Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Lessons On Cutting Health Care Costs, Changing The Opioid Crisis
Bloomberg: Bundled Health-Care Payments May Still Be A Way To Cut Costs
Important new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday showed that a promising experiment aimed at reducing health care costs through changes to the payment system delivered underwhelming early results. But there’s more to the story, and the research is exactly what should be happening as we transition away from fee-for-service payments. (Peter R. Orszag, 9/4)
Stat: Here Are 50 Ways The Senate Can Change The Course Of The Opioid Crisis
As overdose deaths from opioids and other drugs continue to rise — they are up almost 7 percent from the previous year — the U.S. Senate has a choice to make. It can change the course of this crisis or let the country continue to lag behind in addressing this public health emergency. (Devin Oller, 9/5)
Sacramento Bee: Free Play Is Great For Kids. Now Pediatricians Say So
Multiple studies have found that play builds social skills and creativity and develops the ability to solve problems and to collaborate. What is new is that a clinical report published in August by the American Academy of Pediatrics specifically calls on pediatricians and family doctors to start taking play, well, seriously – in fact to prescribe it for their small patients. (Karin Klein, 9/4)
The Washington Post: Genetic-Testing Technology Is Progressing Rapidly. The Rules Need To Keep Up.
The search for the so-called Golden State Killer — who allegedly raped dozens of women and killed at least 12 people in the 1970s and 1980s — had hit a dead end when investigators decided to test DNA evidence from a crime scene against genetic data on GEDmatch, a website of volunteered samples. Eventually, this technique helped investigators close one of the most notorious cold cases in recent history — but it also raised important questions about the privacy rights of customers. How and when should genetic testing companies share data with third parties such as researchers, websites or law enforcement officials? And do companies have an obligation to inform users that their information has been shared? (9/4)
Stat: All Study Participants Have A Right To Know Their Own Results
For less than $100 and a sample of spit, you can learn about your genes, your disease susceptibility, and your ethnic heritage. Wearable sensors report on your sleep patterns, your heart rate, and what air pollutants are nearby. With Detox Me Action Kit, a crowdsourced project my team recently launched, you can find out what common hormone-disrupting chemicals are in your body, including ingredients that manufacturers don’t have to disclose. Then there’s all the data in your medical record that you can now get hold of, thanks to changes in health laws. ...Yet for participants in most research studies, outdated ethical standards prevent them from learning anything at all about what was found in their blood, urine, or any other tissue they donated for research. (Julia G. Brody, 9/5)
Sun Sentinel: We Must Continue To Defend The Affordable Care Act
Modern American history can be measured at intervals by the historic deals that presidents have made with the American people. The Square Deal. The New Deal. And most important for us today, the Affordable Care Act, which promised and delivered on its guarantee that all Americans deserve the dignity and security of having access to affordable healthcare.Two weeks ago was the anniversary of the ACA's rescue. A steadfast coalition of Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans successfully defended our health care from those who would repeal the ACA without a sufficient plan for replacement. That’s very good news for residents of the Sunshine State who have taken advantage of improved access to healthcare. During the 2018 open enrollment period, 1.7 million Floridians enrolled in plans through the Florida exchange – more than any other state in the union. (Fla. State Rep. Shevrin D. Jones, 9/4)
The Washington Post: Mental Health Assessments Should Not Be Done By An Algorithm
While you might think that your mental health is known only to you, your health practitioner or those closest to you, you might be unwittingly revealing it to strangers online. A series of emojis, words, actions or even inactions can communicate how you feel at a given moment and when collected over time, comprise your “socionome” — a digital catalogue of your mental health that is similar to how your genome can provide a picture of your physical health. (Adam Hofmann, 9/4)
USA Today: Football Safety Not Scoring High Enough In Colleges And Schools
You can add the name Jordan McNair to the list of college, high school and middle school players who might have needlessly died for the love of football.A simple, well-known procedure — immersing McNair, 19, in a tub of ice water — when he collapsed at an off-season University of Maryland workout in May could well have saved his life. But it didn't happen. This failure drew national attention to how unprepared many football programs are to keep their players safe. (9/4)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Beyond The Cleveland Clinic's No. 2 Ranking Is Health Care's Growing Importance For NE Ohio
For the third year in a row, the Cleveland Clinic has been named the nation's No. 2 hospital in U.S. News & World Report rankings. Its numerical score -- based on 16 specialties and nine procedures and conditions -- considers such measures as patient safety and survival, the medical complexity of those treated, nursing staffing and, in certain specialties, reputational measures. ...The rankings underscore Cleveland's pre-eminence in medical care statewide, with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center -- home to Ohio's only women's hospital -- ranked the second best hospital in Ohio overall, and No. 6 nationally in neonatology. UH received the survey's highest ranking in eight of nine nationally rated procedures and conditions. (The Clinic got the highest ranking in all nine, including heart bypass surgery.) Why does this matter? There are nearly 12 billion local reasons, all with dollars attached. (9/4)
