Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Experts Warn Medicare Staffing Shortage Will Impact Open Enrollment
The Hill: Medicare Staffing Raises Alarm With Open Enrollment Underway
Health policy experts on Tuesday urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to boost staffing, noting that the government shutdown has only hindered services. This staffing shortage couldn’t have come at a worse time, as open enrollment for Medicare plans began earlier this month. (Anderson, 10/28)
In Medicaid and CHIP updates —
Modern Healthcare: Unite Us CEO Daniel Brillman Named Director Of Medicaid, CHIP
Daniel Brillman, former CEO and co-founder of Unite Us, has been named deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Services. In his new role, Brillman is tasked with overseeing major changes to Medicaid slated to roll out over the next several years, including a $1.1 trillion funding cut to the program and work requirements for recipients. Brillman succeeds Caprice Knapp, who was serving as acting director of Medicaid and CHIP. Knapp is now principal deputy director. (DeSilva, 10/28)
Stat: Bausch Health Exits Medicaid, 340B Programs. Will Other Drugmakers Follow?
In an unexpected move, Bausch Health recently stopped participating in Medicaid and a federal government drug discount scheme known as 340B, a step that suggests more drugmakers may rethink whether to provide their medicines to these widely used programs. (Silverman, 10/28)
More health industry developments —
Minnesota Public Radio: Inspire Change Clinic Brings Culturally Sensitive Care To Minneapolis
The warm autumn sun streamed through the large windows of the Inspire Change Clinic in Minneapolis. Inside, the atmosphere was filled with excitement, matching the brightness of the day. Dozens of community members, health care providers and state public health leaders gathered to celebrate the launch of a new neighborhood clinic focused on advancing health equity. (Zurek, 10/28)
Modern Healthcare: Samsung, HealthTap To Partner On Virtual Primary Care
Samsung doubled down on its strategy to connect wearable and clinical data, announcing a partnership with virtual care provider HealthTap on Tuesday. The partnership will bring HealthTap’s virtual urgent and primary care services onto the Samsung Health app, the companies said Tuesday. Samsung Health users will be able to book, conduct and follow up on virtual care consultations without leaving the app. Following the visit, patients will be able to review the clinician’s notes and instructions directly within the Samsung Health application. (Perna, 10/28)
Stat: UnitedHealth Shifts Strategy With Its Massive Physician Network
After assembling the largest collection of doctors in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group is switching strategies in an effort to improve its financial performance. The company plans to revamp its enterprise of 90,000 clinicians into one more heavily weighted toward employed physicians, rather than affiliated doctors, executives said on Tuesday. (Bannow, 10/28)
KFF Health News: So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What?
Last winter, Amber Wingler started getting a series of increasingly urgent messages from the local hospital in Columbia, Missouri, letting her know her family’s health care might soon be upended. MU Health Care, where most of her family’s doctors work, was mired in a contract dispute with Wingler’s health insurer, Anthem. The existing contract was set to expire. (Sable-Smith, 10/29)
KFF Health News: Doctor Tripped Up By $64K Bill For Ankle Surgery And Hospital Stay
Physician Lauren Hughes was heading to see patients at a clinic about 20 miles from her Denver home in February when another driver T-boned her Subaru, totaling it. She was taken by ambulance to the closest hospital, Platte Valley Hospital. A shaken Hughes was examined in the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with bruising, a deep cut on her knee, and a broken ankle. Physicians recommended immediate surgical repair, she said. (Appleby, 10/29)
In pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Eli Lilly, NVIDIA Partner On Pharma's Biggest AI Supercomputer
Eli Lilly announced a partnership with chipmaker NVIDIA on Tuesday to build what it claims will be the “most powerful supercomputer owned and operated by a pharmaceutical company.” Lilly’s technology investment is meant to help the drugmaker tap into the potential of artificial intelligence for drug discovery. (Trang, 10/28)
Bloomberg: Lilly Makes Billions Of Weight-Loss Pills Before US Approval
Eli Lilly & Co. has already produced billions of doses of its next-generation weight-loss pill, anticipating massive global demand ahead of a potential launch next year. “We’ve already made, actually, billions of doses preparing for the launch,” Chief Executive Officer Dave Ricks said Monday at an event hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago. “That will make this sort of the ‘GLP-1 for all,’ and I think really makes a difference in human health at a global level.” Lilly hasn’t yet submitted the pill, called orforglipron, to US regulators but expects to do so before the end of the year. (Muller, 10/28)
