Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Consumers Will Soon Be Able To Order Lab Tests Without A Doctor
Bloomberg: The Doctor Is Out: LabCorp To Let Consumers Order Own Tests
Consumers will soon be able to bypass their doctors by going online to order cholesterol readings, thyroid tests and other bloodwork from the biggest diagnostics company in the U.S. Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings will let customers go online to pay for tests, visit a service center to get blood drawn, then view the results on the Web. The company has already been doing back-office lab work for a number of Internet firms that let people order up tests without a doctor. (Koons, 4/20)
Los Angeles Times: Shopping Tools Help Patients Find Cash Prices For Medical Procedures
MediBid, which has been in business since 2010, has returned up to 17 bids from doctors nationwide for knee replacement surgeries and often six or seven for common procedures, such as colonoscopies, says founder and Chief Executive Ralph Weber. Dr. Peter LePort, a general surgeon practicing in Fountain Valley, participates with MediBid. He says he's seen a rise in the number of patients with high-deductible health plans looking for cheaper alternatives. Paying cash instead of using insurance often helps them get lower prices. (Zamosky, 4/19)
Meanwhile, a jury is told that Pfizer Inc. failed to warn pregnant users about possible health risks to their babies -
Bloomberg: Pfizer Jury Told Zoloft Risks Known But Hidden From Patients
Pfizer Inc. failed to properly warn about its Zoloft antidepressant’s health risks even though internal reports noted some women who took the drug produced babies with birth defects, jurors were told at the end of the first trial of more than 1,000 lawsuits over the drug. Pfizer’s internal reviews found links between Zoloft and heart abnormalities in babies but the company didn’t update the drug’s U.S. safety label to alert doctors and patients, Shelley Hutson, a lawyer for a family suing the company, said Friday in closing arguments in St. Louis state court. (Feeley, 4/17)
And former Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner joins a health system board -
Bloomberg: Ex-Medicare Chief Tavenner Joins LifePoint Hospitals Board
Marilyn Tavenner, who resigned as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier this year, is returning to the hospital industry. Tavenner is joining the board of LifePoint Hospitals Inc., which operates more than 60 hospitals in 21 states. Before she began state government work in 2006, Tavenner had worked at the largest for-profit hospital chain, HCA Holdings Inc., for 25 years. (Tracer, 4/17)
