Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Flaw Exposed Hospital Equipment To Hackers, But BlackBerry Kept Quiet
Politico: BlackBerry Resisted Announcing Major Flaw In Software Powering Cars, Hospital Equipment
A flaw in software made by BlackBerry has left two hundred million cars, along with critical hospital and factory equipment, vulnerable to hackers — and the company opted to keep it secret for months. On Tuesday, BlackBerry announced that old but still widely used versions of one of its flagship products, an operating system called QNX, contain a vulnerability that could let hackers cripple devices that use it. But other companies affected by the same flaw, dubbed BadAlloc, went public with that news in May. (Swan and Geller, 8/17)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Dignity Health, Anthem Blue Cross Ink New California Contract
Dignity Health and Anthem Blue Cross of California signed a new contract that will keep more than two dozen Dignity facilities across the Golden State in the insurer's network, the companies announced Monday. Negotiations had stalled between Dignity, which is part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health and is the largest hospital provider in California, and Anthem Blue Cross. The dispute affected more than 1 million Anthem commercial PPO, EPO, HMO and POS members, as well as some Medicaid and Medicare Advantage policyholders when the contract expired July 15. The new agreement is retroactive to July 15 and extends to April 30, 2025. (Kacik, 8/17)
Louisville Courier Journal: Massive Construction Contract Awarded To Build New Louisville VA Hospital
A massive contract has been awarded to construct Louisville's new Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. An $840 million contract to Walsh-Turner Joint Venture II has been approved to build the medical center, according to a release from the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, the veterans' hospital that the new facility will replace. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District will work with the Department of Veterans Affairs on the project, slated to be built at 4906 Brownsboro Road. (Aulbach, 8/17)
Modern Healthcare: Molina Wins Four-Year Nevada Medicaid Contract
Nevada awarded Molina Healthcare a Medicaid managed care contract, the company announced Tuesday. The four-year contract starts in January and Nevada can opt to renew it for another two years. The insurer will also offer health coverage through Nevada Health Link, the states insurance exchange. "We are honored that Nevada has awarded Molina the opportunity to serve the state's most vulnerable citizens," Molina Healthcare CEO Joe Zubretsky said in a news release. "Molina looks forward to advancing the state's goals of improving care management, member access, and overall health equity for its Medicaid members." (Brady, 8/17)
Stat: Verily Makes Its First Major Acquisition As It Looks To Transform Clinical Trials
On the heels of a series of prominent recent hires, Verily announced plans on Tuesday to make its first major acquisition by buying SignalPath, a North Carolina company which developed a clinical trial management platform. Verily, an Alphabet spinout founded in 2015, plans to use the acquisition to increase its appeal to clinical trial sites and to speed its efforts on decentralized research, Amy Abernethy, whom Verily hired in June to serve as president of its clinical research business, told STAT. (Brodwin, 8/17)
Stat: Maternal Health Startup Maven Hits $1 Billion Valuation
On Tuesday, maternal and family virtual care platform Maven Clinic raised $110 million in late-stage financing that vaults the company’s estimated value to more than $1 billion, a first for the field of women’s and family health. The financing was co-led by Dragoneer Investment Group and Lux Capital, with participation from BOND and existing investors including Sequoia, Oak HC/FT, and Icon Ventures. It brings Maven’s total funding to more than $200 million. (Brodwin, 8/17)
Modern Healthcare: Report: No Rebound In Healthcare Utilization In Spring 2021
Patient volumes are still stubbornly low in 2021, all but dashing providers' hopes for a full rebound after last year's pandemic-related shutdowns. A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis released Tuesday shows hospital admissions were 85.5% of expected levels based on historic patterns in the week beginning April 3. Admissions were even lower—80.7%—when COVID-19 admissions were excluded. KFF's "expected levels" are weekly predicted admissions based on actual weekly admissions from Jan. 1, 2017, to Jan. 25, 2020. (Bannow, 8/17)
