Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Bankruptcies In 2023 Hit Highest Level In 5 Years
Healthcare company bankruptcies soared in 2023 to their highest level in the last five years, according to a report released Thursday by Gibbins Advisors. The advisory firm's report, which looked at Chapter 11 bankruptcy case filings from 2019 to 2023, found 79 healthcare companies with more than $10 million in liabilities filed for bankruptcy protection last year. Pharmaceutical and senior care companies made up nearly half of the list. The next-highest year for bankruptcies was 2019, when 51 companies filed for protection. (Hudson, 1/25)

A looming crisis for a Massachusetts health care system —

CBS News: Steward Health Care Owes Landlord, Vendors Millions As Hospital Closure Rumors Swirl
At least six active lawsuits claim Steward Health Care has not paid vendors for supplies and services in months, totaling over $7.5 million. Plus, the group's landlord, Medical Properties Trust, claims it's owed $50 million. In a news release, it said, "Steward is pursuing several strategic transactions, including the potential sale or re-tenanting of certain hospital operations as well as the divestiture of non-core operations." When WBZ reached out to Steward about hospitals closing, it denied any such closure plans. (Rex, 1/25)

The Boston Globe: Steward’s Medical Devices Were Repossessed. Weeks Later, A New Mother Died.
Sungida Rashid gave birth at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in October, and barely a day later she was bleeding to death. The 39-year-old’s heart had already stopped once. Medical teams revived her, but the clock was ticking. Doctors soon identified the problem: a bleed deep within her liver. In the operating room, caregivers had a plan to quickly treat it, but the staff there soon discovered something alarming — the embolism coil doctors could have used to stop the bleeding wasn’t available. Weeks prior, the hospital’s inventory of the devices had been repossessed, according to hospital staff. A company rep from the manufacturer, Penumbra, explained to staff that Steward Health Care, the parent company for St. Elizabeth’s, hadn’t paid the bill. (Bartlett, 1/25)

The Boston Globe: At The Only Active Hospital Left In Brockton, Patients Fear Steward Financial Crisis Could Spell More Trouble
Good Samaritan is one of nine Massachusetts hospitals owned by Steward Health Care, a for-profit system whose landlord recently revealed hasn’t been paying its full rent for months and would contemplate selling off hospitals nationally. Seventy percent of Steward patients are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and several of its Massachusetts locations are in underserved cities, raising fears that any closures could make access to care harder for the most vulnerable patients. (Coultoff, 1/5)

In related news —

The Wall Street Journal: It Is Going To Be A Bad Year (Or More) For The Medicare Business
America’s seniors are going to keep up their elevated use of the medical system throughout the year. That is the message from Humana’s earnings release on Thursday, which is sending stocks of insurance giants sliding. The health insurer plunged over 10% on Thursday morning while competitors UnitedHealth, CVS Health and Centene were all down sharply. All four companies have significant Medicare Advantage businesses that have been facing pressure from slowing growth and tougher scrutiny by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The higher costs, which Humana says it expects will affect the whole industry, are only the latest bit of bad news, one which raises questions about how insurers’ internal modeling could be so off. (Wainer, 1/25)

Modern Healthcare: Humana Plans Multiyear Cuts Amid Medicare Advantage Changes 
Humana plans to trim $700 million in administrative expenses after recording a disappointing fourth quarter and 2023, the company announced Thursday. The health insurer warned investors last week that medical costs exceeded expectations in 2023. On Thursday, the company disclosed that expenses were $3 billion more than anticipated. Quarterly and annual earnings didn't meet projections amid rising costs and disadvantageous Medicare Advantage policies. (Tepper, 1/25)

Stat: FTC Sues Over Novant Health Acquisition Of Two N.C. Hospitals
The federal government is suing to block a proposed hospital deal in North Carolina, alleging it would hand control of over 65% of the inpatient market in the region to a single provider. (Bannow, 1/25)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Rite Aid To Close 55 More Stores, Including 9 In Ohio 
The store closures just keep on coming for Rite Aid following the company’s bankruptcy filing in October 2023. Rite Aid initially announced it would close 154 stores, including four in Ohio, as part of its reorganization under federal bankruptcy protection. This month, Rite Aid announced it would close an additional 55 stores, including nine more in Ohio. Among those nine stores, eight are located in Northeast Ohio. (Mentz, 1/25)

AP: Walgreens To Pay $275,000 To Settle Allegations In Vermont About Pandemic Service 
Walgreens has agreed to pay a $275,000 fine to settle allegations that some of its Vermont stores temporarily closed without notice, had untenable working conditions for pharmacists and made medication and vaccination errors during the coronavirus pandemic, the secretary of state announced. The Vermont Board of Pharmacy approved the fine as part of the settlement between the state Office of Professional Regulation and the national pharmacy chain, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said Wednesday, calling it a “big win for Vermont consumers.” (1/25)

The Boston Globe: CVS Wants To Become A Medical Powerhouse. Will Long Lines And Understaffing Hold It Back?
The economics underpinning the company’s core retail business have been eroding. As a result, the company is paradoxically generating record revenues but much smaller profits. CVS has also acknowledged an “unprecedented” labor shortage among pharmacists and other staff, which has led to some customers complaining about longer lines, unanswered phones, and unclean stores. (Lee, 1/25)

Stat: Key Senate Panel Considers Medicare Bonuses For Hospitals That Prevent Drug Shortages
A key Senate committee is proposing that Medicare pay bonuses to hospitals that take measures to prevent drug shortages. It also wants to change the way doctors are paid to administer drugs in outpatient settings. (Wilkerson, 1/25)

Stat: Democrats Urge Government To Rein In Medicare Advantage Overpayments And Denials
The Biden administration is about to set the ground rules for next year’s Medicare Advantage plans, and two Democratic lawmakers want the government to aggressively change how those insurance plans operate. (Herman, 1/26)

From a Senate hearing on assisted living facilities —

The Hill: Assisted Living Facilities Fall Short When Caring For Aging US Population, Witnesses Tell Senators 
The American population is aging — by 2060, nearly one in four Americans will be 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Assisted living facilities are already inadequately prepared for the aging population, witnesses told a Senate panel during a Thursday hearing. Patricia Vessenmeyer, who testified at the hearing, assisted her husband, John Whitney, during his journey living with dementia after he was diagnosed in 2013. Doctors diagnosed Whitney with dementia with Lewy bodies, causing him to act t violently during dreams.  (Vickers, 1/25)

KFF Health News: Senate Probes The Cost Of Assisted Living And Its Burden On American Families 
A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of the long-term care facilities. The federal government has minimal oversight of assisted living, which is regulated by states, unlike skilled nursing homes. Both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Special Committee on Aging said their inquiry aimed to detail the financial practices and quality levels in the industry so that consumers would be better able to choose facilities. Lawmakers expressed little appetite for Congress to take a more direct role in regulating the sector, such as by setting federal standards for staffing levels and how workers are trained. (Rau, 1/25)

Lawmakers also wrestle with drug prices, genetic information gathering, nicotine, and other issues —

Stat: Merck CEO Won’t Testify In Senate, Citing No Expertise In Drug Prices
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday jabbed the CEO of Merck for telling congressional staff that he didn’t have the expertise to testify at a Senate hearing on prescription drug prices because he’s a tax attorney. (Cohrs, 1/25)

NBC News: Congress Wants To Ban China's Largest Genomics Firm From Doing Business In The U.S. Here's Why
Bipartisan legislation was introduced in both houses of Congress Thursday that would effectively ban China’s largest genomics company from doing business in the U.S., after years of warnings from intelligence officials that Beijing is gathering genetic information about Americans and others in ways that could harm national security. The bills, backed by leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the Senate Homeland Security Committee, target BGI, formerly known as Beijing Genomics Institute, which in 2021 was blacklisted by the Pentagon as a Chinese military company. (Dilanian, 1/25)

Stat: Zyn Nicotine Pouches Become Unlikely Player In Latest Culture War
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants the federal government to investigate Zyn nicotine pouches. Schumer is no stranger to calling for crackdowns on popular products — he’s done similar with Four Loko and Logan Paul’s line of energy drinks. The problem for Schumer this time around is that many users of Zyn are very passionate, and very, very online. (Florko, 1/25)

The 19th: Trans Veterans File Lawsuit Over Access To Gender-Affirming Surgeries
It’s been three years since President Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. Months later, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the agency would provide gender-confirmation surgery. But that change has not happened, so the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the VA over its failure to act. (Padilla, 1/25)

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: Health Enters The Presidential Race 
Based on the results of the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, it appears more likely than ever before that the 2024 presidential election will be a rerun of 2020: Joe Biden versus Donald Trump. And health is shaping up to be a key issue. Trump is vowing — again — to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which is even more popular than it was when Republicans failed to muster the congressional votes to kill it in 2017. Biden is doubling down on support for contraception and abortion rights. (1/25)

Rolling Stone: Big Pharma Is Fueling Republicans' Radical MAGA Agenda For 2025
Big Pharma has invested big money in the organizations planning what a MAGA policy agenda will look like in a new Trump administration. Not surprisingly, that policy playbook contains a major gift for the drug industry: a swift end to the Biden administration’s landmark program to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. (Dickinson and Perez, 1/25)

Politico: First Tech Platform Breaks Ranks To Support Kids Online Safety Bill 
The owner of Snapchat is backing a bill meant to bolster online protections for children on social media, the first company to publicly split from its trade shop days before the company’s CEO prepares to testify on Capitol Hill. A Snap spokesperson told POLITICO about the company’s support of Kids Online Safety Act. The popular messaging service’s position breaks ranks with its trade group NetChoice, which has opposed KOSA. The bill directs platforms to prevent the recommendation of harmful content to children, like posts on eating disorders or suicide. (Kern, 1/25)

More news about children's mental health —

CNN: Teen Suicide: Study Identifies Behavioral Risk Factor 
If your teen’s opting out of the school football game or shopping with friends, chalking it up to teen angst can be easy. But you should pay more attention since social withdrawal could signal something deeper is going on, a new study has found. Being socially withdrawn and experiencing physical discomforts as a preteen is associated with a higher risk of having suicidal thoughts at age 16, according to the study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open. (Rogers, 1/25)

Fox News: Mental Health May Be Worse In Teens From Large Families, Study Suggests: 'Fewer Resources'
Researchers from The Ohio State University found that teens with a greater number of siblings reported poorer mental health than those who came from smaller families. "The association between the number of siblings and mental health was negative in two large datasets in different countries (U.S. and China)," Doug Downey, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, told Fox News Digital. (Rudy, 1/25)

Grist: How Climate Disasters Hurt Mental Health In Young People
After a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other disaster strikes, a great tallying commences: the number of people injured and killed; buildings damaged and destroyed; acres of land burned, inundated, or contaminated. Every death is recorded, every insured home assessed, the damage to every road and bridge calculated in dollars lost. When the emergency recedes, the insurance companies settle their claims, and the federal government doles out its grants, communities are expected to rebuild. But the accounting misses a crucial piece of the aftermath: Worsening disasters are leaving invisible mental health crises in their wake. (Teirstein, 1/25)

Myjournalcourier.com: Mental Health Screenings For Teens Mandatory Under New State Law
Beginning next school year, Illinois students in seventh through 12th grades will undergo a mental health evaluation. Annual mental health screenings will be required of the students under the state Wellness Checks in Schools Programs Act, which establishes a collective to help schools identify students at risk of mental health conditions. (Singson, 1/24)

On school shootings —

AP: Michigan School Shooter's Mom Is At Fault For Deaths, Prosecutor Says
A school shooting that killed four students in Michigan could have been prevented if the mother of the armed teen had removed him after seeing his violent drawings that same day, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday in an uncommon trial about parental responsibility. Jennifer Crumbley is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 30, 2021, attack at Oxford High School. Prosecutors say she and husband James Crumbley were grossly negligent and that their son’s actions were foreseeable. Jennifer Crumbley was aware of Ethan Crumbley’s deteriorating mental health and social isolation and knew that a gun drawn on a math assignment resembled the one that he had used with her at a shooting range, assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said. (White, 1/25)

Also —

CBS News: Bill That Would Legalize Medically Assisted Suicide Debated At Minnesota Capitol 
A bill that would legalize assisted suicide in Minnesota may have the momentum to pass this upcoming session. The bill was heard and debated on Thursday by the health committee, and it would make the assisted suicide option available only for patients 18 and over who are terminally ill with a prognosis of six months to live or less. The patient must also be mentally fit. The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Mike Freiberg, said he's confident the bill has the votes to pass from the DFL-led legislature. (Kaplan, 1/25)

NBC News: 81-Year-Old Woman With A Knife Suffering A Mental Health Episode Is Fatally Shot By Florida Deputy
A Florida deputy fatally shot an 81-year-old woman suffering from a mental health episode after she lunged at him with a knife, authorities said. Authorities were called to the Rails End Mobile Home Park in Wildwood, about 52 miles northwest of Orlando, just after 11 p.m. Monday "in reference to a female who was in distress and having a mental episode," the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. (Burke, 1/25)

Fox News: Depression Could Be 'Zapped' Away With Brain Stimulation, New Study Suggests: ‘Better Quality Of Life’ 
For those with severe depression, relief could soon be just an MRI away. In a major clinical trial, researchers from the University of Nottingham in the U.K. applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the brains of 255 patients with treatment-resistant depression over a total of 20 sessions. The patients reported "substantial improvements" in their symptoms and quality of life for at least six months after the procedure, according to a press release from the university. More than two-thirds of participants responded to the treatment, with a third showing 50% improvement in symptoms. (Rudy, 1/25) 

Medical Xpress: Kiwifruit Can Quickly Improve Mental Health, Suggests Study
Kiwifruit has proven itself as a powerful mood booster and new research from the University of Otago has shown just how fast its effects can be. In a study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found the furry fruit improved vitality and mood in as little as four days. (1/25)

If you need help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

CIDRAP: CDC Alerts Healthcare Providers About Measles Cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today urged healthcare providers to be alert for patients who have fever and rashes and have traveled abroad, following reports of 23 measles cases since December 1, 2023. "The increased number of measles importations seen in recent weeks is reflective of a rise in global measles cases and a growing global threat from the disease," the CDC said in an email. (Schnirring, 1/25)

NBC News: As Measles Spreads In England, Health Authorities Warn The Outbreak Could Snowball
The U.K. Health Security Agency said Friday that since October, there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases in the West Midlands region, an urban part of England centered on the city of Birmingham, where around 80% of the cases were recorded. That’s higher than last year’s total of 209 measles cases and the 2022 tally of 53. Last year, the government warned that a measles outbreak in London could lead to between 40,000 and 160,000 cases there if the vaccination rate did not improve. (Smith and Bendix, 1/25)

In covid news —

NBC News: Covid In Pregnancy Can Cause Health Issues In Babies, Studies Suggest
Just over four years since Covid emerged, it has become increasingly clear that infections in pregnant mothers can lead to serious health risks in infants. The latest finding: Babies born to mothers who had Covid during pregnancy had "unusually high rates" of respiratory distress at birth or shortly thereafter, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications. (Bendix, 1/25)

Los Angeles Times: Why High-Risk Patients Aren't Getting Anti-COVID Drugs  
As the toll from the COVID-19 pandemic continued to mount, antiviral medications such as Paxlovid were hailed by health officials as an important way to reduce the risk of severe illness or death. Yet the drugs have remained underused, studies have found. In Boston, a group of researchers wanted to know why — and what could be done about it. Their new findings, published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest that some vulnerable patients were not offered the prescription medicines at all, and that doctors need more education to make sure the drugs get to patients who could benefit. (Alpert Reyes, 1/25)

CIDRAP: Closing Toilet Lid Before Flushing Doesn't Keep Viral Spray Inside, Study Suggests 
Contrary to previous study findings, closing the toilet lid before flushing doesn't stop aerosolized viruses from contaminating bathroom surfaces, scientists from the University of Arizona and Reckitt Benckiser LLC, the company that makes the disinfectant used in the study, report in the American Journal of Infection Control. The researchers added a bacteriophage (virus that targets and kills bacteria) to household and public toilet bowls as a proxy for human intestinal viruses. After they flushed the toilets (with the lid open or closed in case of the household toilets), they measured viral contamination of the toilet and bathroom floor and walls. (Van Beusekom, 1/25)

The Washington Post: The Library Of Congress Has Created A Portal To Record Covid Stories. 
The Library of Congress and StoryCorps announced this week that they have created a website for people to record for posterity their experiences with the covid-19 pandemic. Stories, or interviews with others who were touched by the pandemic, can be recorded online. They will be preserved in the Library’s American Folklife Center and made accessible at archive.StoryCorps.org. (Ruane, 1/25)

On wastewater testing —

Stateline.org: Wastewater Tests Show COVID Infections Surging
Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February. (Henderson, 1/25)

Stat: To Bolster Infectious Disease Surveillance, Genomics Powerhouses Team Up
Two research centers that have been at the forefront of following the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus — one in the U.K. and one in South Africa — have teamed up on a partnership that they say will expand their efforts to track emerging disease threats around the world. (Joseph, 1/25)

Houston Chronicle: Abbott's Vow To 'Eliminate Rape' Draws Fresh Scrutiny After New Study
Gov. Greg Abbott’s vow that Texas would work to “eliminate rape” has drawn renewed attention after a newly published study estimated more than 26,000 rape-related pregnancies in Texas in the 16 months since the state outlawed abortion. The governor’s comments came days after a 2021 Texas law took effect banning abortion starting around six weeks of pregnancy, when many people do not yet know they are pregnant. Asked about the bill’s lack of exceptions for rape, Abbott said Texas “will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets,” stating that “goal No. 1 in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape.” (Scherer, Harris, and Goldenstein, 1/25)

Houston Chronicle: How Researchers Estimated Rape-Related Pregnancies In Texas Post-Roe
Law enforcement databases are notoriously unreliable when it comes to capturing the true number of sexual assaults in the U.S. That’s why researchers relied primarily on public health estimates for a new study that roughly calculated the number of rapes and rape-related pregnancies in Texas and 13 other states that banned virtually all abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The study found that Texas, which does not have an exception for rape in its abortion laws, had an estimated 26,313 rape-related pregnancies during the 16 months after its ban was in effect. (Gill, 1/25)

In abortion updates —

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Bill Says Medical Providers Could Refuse To Provide Any Services That Violate Their Beliefs
Medical providers could refuse to perform any health service that violates the provider’s ethical, moral or religious beliefs under a bill that advanced Wednesday in the Iowa Senate. Federal and state regulations already say doctors cannot be required to provide abortions. The Republican-backed bill in the Iowa Senate would let providers, pharmacists, hospitals and insurance companies opt out of participating in, referring patients to, or paying for any health care services they find objectionable. (Sostaric, 1/25)

Missouri Independent: Missouri Republicans Push Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood
After years of court losses and legislative stalemates, Republicans and anti-abortion advocates in Missouri are once again trying to block Planned Parenthood from receiving money through Medicaid. A Senate committee debated legislation Wednesday that would change Missouri law to make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid program. (Spoerre, 1/26)

The Washington Post: Tennessee’s Abortion Ban Turned A Grieving Allie Phillips Into A Candidate
Framed ultrasounds hang next to Allie Philips’s mantel, a shrine to the child she never had: delicate silver necklaces and receiving blankets embroidered with the name Miley Rose, beside a tiny pink urn containing fetal ashes. It’s here, by the fireplace, where Phillips runs her in-home day care, greets her mechanic husband at the end of his workday and watches their daughter play with the family’s pit bull rescue. It’s also here where she’s coordinating her campaign for state legislature, motivated by the trauma of seeking an abortion while pregnant with Miley Rose. (Hennessy-Fiske, 1/25)

AP: New Jersey Already Protects Abortion Rights. Now Democrats Want To Cover Out-Of-Pocket Costs, Too 
Dawn Ericksen was struggling with an opioid addiction a dozen years ago when she got pregnant and realized she couldn’t keep herself safe, much less a baby. Working part-time, she couldn’t afford the hundreds of dollars she would need for an abortion and had to turn to a trusted friend to help cover the costs. Ericksen, a 43-year-old attorney from southern New Jersey who has been sober for 10 years, is now speaking out about her experience because she thinks women’s voices need to be heard. (Catalini, 1/25)

The Washington Post: What Biden’s Latest Actions On Reproductive Health Mean 
Some patients and providers say they continue to encounter barriers to care since the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to strike down Roe and overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Here’s what the administration’s steps would mean for consumers. Most employer and individual health plans must cover contraceptives approved or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration without asking patients to pay out-of-pocket costs. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter to health insurers reminding them to provide contraceptives at no cost. (Malhi and Diamond, 1/25)

On fertility —

Axios: Men's Age Has Long Been Overlooked In Fertility
While the burden of undergoing fertility treatment typically has fallen on women, there's growing recognition of infertility in men — especially as people are putting off having kids until later in life. Emerging data suggests that the count and quality of sperm decreases with age and can be impacted by other health factors. (Mallenbaum, 1/26)

Axios: Tech Firms Court Growing Demand For Male Fertility Services
Growing awareness about male infertility and shifting cultural attitudes are fueling demand among tech startups offering men at-home fertility services. Fertility care has historically been marketed toward women, but male fertility is a growing business amid mainstream alarm over falling sperm counts and interest in what screenings may indicate about a man's overall health. (Reed, 1/26)

Stat: Cardiologists Urge Adding Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity To Health Records
There are more openly LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. than ever, but little is known about the unique health challenges they may face. That’s why some researchers are urging health systems to build the acronym SOGIE — for patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity and expression — into their data collection. (Gaffney, 1/26)

More health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Data Transparency Sought By CMS 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants public input to guide possible future regulations to mandate greater transparency from Medicare Advantage plans, according to a request for information issued Thursday. The agency has sought to shed more light on Medicare Advantage operations and finances in recent years and required insurers to reveal information in areas such as medical loss ratio calculations, prior authorization processes, supplemental benefits and health equity. (Bennett, 1/25)

Modern Healthcare: How Epic Is Growing Beyond The Hospital EHR Market  
Electronic health record company Epic is amping up efforts to expand its customer base beyond health systems with a focus on payers, telehealth and life science companies. The company’s strategy to move beyond hospital EHRs came into focus on Jan. 17 when it launched Showroom, a website for customers to learn about products and services that work within its EHR. Within Showroom, Epic is promoting a feature called Health Grid to help non-health system customers collaborate with its legacy health system customers. (Turner, 1/25)

Modern Healthcare: CVS Health, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Launch ACO 
CVS Health and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are partnering on an accountable care organization, they announced Thursday. CVS Accountable Care and the Columbus-based academic medical center launched a Medicare Shared Savings Program enhanced track ACO on Jan. 1. They expect the ACO initially will reach 12,500 Medicare beneficiaries receiving care at the health system. (Berryman, 1/25)

KFF Health News: Ouch. That ‘Free’ Annual Checkup Might Cost You. Here’s Why
When Kristy Uddin, 49, went in for her annual mammogram in Washington state last year, she assumed she would not incur a bill because the test is one of the many preventive measures guaranteed to be free to patients under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The ACA’s provision made medical and economic sense, encouraging Americans to use screening tools that could nip medical problems in the bud and keep patients healthy. So when a bill for $236 arrived, Uddin — an occupational therapist familiar with the health care industry’s workings — complained to her insurer and the hospital. She even requested an independent review. (Rosenthal, 1/26)

NBC News: The U.S. Just Sold Its Helium Stockpile. Here’s Why The Medical World Is Worried
On Thursday, the U.S. government sold the Federal Helium Reserve, a massive underground stockpile based in Amarillo, Texas, that supplies up to 30% of the country’s helium. Once the deal is finalized, the buyer — which will likely be the highest bidder, the industrial gas company Messer — will claim some 425 miles of pipelines spanning Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, plus about 1 billion cubic feet of the only element on Earth cold enough to make an MRI machine work. ... Hospital supply chain experts worry the sale could have serious consequences for health care down the road. (Hopkins, 1/25)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Miami Herald: Are You Ordering Medications Online From Canada, Mexico, Other Countries? What To Know 
Finding a good deal on medication can be difficult. Even with insurance, prescription medicines can be pricey. Bargain hunters might search for cheaper prices online, but not every Internet pharmacy is legitimate. Sometimes, people turn to Canada, Mexico and other countries for cheaper drug prices. (Marchante, 1/25)

CIDRAP: Antibiotics And Reflux Drugs, When Combined, Linked To Increased C Diff Risk
A population-based study in Sweden found that recent use of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)—drugs often used to relieve acid reflux—was associated with increased risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), particularly when used in combination, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. (Dall, 1/25)

Also —

Reuters: Lilly's Mounjaro Dose In Limited Availability In US Through Next Month 
A dose of Eli Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro has limited availability through February 2024, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website, due to an increase in demand. The health regulator's website showed the 12.5 milligram dose of the injection will be available in limited amounts, while other doses of Mounjaro are available. (1/25)

Bloomberg: Zepbound Vs. Wegovy: The Race To Corner The Weight-Loss Drug Market
The multi-billion dollar weight-loss drug market has ballooned in the past few years. And the two pharmaceutical companies currently duking it out for market dominance, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, have a century-long rivalry. In today’s episode, Bloomberg News health reporter Madison Muller breaks down how Eli Lilly developed Zepbound, a new drug that can help patients cut more than 20% of their body weight — and why some investors and analysts say it could turn Eli Lilly into the first ever trillion-dollar drug company. (Fox and Holder, 1/25)

Bloomberg: Zepbound: How Eli Lilly’s Lucky Break Fueled A $600B Weight-Loss Empire
If only Eli Lilly & Co. had listened to Richard DiMarchi, it could have been first to the $80 billion weight-loss drug market. Three decades ago, DiMarchi was working as a scientist at the Indianapolis-based drugmaker, studying a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. In a small trial, he showed that an infusion of the hormone caused weight loss in humans. The finding was so promising that he and a collaborator filed a patent. All Lilly had to do was create a product using the technology and it’d have exclusive rights to sell it for weight management for at least a decade. (Muller, 1/26)

Stat: HPV Vaccine, Cervical Cancer Study Delivers Historic Results 
A historic new study out of Scotland shows the real-world impact of vaccines against the human papillomavirus: The country has detected no cases of cervical cancer in women born between 1988-1996 who were fully vaccinated against HPV between the ages of 12 and 13. (Merelli, 1/25)

Axios: Cervical Cancer Deaths Rise Among Low-Income Americans
Women in low-income regions of the U.S. are experiencing significantly more cases and deaths from cervical cancer despite an overall decline of the disease, according to a new study in the International Journal of Cancer. (Reed, 1/26)

Boston Globe: Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Could Be Helped By AI
Limor Appelbaum has seen too many patients whose first sign of a fatal illness came too late. Often it’s yellowed eyes from jaundice, caused by a cancerous tumor on the pancreas that has grown so large it presses against the bile duct system. By this point, little can be done. “All we can really offer them is something that can prolong life by a few months,” and comfort care, said Appelbaum, a staff scientist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (Freyer, 1/25)

In other health and wellness news —

AP: Report Finds 93 US Deaths After Cosmetic Surgery In Dominican Republic Since 2009 
U.S. health officials say 93 Americans have died after cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic since 2009, with many of the recent deaths involving a procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift. The operation has grown in popularity recently and has led to deaths in other countries as well, including the U.S. A report issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could not say how common these deaths are or whether they are more common in the Dominican Republic. The report suggests steps that medical tourists should consider before traveling to get work done. (Stobbe, 1/25)

CNN: People Who Mostly Sit At Work Have A 16% Higher Risk Of Mortality, Study Says 
Tired of sitting at that desk all day long? Turns out it’s not good for your health, either, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. People who predominantly sit at work have a 16% higher risk of mortality from all causes, and a 34% higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease. To counteract the increased risk, individuals who sit a lot at work would have to engage in an additional 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day to reduce their risk to that of individuals who do not predominantly sit, researchers estimated. (Hetter, 1/25)

The Washington Post: How Just A Little Exercise Increases Brain Volume And May Help Preserve Your Memory 
Exercising for 25 minutes a week, or less than four minutes a day, could help to bulk up our brains and improve our ability to think as we grow older. A new study, which involved scanning the brains of more than 10,000 healthy men and women from ages 18 to 97, found that those who walked, swam, cycled or otherwise worked out moderately for 25 minutes a week had bigger brains than those who didn’t, whatever their ages. (Reynolds, 1/24)

KFF Health News: Prescribing Love: Send Us Your Health Policy Valentines 
There may be a bitter chill in the air, but we’re glad we have our loyal readers to warm our hearts. We want your sweetest “Health Policy Valentines.” Submissions will be judged by an esteemed panel of experts. We’ll share favorites on our social media channels, and tenderhearted members of our staff will pick the winners, announced on Wednesday, Feb. 14. (1/26)

AP: Alabama Execution Using Nitrogen Gas, The First Ever, Again Puts US At Front Of Death Penalty Debate
A man who was paid $1,000 to kill an Alabama woman more than 30 years ago was put to death with pure nitrogen gas, a first-of-its-kind execution that again placed the U.S. at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment. Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, appeared to shake and convulse at the start before being pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. Thursday at an Alabama prison after breathing the gas through a face mask to cause oxygen deprivation. It marked the first time a new execution method was used in the United States since 1982, when lethal injection was introduced and later became the most common method. Smith appeared conscious for several minutes into the procedure. For at least two minutes, Smith made seizure-like movements on the gurney that sometimes had him pulling against the restraints. That was followed by several minutes of labored breathing. He was pronounced dead after 22 minutes. (Chandler, 1/26)

The New York Times: What To Know About The Execution Of Kenneth Smith In Alabama 
The method, known as nitrogen hypoxia, has been used in assisted suicides in Europe. Mr. Smith was fitted with a mask and administered a flow of nitrogen gas, effectively depriving him of oxygen until he dies. Lawyers for the state argued that death by nitrogen hypoxia is painless, with unconsciousness occurring in a matter of seconds, followed by stoppage of the heart. They also noted that Mr. Smith and his lawyers themselves identified the method as preferable to the troubled practice of lethal injection in the state. (Betts and Bogel-Burroughs, 1/25)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

CBS News: Syphilis Cases Up 244% In Minnesota In Last Decade, Health Department Says
The Minnesota Department of Health says 29 babies were born with congenital syphilis last year — the highest number in more than 40 years. Overall cases of syphilis are up 244% in Minnesota in the last decade. Among women, early syphilis cases have increased by over 1,800%, according to MDH. Syphilis is usually spread through sexual contact. Congenital syphilis occurs when someone passes their infection on to their fetus during pregnancy, which can cause severe complications such as miscarriages, stillbirths, premature birth and brain or nerve problems. (Moser, 1/25)

The Boston Globe: Panel Calls For Review Of Dana-Farber/Beth Israel Partnership
The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission on Thursday called for additional review of a planned partnership between the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Lahey Health, keeping the affiliation and a proposed 300-bed hospital on ice for now. By a unanimous voice vote, the panel chose to proceed with a cost and market impact review for the planned Dana-Farber/Beth Israel collaboration and the cancer institute’s split with its longtime partner in clinical care, Brigham & Women’s Hospital. (Fox, 1/25)

The Washington Post: D.C. Paramedics To Begin Blood Transfusions
Trauma victims will soon be able to receive blood transfusions from D.C. paramedics before they reach the hospital, which officials estimate could help as many as 400 patients a year, including those suffering from gunshot and stab wounds. As the American Red Cross faces an emergency blood shortage and a 20-year low in donors, pressure is on D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services leaders to strategically deploy blood to ensure zero waste. (Portnoy, 1/25)

Stat: Illinois Sued By Generic Group Over A Price-Gouging Law
The trade group for generic drug companies in the U.S. has filed a lawsuit alleging a new Illinois law that is designed to prevent price gouging is unconstitutional, the latest effort to push back against states attempting to lower the cost of medicines. (Silverman, 1/25)

Reuters: West Virginia County, City Push To Revive Opioid Claims Against Distributors 
A West Virginia city and county urged a federal appeals court on Thursday to revive their $2.5 billion lawsuit accusing the nation's three largest drug distributors of causing an opioid epidemic by flooding them with pills. David Frederick, a lawyer for Huntington and Cabell County, the county the city is located in, told a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a federal judge misunderstood the law when he rejected the lawsuit in 2022, following a non-jury trial. (Pierson, 1/25)

St. Louis Public Radio: Affinia Receives HHS Grant To Provide Health Education To Afghans
People who resettled in the region from Afghanistan can receive health and wellness services through a federal grant awarded to Affinia Healthcare. The St. Louis-area federally qualified health center received $388,437 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will be administered through the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a refugee resettlement organization. (Henderson, 1/25)

KFF Health News: A Record Number Of Californians Are Visiting Emergency Rooms For Dog Bites 
Those pandemic puppies are growing up to be a public health concern. The latest California data shows increased rates of emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths from dog bites, with new records set after covid lockdowns. In 2022, there were 48,596 ER visits for dog bites in California, or 125 visits per 100,000 residents, a 70% increase in the rate of visits from 2005, according to the state Department of Health Care Access and Information. (Reese, 1/26)

The New York Times: It’s Boom Times for Obamacare. Will They Last?
Carley Calvi came to the second floor of a public library in suburban Milwaukee one morning this month without health insurance to cover the vertigo medication she needed. Worse, she said, was not having a doctor she trusted. “I want somebody to value me as the person I am,” said Ms. Calvi, a 35-year-old woodworker. With roughly 110 options and the help of a health insurance navigator, she selected a plan with a steeply discounted $221 monthly premium, placing her among the 21.3 million people who have signed up for coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces for 2024. The sign-up total, announced by the Biden administration on Wednesday, set a record for the third year in a row and amounted to almost double the number of sign-ups from 2020. (Weiland, 1/25)

The Washington Post: Daughter Saves Her Mother’s Life With Organ Donations — Twice
When Julia Harlin found out her liver was failing, she sat her five children down and told them not to donate their own organs to her. She didn’t want them to go through the stress of testing and surgery. But daughter Eileen Harlin went behind her back and got tested anyway. She found out she was a match, and she broke the news to her mother on Mother’s Day 2022. “She told me, ‘Mom, you’re going to be mad at me, but for the last four months, I’ve been having all the tests done, and I’m going to be your donor,” recalled Julia, 71, of Frederick, Md. Julia tried to say no, but her children all told her it was her best shot at staying alive. They overruled her. (Free, 1/23)

The Atlantic: Gummy Vitamins Are Just Candy 
These days, the options for dietary supplements are virtually limitless. And whatever substance you want to ingest, you can find it in gummy form. Omega-3? You bet. Vitamin C? Absolutely. Iron? Calcium? Zinc? Yes, yes, and yes. There are peach collagen rings and strawberry-watermelon fiber rings. There are brambleberry probiotic gummies and “tropical zing” gummy worms that promise to put you in “an upbeat mood.” There are libido gummies and menopause gummies. There are gummies that claim to boost your metabolism, to reinforce your immune system, to strengthen your hair, your skin, your nails. For kids, there are Transformers multivitamin gummies and My Little Pony multivitamin gummies. (Stern, 1/22)

The New York Times: The Link Between Birth Control Pills And Sex Drive 
A decade ago, researchers analyzed 36 studies on the side effects of the combined hormonal birth control pill (containing both estrogen and progestin). They found that 15 percent of the 13,700 women studied reported that their libido had decreased during the time they were on the pill. In the years since, only a few studies have examined why this might be, and they haven’t resulted in a clear consensus — particularly when it comes to different versions of the pill, which contain varying doses of hormones. (Gupta, 1/23)

MPR News: Soul Doctors: How Minnesota Chaplains’ Roles Are Changing 
Chaplains often show up on the worst days of people’s lives. They arrive in a hospital room after a distressing diagnosis. They accompany police to help inform someone of a loved one’s death. One in four Americans have been visited by a chaplain, usually at a hospital or hospice, though chaplains also work in prisons, on college campuses and with the military and police and fire departments. (Davis and Beckstrom, 1/23)

The New York Times: San Francisco Tried To Build A $1.7 Million Toilet. It’s Still Not Done
An expensive public bathroom project has come to symbolize the city’s bureaucratic inefficiencies. (Knight, 1/24)

The Washington Post: In Tents, Motels And Wooded Areas, D.C. Region Counts Its Homeless
Homeless outreach advocate Corae Young ventured Wednesday into a stand of trees behind a bustling shopping center. A path littered with bottles, cans and takeout containers led to an encampment with about a dozen shelters — store-bought tents or improvised structures fashioned from tarps and plastic — at the edge of a pond. At an elaborate tent equipped with a propane heater and a clothesline, Young approached a man she said had cycled from his tent to an emergency shelter and back again for years. On a relatively warm evening amid recent brutal weather, he said he didn’t want to go into shelter but did want help with permanent housing. He also accepted a Wawa gift card. (He declined an interview.) (Moyer and Lang, 1/26)

NPR: Why Diphtheria Is Making A Comeback
It had been over 30 years since the last case of diphtheria was seen in Guinea. So when patients began showing up six months ago with what looked like flu symptoms — fever, cough and sore throat – doctors weren't alarmed. Until the children started dying. That's when they realized that this longtime scourge, long quashed by vaccination, was back. As of December 2023, there have been around 25,000 cases of diphtheria in West Africa and 800 deaths. In Guinea, the cases were clustered in Siguiri, a rural prefecture in the country's northeast, and early data showed that 90% occurred in children under the age of 5. (Bajaj, 1/23)

NBC News: Do Stanley Cups Contain Lead Or Pose A Risk Of Lead Poisoning? Experts Weigh In
Stanley is responding to claims that its products contain lead, clarifying that, yes, lead is used in the manufacturing process, but the product needs to become damaged to expose the lead, a Stanley spokesperson told TODAY.com in a statement. ... “Our engineering and supply chain teams are making progress on innovative, alternative materials for use in the sealing process,” the spokesperson added. In a separate statement to NBC affiliate WCNC of Charlotte, North Carolina, the company said all of its products follow all U.S. regulatory requirements. (Austin, 1/25)

USA Today: US Healthcare Is Failing COVID Patients. Paxlovid Cost Is Far Too High
In America today, about 16 million people throughout our country have long COVID-19. It affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds. And we don’t know why. (Bernie Sanders, 1/26)

The New York Times: Bidencare Is A Really Big Deal 
In 2010, at the signing of the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, Joe Biden, the vice president at the time, was caught on a hot mic telling President Barack Obama that the bill was a “big deal.” OK, there was actually another word in the middle. Anyway, Biden was right. (Paul Krugman, 1/25)

Newsweek: To Make Health Care Affordable, Give Patients Choices
Affordability is on the mind of every American in 2024. From groceries to gas, Americans are spending more. Health care is no different, especially for those with costly medical conditions and high deductibles who started back at $0 of their "deductible met" on January 1. (Bobby Jindal, 1/25)

The Star Tribune: Midwifery, Fair Funding Can Ease Racial, Rural Inequities
The crisis in U.S. maternal health outcomes, persistent racial inequities and rural and urban maternity deserts are the equivalent of a five alarm fire. Since 2017, there has been increasing public outcry as even the United Nations has highlighted this tragedy in the nation that spends more on health care per capita than any other. (Joia Crear Perry and Steve Calvin, 1/25)

Stat: A Pediatrician Calls For Congress To Pass The Child Tax Credit Deal 
When I enter, “what is pediatrics?” into an image search engine, I get back dozens of stock photos with smiling physicians listening to beaming children’s hearts or looking in their ears. I love those images. They reflect the routine joy and trust that encompass many days in the life of a pediatrician. Increasingly, though, the answer to that question doesn’t quite match the happy imagery. (Ben Hoffman, 1/26)

The Boston Globe: Lloyd Austin Isn’t Talking About His Prostate Cancer. But It Could Make A Difference For Other Men If He Did
Whether benign or malignant, prostate issues are common in men especially as they get older. (Austin is 70, Charles is 75.) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the second most common cancer among men nationwide. And when detected and treated early, the five-year survival rate is nearly 100 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. (Renee Graham, 1/26)