Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Opioid-Rehab Experiment: Alphabet Joins With Ohio Health Care Provider For Tech-Focused Approach
The Hill: Google Parent Company Looking To Partner On Opioid Rehab Campus In Ohio
Google parent company Alphabet is partnering with a local health care provider in Ohio to back a treatment facility for those affected by the opioid epidemic. Verily, an experimental health care spin-off from Alphabet, said in a blog post on Wednesday that it will help launch OneFifteen in Dayton, Ohio. The facility will take a tech-focused approach to treating individuals with substance-abuse disorders. (Samuels, 2/6)
Bloomberg: Alphabet Experimental Health Unit Verily Takes On Opioid Epidemic
The idea is to apply Verily’s data-centric approach to addiction, using analytics to improve care by gleaning insight over time from operational and clinical data. Samaritan Behavioral Health Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Health, will work with Verily to provide clinical care for the project. Kettering Health Network is also a partner. Verily’s plan to tackle mental health and addiction is but the latest of Alphabet’s forays into health care and life sciences. Through Verily and other branches of the company, Google parent Alphabet has explored eradicating mosquito-borne disease, artificial-intelligence applications for health care and the molecular mechanisms of aging. The company has hired former Geisinger Health Chief Executive Officer David Feinberg to oversee Google Health. (Brown, 2/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Where Will Drug Overdoses Hit Next? Twitter May Offer Clues
The battle against opioid abuse could have a new tool in its arsenal: Twitter. Research indicates that the site provides a quick, reliable snapshot of who’s using what drugs and where throughout the country. Traditional epidemiological studies, by contrast, can take years to yield information. (Ward, 2/6)
NPR: SSRIs Can Undercut Some Opioids' Effectiveness, Study Says
Antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management according to research findings published Wednesday. The researchers suggest physicians should consider alternative pain management strategies for patients on antidepressants. Opioids come in two broad varieties: those that act directly and others that have to be chemically processed by the body before they can begin to relieve pain. Direct-acting opioids, like morphine or oxycodone, can get right to work. (Lambert, 2/6)
Politico Pro: White House Drug Office Undergoes Major Reorganization
Newly confirmed drug czar Jim Carroll has ordered a major reorganization of the White House drug office, including reassigning top career policy staffers and spreading public health aides across other policy areas, multiple sources familiar with the plan told POLITICO. The shakeup at the Office of National Drug Control Policy comes just days after Carroll was sworn in as the Trump administration’s first permanent director of the office tasked with coordinating the federal response to the opioid epidemic and other drug crises. (Ehley, 2/6)
The Associated Press: Family Says Woman's Death Led To Accused Ohio Doc's Removal
An Ohio patient died minutes after she was given a "grossly excessive" dose of pain medication ordered by a doctor who was removed from patient care the following day and is now under investigation in connection with previous deaths, the patient's family and their lawyers said Wednesday. The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System removed intensive care doctor William Husel from patient care Nov. 21, the day after 82-year-old Melissa Penix died. He was fired two weeks later. (Franko, 2/6)
