Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
You Can Now Ask Alexa Some Telehealth Questions
Modern Healthcare: Teladoc Telehealth Services Roll Out On Amazon's Alexa
Patients in the U.S. are now able to access some virtual healthcare services from Teladoc Health through Amazon's Alexa, the telehealth giant said Monday. The partnership with Purchase, New York-based Teladoc is the latest example of Amazon adding health services to its Alexa voice assistant, through which patients can acquire information about common medications, refill prescriptions and schedule visits with certain hospitals. (Kim Cohen, 2/28)
AP: Amazon's Voice Assistant Alexa To Start Seeking Doctor Help
If there is no doctor in the house, Amazon’s Alexa will soon be able to summon one. Amazon and telemedicine provider Teladoc Health are starting a voice-activated virtual care program that lets customers get medical help without picking up their phones. The service, for health issues that aren’t emergencies, will be available around the clock on Amazon’s Echo devices. Customers can tell the voice assistant Alexa that they want to talk to a doctor, and that will prompt a call back on the device from a Teladoc physician. (Murphy and D'Dinnocenzio, 2/28)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Sicker Patients Meant Higher Operating Income For Mayo Clinic
Sicker patients, who had to be hospitalized longer, drove Mayo Clinic's larger operating surplus last year, when compared with 2020's financial figures. The Rochester, Minnesota-based health system posted a 7.7% operating margin in calendar year 2021, which is higher than many of its not-for-profit peers. Mayo generated $1.2 billion in operating income on $15.7 billion in revenue last year—compared with $728 million on $13.8 billion in operating revenue in 2020, a 5.3% operating margin. (Bannow, 2/28)
Modern Healthcare: Study: Private Equity Linked To Higher Anesthesia Costs
Insurance companies are seeing significantly higher anesthesia bills from private equity-backed physician management companies than from practitioners who keep their staffing and management services in house, according to a study published Monday in JAMA. Researchers found physician management companies with private equity funding charged over 16.5% higher prices than those without. The study reviewed data from over 2.2 million privately insured patients at over 3,600 facilities who received anesthesia services from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2017. (Abrams, 2/28)
Modern Healthcare: ONC: 77% Of Info-Blocking Complaints Accuse Providers
The Health and Human Services Department has received nearly 300 complaints of healthcare entities allegedly blocking access to patient data since new regulations that required such information exchange went into effect last year, according to data released Monday. Beginning in April 2021, the first phase of a data-sharing rule from HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology went into effect, which requires healthcare providers, health information exchanges and developers of health IT certified by an ONC program to share data with patients and one another if requested, unless they meet one of eight exceptions. (Kim Cohen, 2/28)
CNBC: Why Health-Care Costs Are Rising In The U.S. More Than Anywhere Else
Health-care spending is rising around the world, but the U.S. is the worst performer. The United States accounts for more than 40% of all global health spending. Health-care spending made up 5% of total U.S. GDP in 1960. In 2020, spending hit almost 20% of total U.S. GDP. “Health care almost always outpaces inflation, and so health-care costs grow faster than the economy,” said Cynthia Cox, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “That’s why it’s representing a larger and larger share of the economy.” (Morabito, 2/28)
KHN: Biden’s Blanket Statement — ‘No More Surprise Billing’ — Doesn’t Quite Cover It
During a Feb. 10 speech about lowering health care costs, President Joe Biden made a sweeping declaration that Americans would no longer need to worry about surprise medical bills. “No more surprise billing. No more,” said Biden. “Millions of hardworking Americans will no longer have to worry about unexpected medical bills.” (Knight, 3/1)
Also —
The Boston Globe: Nurses Union Survives Vote To Remain At Saint Vincent Hospital After Bitter 9-Month Strike
Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester fought off an effort to oust their union from the hospital and voted overwhelmingly Monday to remain members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The decision is a victory for the union, which held a historic nine-month strike at Saint Vincent last year before winning a new labor contract. “The honor and integrity of our union is strong, as the Saint Vincent nurses have reaffirmed our right to maintain a powerful voice in our advocacy for our patients and our work life,” Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse and co-chair of the bargaining unit, said in a statement. “We now look forward to working with all our colleagues to truly begin the healing process and to build a positive future for Saint Vincent Hospital.” (Dayal McCluskey, 2/28)
Dallas Morning News: TCU Announces Site Of New Medical School In Fort Worth
Texas Christian University is opening a new campus in Fort Worth’s medical district for its School of Medicine.TCU originally launched the school in 2015 as a partnership with the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine. But the institutions split in January. The school will soon be located in the city’s Near Southside neighborhood and will house 240 medical students as well as hundreds of faculty and staff. It aims to drive economic development and biomedical advances through partnerships with hospitals, health care organizations and biotech industries, school officials said. (Olivares, 2/28)
