Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Ethical Issues Of Genome Sequencing; Poor Sleep; Care For Young Transgender Patients
Reuters: Genome Sequencing In Newborns Raises Ethical Issues
Screening newborns for health risks using genomic sequencing can raise ethical and equity questions, the authors of a new paper warn.Testing newborns for a handful of specific childhood conditions is already commonplace in the U.S. "Newborn screening is often done without parental permission and has been justified on the grounds that the direct benefits to the child greatly outweigh the harms," said Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago in Illinois, who co-authored the case study in Pediatrics. (11/13)
The New York Times: Poor Sleep May Be Bad For Your Heart
Poor sleepers may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Chinese researchers used data on 487,200 people ages 30 to 79, generally healthy at the start of the study. The participants reported on the frequency of three symptoms of poor sleep: difficulty falling or staying asleep, daytime sleepiness and early morning awakening. The study is in Neurology. (Bakalar, 11/11)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Trends In Referrals To A Pediatric Transgender Clinic
The increase in referrals supports the need for expanded and accessible health care services for this population. The transition-related care of patients in this large sample varied by age group, underscoring the need for an individualized approach to gender-affirming care. (Handler et al, 11/1)
JAMA Internal Medicine: Markups On Emergency Medicine And Anesthesiology Services In The United States From 2012 To 2016
Hospitals send surprise medical bills to patients who, often unknowingly, receive care from an out-of-network physician; these bills are typically several times the cost of care from an in-network physician and can be financially devastating. Prior research has shown that hospital charge master prices, specifically the “markups” greater than Medicare reimbursement rates in medical bills for out-of-network care, vary widely across hospitals and departments within hospitals. As of September 2019, the US Congress is considering several approaches to protect patients from surprise billing, including limiting the degree of markup. This cross-sectional study characterized markups from 2012 through 2016 and examined associations of markup with hospital characteristics by focusing on charges in 2 specialties common in surprise medical billing, emergency medicine and anesthesiology, using internal medicine as a reference. (Xu, 11/11)
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: Donor Government Funding For Family Planning In 2018
This report provides an analysis of donor government funding to address family planning in low- and middle-income countries in 2018, the latest year available, as well as trends over time. It is part of an effort by the Kaiser Family Foundation to track such funding that began after the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012. (Wexler, Kates and Lief, 11/11)
