access to multiple systems had to be provided to thousands of workers, including doctors. The influx of Covid patients, meanwhile, needed to be able to communicate with the outside world while being kept in isolation. And it all had to be done on the fly. Adapting the healthcare system’s networks and building new tools to meet these demands required planning, decisions and execution at speeds undreamed of a short time before. (McCormick, 2/21)
