Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital Costs Predicted To Rise 15% Due To Tariffs
Becker's Hospital Review: Hospital Finance, Supply Leaders Predict 15% Increase In Tariff-Related Costs
In a survey of 200 healthcare industry experts, 82% said they expect tariff-related import expenses to increase hospital and health system costs by 15% in the next six months. Black Book Market Research, a healthcare research and analysis firm, conducted the survey in late January — about a month before the U.S. enacted 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on items from China. (Twenter, 3/27)
More health industry news —
Health News Florida: Strong Opposition To Selling Tallahassee Memorial During Packed Commission Meeting
A discussion on the future of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s ownership and governance packed the city commission’s chambers Wednesday, with strong sentiment to keep the facility in local hands. During the meeting, in which about 20 citizens spoke, most commissioners agreed they want the hospital to remain locally owned. (McCarthy, 3/27)
Modern Healthcare: Penn Medicine, Doylestown Health To Merge April 1
The University of Pennsylvania Health System is set to acquire Doylestown Health Tuesday. The 245-bed Doylestown Hospital north of Philadelphia will be rebranded as Penn Medicine Doylestown Health, according to a news release. It will become Penn Medicine's seventh hospital. (Hudson, 3/27)
Modern Healthcare: Meet The Value-Based Care Consultants Coming To Health Systems
Growing interest in value-based care is prompting more health systems to hire consultants to smooth the transition from the traditional fee-for-service payment model. Fee-for-service reimbursement has reigned as the go-to way of delivering and paying for care. Value-based care is intended to produce better patient outcomes while controlling costs because it focuses on preventative care. (DeSilva, 3/27)
CIDRAP: COVID Impact Survey: New Doctors Less Likely To Opt For Rural Practice, More Likely To Report Poor Job Market
Newly graduated New York physicians' likelihood of practicing in rural areas, as well as their base salaries, declined amid the COVID-19 pandemic—especially for primary care doctors—which could constrain healthcare access in those areas. The findings come from a Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute–led study published in Medical Care. (Van Beusekom, 3/27)
KFF Health News: He Had Short-Term Health Insurance. His Colonoscopy Bill: $7,000
Tim Winard knew he needed to buy health insurance when he left his management job in manufacturing to launch his own business. It was the first time he had shopped around for coverage, searching for a plan that would cover him and his wife, who was also between jobs at the time. “We were so nervous about not being on a company-provided plan,” Winard said. (Appleby, 3/28)
KFF Health News: Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn’t healing properly. Katie Kriegshauser suffered organ failure during pregnancy, weakening her so much that she couldn’t lift her baby daughter. All went to physical therapy, but their health insurers stopped paying before any could walk without assistance. Paulo spent nearly $1,500 out of her own pocket for more sessions. (Rau, 3/28)
In pharma and tech news —
Stat: Wyden Claims Pfizer Used 'Colossal' Scheme To Avoid Paying Billions In Taxes
In what one U.S. lawmaker described as possibly the “largest tax-dodging scheme” by a pharmaceutical company in history, Pfizer sold $20 billion in medicines to U.S. customers six years ago, but did not report any profits from those sales on its 2019 tax returns because all of the income was supposedly earned offshore, according to an investigation by the Democratic staff of the Senate Finance Committee. (Silverman, 3/27)
Axios: New Chan Zuckerberg Biohub To Focus On Cells' Inner Workings
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is launching a biohub focused on developing new imaging technologies that allow scientists to study the inner workings of living cells. Next-generation imaging tools could give researchers a better understanding of the processes that govern cells, especially when they go awry due to disease. Those insights could be used to develop new treatments. (Snyder, 3/27)
Stat: Eli Lilly To Connect Patients To Telehealth Providers Of Alzheimer’s Care
For the last year, Eli Lilly has been rapidly expanding a new website that connects patients with telehealth providers specialized in certain conditions it also sells drugs for, such as diabetes, obesity, and migraines. It’s now adding on another, one that pushes the envelope of telemedicine: Alzheimer’s. (Chen and Palmer, 3/27)
Modern Healthcare: GE HealthCare Launches Flyrcado In Some US Markets
GE HealthCare announced Thursday the commercial launch of Flyrcado, its PET imaging agent that assesses blood flow to the heart muscle, in select U.S. markets. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted Flyrcado pass-through status starting April 1, allowing separate payments for the imaging agent and the PET/CT scan in hospital outpatient settings. (Dubinsky, 3/27)
The Boston Globe: Russian Scientist At Harvard Medical School Detained By ICE
A Russian scientist who works at Harvard University’s Medical School has spent the last six weeks in immigration detention and is facing possible deportation after undeclared frog embryo samples, which she was bringing back to her lab from France, were found in her luggage, her supervisor in the systems biology department told the Globe Thursday. Kseniia Petrova was returning from a two-week vacation in France, where she went to see a famed classical pianist perform, when she was detained at Logan International Airport in Boston on Feb. 16, Leonid Peshkin, a principal research scientist at Harvard, said in a phone interview. (Alanez, 3/27)
