Covid Health Disparities Targeted By New HHS Digital Startup Scheme
Federal support will go to more than a dozen digital health startups as part of the "PandemicX Accelerator", with the goal of reducing health inequalities exposed during the pandemic. Also, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services won't allow more home drug infusions for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Launches Digital Health Accelerator To Tackle COVID-19 Disparities
More than a dozen digital health startups will get federal support to tackle COVID-19 disparities, the Health and Human Services Department announced Tuesday. These companies are the first selected to participate in the PandemicX Accelerator, which is overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and managed by MassChallenge HealthTech, a digital health innovation hub. (Kim Cohen, 12/21)
In other health care developments —
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Nixes Proposal That Could Have Increased At-Home Infusions
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not finalize a 2020 proposal to let Medicare beneficiaries receive more drugs through home infusion by covering external infusion pumps, the agency announced in a final rule published Tuesday. Durable medical equipment providers will continue to get higher reimbursement for providing items and services in rural areas, the rule also spells out. Under the now-final policy, medical equipment suppliers in rural areas, Alaska, Hawaii and the territories will continue to be paid rates that are half of the regular fee schedule amount combined with half of an adjusted rate for rural providers. Stakeholder input showed higher costs, greater travel expenses, logistical difficulties and other challenges associated with providing equipment and services in rural areas, the regulation says. (Goldman, 12/21)
KHN:
Layers Of Subcontracted Services Confuse And Frustrate Medi-Cal Patients
Theresa Grant, a resident of Culver City, California, has endured debilitating pain for the past year from a mysterious bulge protruding from her lower rib cage. She takes multiple painkillers every day. And the cause of her agony remains undiagnosed because, despite her tenacious efforts, she hasn’t been able to get a referral to a suitable doctor. Grant, 63, is in Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, the program for people with low incomes. She is enrolled in L.A. Care, one of two managed-care Medi-Cal health plans in Los Angeles County and the largest one in the state, with 2.4 million members. (Wolfson, 12/22)
Stat:
Verily Shakes Up Its Leadership Team
Alphabet’s life sciences arm Verily is in the midst of a shakeup of its leadership. The company is promoting Stephen Gillett to serve as both president and chief operating officer, it announced Monday. Along with that move, according to an Insider report on Tuesday, CEO Andy Conrad will be focusing more on long-term strategy. Gillett will partner with Conrad, the company shared in a blog post, “to advance the organization as it scales and evolves into being a broader commercial company.” (Palmer, 12/21)
Modern Healthcare:
Lawsuit Says Duke Trying To Take Over Large Multispecialty Practice
A new lawsuit accuses Duke University of attempting to illegally take over a large independent multispecialty physician practice without paying for its fair value. Anesthesiologist Dr. Eugene Moretti filed the derivative action Monday on behalf of the Durham, North Carolina-based practice where he works, Private Diagnostic Clinic. Duke and PDC have had a partnership agreement for 50 years that allows PDC to stay independent, but the lawsuit filed in North Carolina Superior Court, Durham County this week claims Duke is rolling out a takeover plan without input from PDC's 1,850 physician members. (Bannow, 12/21)
Boston Globe:
Harvard Nanoscientist Found Guilty Of Lying About Ties To Chinese University
A federal jury found Harvard University professor and renowned nanoscientist Charles Lieber guilty of all counts Tuesday for lying to the government about receiving payments from a Chinese university and cheating on his taxes. Lieber, 62, showed no emotion as the jury announced its verdict after deliberating for 2 hours and 45 minutes following five days of testimony in federal court in Boston. (Murphy, 12/21)
And more on medical billing —
Modern Healthcare:
Commercial Prices For Common Hospital Procedures Often Exceed Cash Prices
The discounted cash prices hospitals set for common procedures are often lower than the rates they negotiate with insurers, new research shows. The proportion of hospitals that set their cash price below their median commercial negotiated price ranged from 38.4% for liver tests to 68.5% for C-section deliveries, according to an analysis of 922 hospitals' rates for what CMS calls "shoppable" services. Hospitals were less likely to disclose the prices of more expensive services, the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open found. The findings surprised researches, who expected commercially negotiated rates to be lower because an individual has less bargaining power than insurers. (Kacik, 12/21)
KHN:
New Parents Slapped With Surprise Bills For Treating Newborns
After Christine Malik gave birth to her first daughter three years ago, a clinician affiliated with a company called Pediatrix entered the hospital room and fitted the infant with sensors and wires for a hearing test. The child failed the screening required by law for all newborns, the tester said, requiring a follow-up exam. “We were scared as first-time parents,” said Malik, who agreed to the second exam. The clinician, Malik said, didn’t tell them that infants often fail an initial screening because of fluid from the womb in the ears that soon dissipates. The second screening found no problem with the baby’s hearing. (Hancock, 12/22)
