Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Outside Perspectives On US Health Care; Nurses Handle Much More Than We Realize
The New York Times: Health Care In The U.S., As Seen From Abroad
Byzantine health plans. Impoverishing deductibles. Exorbitant drug costs. Soul-crushing surprises lurking in the fine print. The American health care system is — to put it mildly — totally perplexing, an exercise in patience and a test of financial resilience. And that’s for its participants. So imagine what the system must look like to people from other countries, especially those with universal health care, where citizens don’t live in fear that the next bout of the sniffles might somehow lead to bankruptcy. (Chai Dingari, Adam Westbrook and Brendan Miller, 4/28)
Scientific American: Nurses Are Also Scientists
As ICU beds filled with COVID-19 patients last spring, hospitals learned that very sick patients were able to breathe better when they were flipped onto their stomachs. This positioning, called proning, has been used for decades to improve clinical outcomes for those suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the lung condition that patients with severe COVID-19 cases develop. Proning for ARDS was first described in 1976 in an article published in the journal Critical Care Medicine by ICU nurse Margaret Piehl and physician Robert Brown. As a fellow nurse, it’s not surprising to me to learn that a nurse helped pioneer and gain acceptance for this lifesaving procedure. ( Eileen Sullivan-Marx, 4/27)
Modern Healthcare: It's Time To Break Down The Specialty Silos In Medicine
Many moments throughout the history of medicine have redefined the patient experience. More recently, technology and new medical devices, as well as less invasive surgery, have significantly improved the care we deliver. Yet, as clinicians, there's still one change we can make now that will make a remarkable difference for those who matter most—break down the specialty silos. We know that the healthcare system can handle it. And, more important, our patients need it. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, for example, we have seen specialists go where they're most needed, even if it has meant working outside of their expertise. At the pandemic's height, cardiologists helped some of the sickest patients in the emergency department, lending a much-needed, fresh approach to a new, serious problem. (Daniel Sciubba, 4/27)
Stat: Investment In Antimicrobials Saw An Uptick In 2020
The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic generated renewed interest in the development of vaccines and associated technologies. Vaccines have been the big winners, but there were some gains for anti-infective therapies as well. Before 2019, emerging companies had a difficult time flourishing in the vaccine and antimicrobial space. With few vaccine developers to partner with and biopharma exiting the antibiotic space due to commercial challenges, my colleagues and I at Back Bay Life Science Advisors found ourselves helping our clients navigate a very narrow path to funding or partnerships. (Peter Bak, 4/28)
Kansas City Star: Missouri Forcing Funeral, Burial Of Aborted Fetuses Is Cruel
No, this is not a sick joke. Republicans in the Missouri House really do want to force women who have an abortion to bury or cremate the fetus at their own expense. (Whether to bury or cremate would be 100% up to them, though; who says this state is anti-choice?) No word on whether women obtaining a legal procedure would then have to wear black for a state-mandated mourning period. (4/27)
