Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Starting Next Year, Joint Commission Will ID Hospitals With High C-Section Rates
USA Today: US C-Section Rates Are High: The Joint Commission To Publicize Data
The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care, plans to start publicly reporting next year on hospitals with high cesarean section birth rates. “We are trying to identify hospitals that have high cesarean section rates as they work to improve,” said Dr. David Baker, executive vice president for Healthcare Quality Evaluation at TJC. “We want to encourage organizations to reduce their C-sections and encourage leaders to do that in a safe way.” (Rodriguez, 12/21)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Approves Rule To Encourage Value-Based Drug Pricing
CMS approved its plan to make it easier for private insurers, state Medicaid programs and prescription drug manufacturers to create value-based payment arrangements tied to clinical outcomes. The agency overhauled regulations that get in the way of those arrangements, with the goal of expanding access to new, high-cost drugs, including gene therapies. The rule allows private insurers to create value-based arrangements with pharmaceutical companies and drugmakers to report multiple best prices for specific value-based arrangements. Insurers and drugmakers can create bundled contracts, among other changes. (Brady, 12/21)
The New York Times: Don't Postpone Children's Health Care In The Pandemic
Last May, the American Academy of Pediatrics launched a campaign named #CallYourPediatrician. There were humorous visuals, to-do lists with “call pediatrician” right above “learn 3rd grade math,” informational graphics about safe visits in the time of Covid, and adorable videos (watch the baby panda getting his checkup). But there’s still concern out there that parents aren’t calling, that children aren’t getting looked at. And there are some pediatric concerns that just shouldn’t wait. (Klass, 12/21)
Modern Healthcare: Mayo Returns Almost Half Of Its COVID-19 Relief Grants
Mayo Clinic said Monday it has given back to the federal government nearly half of the COVID-19 stimulus grants it received because it recovered faster than expected. The Rochester, Minn.-based health system said it has returned $156 million of its $338 million worth of Provider Relief Fund grants, effective Dec. 21. The money was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act. (Bannow, 12/21)
Also —
Burlington Free Press: Should UVMMC Staff Have An Absolute Right To Opt Out On Religious Or Moral Grounds?
Should the staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center have an absolute right to opt out of procedures they object to on moral or religious grounds, such as abortion? The federal Department of Health and Human Services thinks they should. The hospital disagrees and now is the subject of a lawsuit by HHS in an effort to force it to change its policy. Dr. Stephen Leffler, president and chief executive officer of the medical center, says UVMMC staff do have the right to opt out — unless a patient's health and safety is at risk. Then, a staff member may be required to help out with a procedure he or she objects to. (D'Ambrosio, 12/22)
The Baltimore Sun: When History Is A Fable: Distorted Accounts Of The Lives Of Johns Hopkins And Other Famous Men Have Consequences, Historians Say
When Kobi Little was an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, he was curious to learn what events the school had planned to commemorate Black History Month. The possible subjects, he says, were many... The only event Little heard of that February in 1993 was a library exhibit about the Birneys, a white family that freed its slaves during the 19th century. (Pitts, 12/22)
