From Washington, DC

• OPM’s supplemental Postal Service Health Benefits Program final rule was published in the Federal Register today.

• The FEHBlog is disappointed that OPM is pursuing a modified version of its Part D opt out penalty when 2025 Medicare Part D benefits are so obviously generous. Everyone should put more effort into promoting the advantages of 2025 Part D benefits, e.g., $2000 out of pocket maximum.

• The FEHBlog also is disappointed that OPM is declining to share Medicare coordination of benefits information, such as Medicare beneficiary identifiers, with FEHB and PSHB carriers when for 35 years the FEHB Act has required OPM in combination with HHS to provide carriers with a Medicare coordination of benefits database. 5 U.S.C. Sec. 8910(d).

• Govexec encourages federal employees to consider enrolling in a high deductible FEHB plan for 2025 so that they can enjoy the triple tax-free benefits of a health savings account.

• Reg Jones writing in FedWeek discusses vesting in the federal retirement system.

• Per an HHS press release,
  • Today, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement in response to new fluid supply increases from Baxter, Inc.:
  • “I am encouraged by reports that Baxter anticipates restarting the highest throughput manufacturing line at Baxter’s North Cove facility next week – sooner than originally expected. There’s more to do, including meeting regulatory requirements of the product manufactured on the restarted line, but this is good news for partners and patients. This progress is the result of a strong public-private partnership. We have quickly facilitated the import of product from six facilities around the world. We have made it easier for hospitals to produce their own IV fluid during the shortage. And HHS will continue to use all necessary authorities to bolster supply and mitigate impact to patients. I want to thank everyone for their continued work on this important part of the recovery process.”

From the public health and medical research front,

• A “USDA/HHS Fact Sheet [explains the new actions that the] Biden-Harris Administration [is taking] * * * to Halt the Spread of Bird Flu, including in California and Washington.

• The New York Times adds,
  • “A Missouri resident who shared a home with a patient hospitalized with bird flu in August was also infected with the virus, federal officials reported on Thursday.
  • “But symptomatic health care workers who cared for the hospitalized patient were not infected, testing showed. The news eased worries among researchers that the virus, H5N1, had gained the ability to spread more efficiently among people.
  • “Still, the number of human cases is rising in the United States. California said this week that it had confirmed 15 human cases of bird flu. Washington State has reported two poultry workers who are infected and five others presumed to be positive.
  • “There are 31 confirmed cases in the country, but experts have said the figure is likely to be an undercount. “Additional cases may be found as investigations continue,” Dr. Nirav Shah, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news briefing on Thursday.”

• The AP reports,
  • “A California-based produce company was the source of fresh onions linked to a deadly E. coli food poisoning outbreak at McDonald’s, officials with the restaurant chain said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — pulled onions from some menus.
  • “McDonald’s officials said that Taylor Farms, of Salinas, California, sent onions to one distribution facility, which led the fast-food chain to remove Quarter Pounder hamburgers from restaurants in several states. McDonald’s didn’t say which facility it was.
  • “An outbreak tied to the burgers has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including a person who died, federal health officials have said. Investigators said they were focused on slivered onions as a potential source of the infections.” * * *
  • “Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not confirm that the agency is investigating Taylor Farms. A spokesperson said Thursday that the agency is “looking at all sources” of the outbreak.”

• ABC News tells us,
  • “Thousands of bottles of a popular antidepressant medication are being recalled due to the presence of what the National Library of Medicine describes as a toxic chemical, according to a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  • “The recall involves the medication duloxetine, which is sold under the brand name Cymbalta, according to the FDA’s notice of the voluntary recall, which began Oct. 10.
  • “Duloxetine is part of a class of drugs known as SNRIs, or selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, that are used to treat anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, according to the FDA.”

• NIH Director, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, writes in her blog,
  • “You’ve surely seen fruit flies in your kitchen, perhaps hovering around a bowl of citrus fruits or over a glass of wine. While these insects might not seem especially brainy, typical fruit fly behaviors depend on a complex brain that’s wired to solve many of the same problems human brains do. Their nervous systems and brains must pick up on tempting scents and send the right signals through their bodies to move from one place to another to find food. Fruit flies form long-term memories, engage in social interactions with other fruit flies, and navigate over long distances. Though smaller than a poppy seed, the fruit fly brain is packed with hundreds of thousands of neurons and millions of neural connections all wired precisely to make those behavioral feats possible.
  • “Now, a scientific team supported by the NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The BRAIN Initiative®, has unveiled the first complete map, or connectome, of every neural connection within the brain of an adult female fruit fly. This important milestone in brain science, reported in nine papers in Nature, details more than 50 million connections between nearly 140,000 neurons. As the first complete map of a connectome of any adult animal, it offers critical information about how complex brains are wired to send and receive signals underlying normal brain functions.” * * *
  • “While there’s still a lot to learn about how the human brain is wired and how it works, the fruit fly connectome serves as an important step toward developing the tools and capabilities required for mapping larger-brained animals and, eventually, the human brain, with its more than 80 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections. The connectome and the many exciting discoveries and developments yet to come will be critical for bringing much needed advances in understanding and one day treating a wide range of human brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, severe depression, and addiction.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Beckers Hospital Review shares information on Health Grade awards for hospital special care.

• The American Journal of Managed Care informs us,
  • “Value-based care prioritizes patient outcomes and cost reduction, requiring alignment of reimbursement models and financial sustainability management.
  • “Private insurers are reforming payment models, but aligning specialty care with value-based goals remains challenging.
  • “Financial pressures and data integration are key hurdles in transitioning to value-based care, necessitating innovative partnerships.
  • “Educating patients about value-based care options is essential to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and improve care outcomes.”
• and
  • “Social determinants of health significantly influence health care costs across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance programs.
  • “Educational attainment and social isolation notably affect Medicaid expenditures, with higher costs linked to lower education and increased isolation.
  • “Neighborhood quality and economic stability are key factors in Medicare spending, impacting costs based on access to parks and financial confidence.
  • “Medical discrimination and debt collection contact are associated with increased private insurance expenditures.
  • “Integrating SDOH into policy could help manage healthcare costs and promote health equity, though challenges persist in implementation.”

• Ken Kaufmann from Kaufmann Hall opines that “Changing American Demographics Make Hospital Operations Harder,” and he offers some ideas to help hospitals out.