Health Care Employment Suddenly Stopped Growing In March
A report in Modern Healthcare says industry hiring saw the smallest increase in a year, even during the ongoing staff shortages caused by the pandemic. Meanwhile, a United Healthcare contract disagreement means thousands of members lost in-network access to Broward Health hospitals.
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Employment Stalls In March Following Large Boost
Healthcare industry hiring in March saw the smallest increase in a year, as providers continue to experience staffing shortages and COVID-19 cases are on a slow decline. Healthcare companies added an estimated 8,300 jobs in March, down from 66,400 in February, according to preliminary data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday. The industry contributed to a total of 431,000 new jobs across the economy. Last month saw the smallest uptick in helathcare hiring since March 2021, when the industry gained 6,000 jobs. (Devereaux, 4/1)
In updates from the health insurance industry —
South Florida Sun Sentinel:
United Healthcare Members Lose Network Access To Broward Health
Thousands of United Healthcare members on Friday lost in-network access to Broward Health hospitals and ambulatory care facilities after the two entities failed by Thursday to reach agreement on a new contract. UnitedHealthcare plans affected are employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans branded under UnitedHealthcare’s name or affiliates Preferred Care Network, WellMed, Medica and Neighborhood Health Partnership. Members of those plans lost in-network status as of Friday to Broward Health hospitals in Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach and Coral Springs, Weston urgent care center and 15 outpatient/ambulatory care centers across the county. (Hurtibise, 4/1)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger:
UMMC, Blue Cross Blue Shield Mississippi Contract Expires
The University of Mississippi Medical Center's contract with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi expired Thursday night at midnight after they failed to reach an agreement over how much the insurer should pay for patient care. The dispute centers around how much the hospital system wants the insurer to pay in order to cover hospital services for their members. Over the past 18 months, UMMC has treated more than 50,000 patients with a Blue Cross Commercial health insurance plan, according to a press release the hospital system issued on Friday. (Clark and Hawkins, 4/1)
In biotech and research news —
The Boston Globe:
Eight Studies By Former Harvard, BIDMC Researcher Retracted Over Ethics Review
A former Harvard professor and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center doctor has had eight research studies or abstracts retracted by three different medical journals for problems with critical oversight approvals for the research. The retracted studies, led by ophthalmologist Dr. Jorge Arroyo, include one published in Wiley Online Library in June 2021 that was retracted in February because the study was conducted in a way that differed from the protocol approved by BIDMC. Another study, published in March 2021 in Translational Vision Science & Technology, was retracted in March for failing to obtain institutional approval at all. (Bartlett, 4/3)
Houston Chronicle:
UT Health Doctor Hopes Pitch Contest Stirs Interest In Implantable Blood Pump
A UT Health Houston doctor is helping develop a fully implantable blood pump, which early research shows may have reduced risks for contributing to strokes, infection and rehospitalizations than similar products already available. Dr. Richard Smalling, a cardiologist at UT Health in Houston, has spent nearly two decades helping develop the the Pulsatile Flow Torroidal Left Ventricular Assist Device. He will be in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to pitch the device at a national competition hosted by the American College of Cardiology and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (Carballo, 4/2)
Stat:
Xenotransplantation Trials Will Require Adjusting Expectations, Experts Say
On the heels of some important “firsts” this past year, xenotransplantation — grafting animal organs into humans — is on the cusp of crossing over into new territory: human trials. In January, University of Maryland surgeons transplanted a pig heart into a 57-year-old man, who survived two months. And last fall, New York University doctors implanted pig kidneys into recently deceased individuals to show there wouldn’t be immediate rejection of the organs. As exciting as these procedures were for researchers who have been trying to make xenotransplantation a reality, they highlighted the slow pace of clinical development, which has been stalled in primate studies for decades. (Cueto, 4/1)
