It’s World Health Day

David Ermer–CDC, COVID-19, Medicare, OPM–

The World Health Organization has declared today World Health Day appropriately honoring nurses and midwives. U.S. HHS Secretary Alex Azar commented

“This year’s theme for World Health Day, ‘Celebrating Nurses and Midwives,’ is also an important reminder of the work being done by frontline healthcare workers every day, around the world, to save lives. Preparing for and responding to outbreaks that can cross borders is one of the most important contributions we can make to support our healthcare workers, and we applaud the heroic work they have been doing to battle the global pandemic

The FEHBlog heartily agrees. Now, how about some Tuesday Tidbits?

  • Yesterday, as Health Payer Intelligence reports, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “finalized its Medicare Advantage and Part D rates, including finalizing the disputed Medicare Advantage end-stage renal disease (ESRD) payment rule without changes.” HPI adds that CMS anticipates a slight uptick (1.66 percent) in revenue as a result of the new rate announcement, based on its changes to the reimbursement methodologies for Medicare Advantage organizations, PACE organizations, and Part D sponsors. The uptick does not account for the adjustments related to the underlying coding trend, which CMS anticipates will bump most risk scores by around 3.56 percent.” In the FEHBlog’s view, the extension of Medicare Advantage coverage to beneficiaries under age 65 with end stage renal disease could be disruptive to Medicare Advantage rates.
  • The Centers for Disease Control released yesterday a report on “Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children — United States, February 12–April 2, 2020.” Here’s the summary

What is already known about this topic?

Data from China suggest that pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases might be less severe than cases in adults and that children (persons aged <18 years) might experience different symptoms than adults.

What is added by this report?

In this preliminary description of pediatric U.S. COVID-19 cases, relatively few children with COVID-19 are hospitalized, and fewer children than adults experience fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Severe outcomes have been reported in children, including three deaths.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Pediatric COVID-19 patients might not have fever or cough. Social distancing and everyday preventive behaviors remain important for all age groups because patients with less serious illness and those without symptoms likely play an important role in disease transmission.

  • TechCrunch brings us up to date another potential COVID-19 vaccine is entering phase 1 human trials with Food and Drug Administration approval. This vaccine is being developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals with financial backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Best of luck to Inovio and the other developers.
  • A friend of the FEHBlog found this online edited transcript of NYC pulmonologist David Price’s chat and Q&A on COVID-19 discussed in yesterday’s FEHBlog. Check it out.