Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Humana Plans Outpatient Prior Authorization Requirement Cuts
Modern Healthcare: Humana Cuts Some Prior Authorization, Launches Gold Card Program
Humana plans to cut one-third of its prior authorization requirements for outpatient services, continuing a trend of insurers reducing requirements. The insurer said in a news release Tuesday the cuts involve authorization requirements for diagnostic services including colonoscopies, transthoracic echocardiograms as well as select computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans. (DeSilva, 7/22)
More health industry developments —
Modern Healthcare: CHS To Sell Outpatient Lab Services To Labcorp For $195 Million
Community Health Systems signed a definitive agreement to sell its outpatient lab services to Labcorp for $195 million, the organizations announced Tuesday. The Franklin, Tennessee-based hospital chain plans to sell ambulatory lab services tied to CHS hospitals in 13 states. CHS and Labcorp said in a news release they expect the proposed all-cash transaction to close by the end of the year, pending customary regulatory approvals. (Kacik, 7/22)
CBS News: Former Aramark Employee At UI Health At Large After Shooting 2 People In Chicago Home, UIC Officials Say
A manhunt continued Tuesday night for a foodservice worker at UI Health who is at large after authorities said he threatened someone at the hospital with a gun the day before, got arrested and released, and then allegedly shot two people in a Chicago home. University of Illinois Chicago police beefed up security and alerted everyone on campus Tuesday out of fears that the former contracted Aramark foodservice employee, Glenn Rhymes, could return. Campus police said they know he brought a weapon to work, and now he is accused of getting more guns and shooting two others at the West Side home of a coworker. (Tenenbaum, Terry and Franza, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare: AI Implementation Outranks EHR Fixes For Physician Execs
Artificial intelligence has unseated electronic health records systems and clinician burnout as the topic to tackle. AI is the the top strategic priority of chief medical informatics officers and other tech-focused physician C-suite leaders at provider organizations, according to a recent survey by executive search firm WittKiefer and industry group the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems. Implementing AI outranked improving electronic health records system and addressing clinical burnout, according to the survey. (Perna and Broderick, 7/22)
In pharma and tech news —
Stat: Roche Halts Some Shipments Of Duchenne Therapy Outside U.S.
Roche is following its partner Sarepta Therapeutics and stopping shipments of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys in some countries, amid rising safety concerns surrounding the treatment, the Swiss pharma said Tuesday night. (Joseph, 7/23)
Stat: Sarepta Therapeutics' Elevidys Faces 'Arduous' Path Back To Market
Sarepta Therapeutics, the maker of a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy that is being temporarily shelved because of safety concerns, faces an “arduous and treacherous path” to try to get it back onto the market, a senior Food and Drug Administration official told STAT, suggesting the treatment’s license could be revoked. (Feuerstein and Mast, 7/22)
MedPage Today: 'Ozempic Teeth:' Another Effect Of GLP-1 Agonists?
Cases of "Ozempic mouth" and "Ozempic teeth" have recently been described in the news, with most of the problems -- inflammation affecting the gums, tooth decay, and even bad breath -- linked to a dry mouth. "All of the GLP-1 agonists that we use now cause changes in how everything is secreted in your GI tract," Ann Marie Defnet, MD, who specializes in obesity medicine and bariatric surgery at Northwell Health's North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City, told MedPage Today. And this "definitely has an impact on saliva." (Henderson, 7/22)
Modern Healthcare: Medline’s Craniotomy Kit Recall Labeled Class I By FDA
The Food and Drug Administration labeled Medline’s April recall of certain craniotomy kits as the most serious type. The kits in question are equipped with Integra LifeSciences’ 14 millimeter Codman disposable perforators, which have a defect that could cause them to come apart before, during or after a craniotomy procedure, according to a FDA notice issued Tuesday. The agency labeled the recall as Class I, meaning there is a reasonable chance that using the device will lead to serious health problems or death. (Dubinsky, 7/22)
