Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In First Wave Of 2,000 Planned Layoffs, Johns Hopkins Will Cut 200 In May
The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins Plans More Than 200 Layoffs In May
Over 200 Johns Hopkins employees will be laid off in May, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification the university submitted Thursday. The Bloomberg School of Public Health and JHPIEGO, a nonprofit global health affiliate of the Baltimore institution, are primarily affected by the first batch of mass layoffs. JHPIEGO will experience 130 employee layoffs, while the school of public health will have 107. (Foster, 3/18)
More health industry developments —
Modern Healthcare: DispatchHealth To Acquire Medically Home
DispatchHealth Tuesday announced a definitive agreement to acquire Medically Home, which would create one of the nation’s largest providers of home-based healthcare services. The combined company would offer an array of home-based medical services, including urgent care, acute-level care and skilled nursing to patients in 50 metropolitan markets across 23 states and the District of Columbia, with approximately 2,200 employees. (Eastabrook, 3/18)
MedPage Today: Transplant Doc's Future In U.S. Uncertain Following Her Deportation To Lebanon
The fate of a Brown University kidney transplant specialist hangs in limbo after she was deported on Friday to Lebanon. Rasha Alawieh, MD, 34, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday after returning from a visit to that country, according to a petition filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by Alawieh's cousin, Yara Chehab. (Frieden, 3/18)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealthcare’s New CEO Reflects On Tragedy, Challenges In First Interview
Tim Noel knows his new job as UnitedHealthcare CEO isn’t going to be much like his predecessor’s role. Noel was promoted to the position previously held by Brian Thompson, who was killed in an early morning shooting in December on his way to a UnitedHealth investor conference in Manhattan. Thompson’s death prompted a social media outcry about health insurers denying care, causing Noel to look inward about his job and industry. (Tozzi and Koons, 3/18)
Stat: Street Psychiatrists: New Type Of Team Rises To Care For Vulnerable
When psychiatrist Liz Frye first encounters a potential patient, she knows she is entering the conversation at a disadvantage. She works with people who are unhoused and living on the streets — many who’ve likely had negative experiences with health care workers in the past. “It’s important for me to offer a different experience for the person sleeping outside and to recognize that they have no reason to trust me,” said Frye, who has been a street psychiatrist for 16 years, first in Atlanta and more recently, in Pittsburgh. She is also chair of the board of directors at the Street Medicine Institute. (Cueto and Empinado, 3/19)
On health care tech and AI —
CBS News: Immediate Access To Health Test Results Can Be A Mixed Bag For Patients
Patients can access their own health records — including test results — as soon as they're available. While it might sound beneficial, in some cases, people are receiving life-changing diagnoses before their doctors have a chance to speak with them. The accessibility is due to legislation that went into effect in 2021 called the 21st Century Cures Act. It is designed to give patients easier access to electronic health records and quicker access to medical innovations, but experts say it comes with an unintended side effect. (Hoffman, 3/18)
Modern Healthcare: Google Cloud, Quest Diagnostics Partner
Quest Diagnostics is adding generative artificial intelligence capabilities by partnering with Google’s cloud division. The national laboratory provider said in a news release Tuesday it will use Google Cloud’s technology to personalize experiences for its consumers. The two companies said Quest will explore using generative AI to offer physicians and patients insights into lab data. (Perna, 3/18)
Modern Healthcare: What's An AI Agent? Epic, Salesforce Are Ready To Show Providers
Digital health companies are moving quickly to launch a new type of artificial intelligence tool that can complete tasks faster than humans. A growing number of established vendors and startups are seeking to sell hospitals, health systems and payers on AI agents, which are specialized tools developed to help organizations complete time intensive functions more efficiently. Companies are developing AI agents to verify insurance benefits, share information to patients before a procedure and assist with prescription refills. (Turner, 3/18)
