Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: How Did Basic Procedures Become Surgery?; Mental Health Apps Need An Update
The Washington Post: How Even The Most Minor Medical Procedures Can Be Billed As Surgery
The blizzard of surgeries-in-name-only is a symptom of a system that has long valued procedures far more than intellectual work in its payments to medical providers. That merits rethinking, and there are some hints that the incoming presidential administration might be interested in doing so. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 12/9)
Stat: Mental Health Apps Are Stuck In The '90s
The internet has transformed the ways we access mental health support. Today, anyone with a computer or smartphone can use digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) like Calm for insomnia, PTSD Coach for post-traumatic stress, and Sesame Street’s Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame for anxious kids. Given that most people facing mental illness don’t access professional help through traditional sources like therapists or psychiatrists, DMHIs’ promise to provide effective and trustworthy support globally and equitably is a big deal. (Benjamin Kaveladze, 12/9)
The New York Times: What Doctors Like Myself Know About Americans’ Health Care Anger
It’s critical for me as a physician to build trust with my patients by giving them clear answers. But the conversations we’re seeing now about health care remind me that insurance unknowns don’t just compromise the care I can deliver to my patients — they also undermine the fragile doctor-patient trust. It’s an unsustainable dynamic. (Helen Ouyang, 12/8)
The New York Times: The Tennessee Trans Treatment Case Is About Age, Not Sex
Perhaps the single most consequential and rigorous examination of the safety and efficacy of gender-affirming medical interventions is the Cass Review, a comprehensive survey by Dr. Hilary Cass of research on gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. Britain’s National Health Service commissioned the review to make recommendations on how to improve N.H.S. gender identity services and to make sure that children experiencing gender dysphoria experience a “high standard of care.” (David French, 12/8)
Kansas City Star: Congress, Americans Want FDA To Cover Alzheimer’s Medicines
When our newly elected members of Congress take office in January, they’ll confront long lists of competing priorities. Some may find it difficult to know where to start. But voters’ wishes are clear on at least one subject. According to a new poll, Americans overwhelmingly support policies that help patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (Neil Newhouse, 12/8)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Pushes Mental Illness Out Of Sight
Lisa Poppe’s sister is a dubious statistic. She’s among more than 3,000 mentally ill adults in Missouri who have spent more than 100 days in a nursing home in the past year. Poppe’s sister, Jill, isn’t elderly. She doesn’t have Alzheimer’s or dementia. She’s 50 and in a nursing home, with Medicaid picking up the expenses, because so many people in the state with mental disabilities or illness are being warehoused in nursing homes. (Tony Messenger, 12/8)
