Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report: UnitedHealth Paid Off Nursing Homes To Avoid Hospital Transfers
The Guardian: Revealed: UnitedHealth Secretly Paid Nursing Homes To Reduce Hospital Transfers
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents – part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, but at times risked residents’ health, a Guardian investigation has found. Those secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company’s own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance giant. (Joseph, 5/21)
Modern Healthcare: Sens. Durbin, Duckworth Question Prime Healthcare On Care Issues
Prime Healthcare has received a letter from Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) seeking answers about recent changes in care delivery at several of the system’s hospitals in the state. The Ontario, California-based system acquired the eight hospitals and other facilities from Ascension in March. The letter asks Prime Healthcare CEO Dr. Prem Reddy to respond to questions related to closed service lines across multiple facilities and a drop in trauma designation at one hospital. (DeSilva, 5/21)
Kansas City Star: KC-Based ScriptPro Announces Mass Layoffs Amid Trump Tariffs
One of Mission’s largest employers announced mass layoffs in the company last week, citing financial concerns and a “challenging environment” brought on by tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. ScriptPro, a pharmacy robotics and automation company, sent an email on May 16 to inform employees of the workforce reduction and offered people a voluntary separation package. (O'Connor, 5/21)
KFF Health News: Call Centers Replaced Many Doctors’ Receptionists. Now, AI Is Coming For Call Centers
At one call center in the Philippines, workers help Americans with diabetes or neurological conditions troubleshoot devices that monitor their health. Sometimes they get pressing calls: elderly patients who are alone and experiencing a medical emergency. “That’s not part of the job of our employees or our tech supports,” said Ruth Elio, an occupational nurse who supervised the center’s workers when she spoke with KFF Health News last year. “Still, they’re doing that because it is important.” (Tahir, 5/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Sanofi To Buy Vigil Neuroscience For About $470 Million
Sanofi said it entered an agreement to acquire Vigil Neuroscience for approximately $470 million, a deal that adds a new investigational treatment for Alzheimer’s disease to the French pharmaceutical company’s pipeline. The transaction would see Sanofi purchase all of Vigil’s outstanding shares for an upfront payment of $8 a share, the companies said Wednesday. Vigil’s shareholders would also receive the right to an additional $2 a share in cash, payable following the first commercial sale of the in-development Alzheimer’s disease treatment, if achieved within a set period. (Hart, 5/21)
In pharmaceutical news —
Modern Healthcare: Cigna's Evernorth Launches Wegovy, Zepbound Copayment Cap
Cigna is rolling out another weight-loss drug initiative to bolster access to the popular medications and tap more deeply into the booming market. The company's Evernorth Health Services subsidiary has launched a pharmacy benefit offering that caps monthly copayments for Wegovy and Zepbound, two blockbuster glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, or GLP-1s, at $200 and counts the spending toward toward annual deductibles, the company announced in a news release Wednesday. (Berryman, 5/21)
CIDRAP: New Cephalosporin Antibiotic For Staph Aureus Bacteremia Available In US
US drugmaker Innoviva Specialty Therapeutics announced today that the novel cephalosporin antibiotic Zevtera (ceftobiprole medocaril sodium for injection) is now commercially available in the United States. ... Company officials say Zevtera offers physicians a new option for treating challenging and potentially deadly infections. Approximately 100,000 cases of SAB occur every year in the United States, with nearly 20,000 deaths. The 90-day mortality rate is roughly 30%. (Dall, 5/21)
Axios: Axios Harris Poll 100: Pharmacy Reputations Drop
With thousands of their brick-and-mortar stores closing and online vendors proliferating, big pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens are seeing their reputations slide, according to the annual Axios Harris Poll 100. (Reed, 5/22)
Axios: Pharmacy Chains Eye Serving Corporations
As retail pharmacy giants like CVS Health and Walgreens look to find their footing, they could find opportunities customizing services to large employers instead of the mass consumer market. (Reed, 5/22)
