Midweek update

SDOH

Midweek update

David Ermer–COVID-19, Mental health care, OPM, SDOH, Telehealth, U.S. Healthcare–
Thanks to Alexandr Hovhannisyan for sharing their work on Unsplash.

Today, the FEHBlog attended day one of the virtual OPM AHIP FEHB Carrier Conference. OPM informed carriers to expect a carrier letter on the No Surprises Act. OPM also presented panels delving into Biden administration initiatives described in the 2023 call letter. The second and final day is tomorrow.

The FEHBlog suggests that OPM resume the practice of including health plan and PBM representatives on its conference panels to provide more relevant perspectives on these initiatives.

From the Omicron front, the Wall Street Journal informs us

There’s a good chance you’ll get Covid more than once.

Covid-19 reinfections are more common and can happen within a shorter window of time than doctors previously thought possible, recent research suggests. More than half of people in the U.S. showed signs of having been infected at least once as of February, according to a report Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. * * *

“On average at a population level, the people who get reinfected have milder symptoms,” says Francois Balloux, an infectious disease epidemiologist and director of the UCL Genetics Institute in London. “That doesn’t mean that some people might not have a worse infection the second or even third time.” 

From the SDOH front, Health Payer Intelligence tells us

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have urged the healthcare industry to adopt national health equity data collection standards.

The companies released a paper that defines health equity and submits a proposed model for data collection standardization.

That is a valuable resource.

From the telehealth front, Healthcare Dive reports

Whether or not telehealth visits result in duplicative care — a hot topic on the Hill as Congress debates future telemedicine regulation — could depend on whether users have acute or chronic conditions, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from almost 41 million commercially insured adults, and found patients with acute conditions that had an initial telehealth visit were slightly more likely to have a follow-up encounter, emergency room visit or inpatient admission, compared to those who had an in-person visit.

However, patients with chronic conditions that had an initial telehealth visit were as or less likely to need follow-up care, than those with an initial in-person visit.

That’s practical information for you.

Healthcare Dive adds

Teladoc Health recorded a $6.6 billion impairment charge in the first quarter, reflecting the waning market value of its acquisition of chronic care company Livongo inked two years ago.

Teladoc, the largest virtual care company in the U.S., bought Livongo for $18.5 billion in cash and stock late 2020 in the biggest digital health deal to date. However, the merger has struggled, resulting in the large goodwill impairment charge for the Purchase, New York-based vendor.

The charge drove Teladoc’s net loss up to $6.7 billion in the quarter, a record for the company. That’s more than 33 times bigger than its loss of about $200 million during the same time last year; and about 16 times its full year 2021 net loss of $429 million.

Ouch.

The Wall Street Journal reports

Some of the nation’s largest pharmacies have blocked or delayed prescriptions over the last year from clinicians working for telehealth startups that have sprung up to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to pharmacies and people familiar with the issue.

The pharmacies in certain cases have expressed concerns that clinicians at Done Health and Cerebral Inc. are writing too many prescriptions for Adderall and other stimulants, the people said. The federal government considers the drugs controlled substances because of their potential for abuse and places them in the same category as cocaine.

From the mental health and substance use disorder front —

Fierce Healthcare calls attention to the fact

Mental and behavioral health conditions account for a growing segment of healthcare costs, and insurers have a significant opportunity to address these expenses and drive costs down overall, according to a new report [which is behind a Moody’s paywall].

Mental health conditions accounted for just 5.2% of healthcare spending in 2019, but the number of people with these conditions is expanding, particularly in the pandemic environment, according to a report from analysts at Moody’s Investors Service.

A recent study suggests that healthcare costs for people with behavioral health conditions are 3.5 times higher than for those without such conditions, according to the report. Annual healthcare costs for patients with behavioral health needs are $12,272, with just 7.9% of that specifically for the behavioral conditions.

The National Institutes of Health offers a Q&A with Dr. Rena D’Souza, the Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

RB: Thanks for joining me, Rena. Many people might not recognize the relevance of oral health in opioid use and pain. Can you give us some examples of NIDCR HEAL projects and recent findings?

RD: Rebecca, thanks for the opportunity to have this conversation. Managing and treating dental, oral, and craniofacial pain is central to NIDCR’s vision to improve oral health and well-being for all people. So there’s an obvious connection. NIDCR HEAL projects include research to discover new, non-addictive ways to prevent and treat orofacial pain disorders such as temporomandibular disorders, inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and oral cancer-associated pain. NIDCR HEAL researchers are also in the early stages of developing a material that can seal surgical wounds and deliver pain medicine on-site to help reduce the need for opioids after oral surgery. In addition, our institute is interested in how socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and other social determinants of health play a role in chronic pain, pain management, and patient outcomes.

This work is necessary to tackle our opioid epidemic.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the availability of “new, free informational resources that inform Americans of their rights under law on coverage for mental health benefits.”

“The following resources have been posted on SAMHSA’s website:

  1. “Know Your Rights: Parity for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits,” an updated trifold pamphlet explaining mental health parity, detailing what it means to the consumer, and listing the protections the parity law provides.
  2. “Understanding Parity: A Guide to Resources for Families and Caregivers,” which provides an overview of parity geared toward parents, family members or caregivers with information and tools to help them obtain behavioral health services for children or family members in their care.
  3. “The Essential Aspects of Parity: A Training Tool for Policymakers,” which provides state regulators and behavioral health staff an overview of mental health and substance use disorder parity and how to implement and comply with the federal parity law regarding employer-sponsored health plans and group and individual health insurance.”

Monday Roundup

David Ermer–COVID treatment, COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, No Surprises Act, Rx coverage, SDOH, U.S. Healthcare–
Photo by Sven Read on Unsplash

From the No Surprises Act front, the FEHBlog nearly fell off his chair when he noticed this Healthcare Dive article:

The Department of Justice intends to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that sided with providers over a challenge to the surprise billing rule, according to a Friday filing from the DOJ in the Eastern District of Texas.  

The Texas Medical Association sued the federal government over its interpretation of the No Surprises Act, arguing the rule leans too heavily on one factor arbiters are supposed to consider when resolving payment disputes between payers and providers.      

Federal Judge Jeremy Kernodle’s February ruling said nothing in the bill passed by Congress instructs arbiters to “weigh any one factor … more heavily than the others,” indicating the rule conflicts with the bill.

The Justice Department noticed an appeal to the Fifth Circuit in the referenced Friday, April 22, filing with the District Court. That notice effectuates the appeal. The FEHBlog will keep an eye on the dockets to learn whether the Justice Department will seek a stay of the February ruling while the case is on appeal.

From the Omicron and siblings front —

  • Bloomberg’s Prognosis reviews progress being made in the development of Covid vaccines administered nasally. Nasal vaccines have a better shot at preventing COVID than injected vaccines.
  • The American Hospital Association reports “The Food and Drug Administration today expanded its approval for remdesivir (Veklury) to include pediatric patients under age 12 who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 and are hospitalized or at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19. The patient must be at least 28 days old and weigh at least 3 kilograms (about 7 pounds). FDA said the approval is supported by a clinical study of 53 pediatric patients as well as trials in adults, given the similar course of disease in adult and pediatric patients.”
  • Medical Dialogues informs us the World Health Organization has recommended Pfizer’s Paxlovid Covid pill over remdesvir, Merck’s pill and monoclonal antibodies for patients with milder forms of Covid and nevertheless at high risk of hospitalization from the disease, e.g. the elderly, the immunocompromised, and the unvaccinated.
  • WebMD News tells us “COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the United States in 2021 for the second straight year, with only heart disease and cancer causing more deaths, the CDC said Friday. * * * The overall number of COVID deaths in 2021 increased around 20% over 2020, when around 384,000 people died from the virus, the CDC said. COVID deaths in 2021 peaked for the weeks ending Jan. 16 and Sept. 11, following holiday periods.”

The WebMD article offers other interesting public health nuggets. For example,

About 693,000 people died of heart disease in 2021, with 605,000 dying of cancer and 415,000 of COVID, the CDC said, citing provisional data that might be updated later.

Unintentional injuries were the fourth-leading cause of death, increasing to 219,000 in 2021 from 201,000 in 2020. Influenza and pneumonia dropped out of the top 10 leading causes of death and suicide moved into 10th place.

Overall, about 3,458,697 deaths were reported in the U.S. last year. The age-adjusted death rate was 841.6 deaths per 100,000 people, an increase of .7% from 2020. The 2021 death rate was the highest since 2003, the CDC said.

From the healthcare business front, Fierce Healthcare reports

Change Healthcare has found a buyer for its payment integrity arm, ClaimsXten, though the sale is contingent on the closure of its merger with UnitedHealth Group.

According to a filing submitted Monday to the Securities and Exchange Commission, ClaimsXten will be sold off to an affiliate of TPG Capital for a base purchase price equal to $2.2 billion in cash. UnitedHealth is listed as the seller.

From the reports department —

  • The National Bureau of Economic Research offers a working paper titled “Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Vertical Relationships in Drug Supply: State of Current Research.”
  • Per HR Morning, “Employer support [of their workforces] is happening in the areas of increased prioritizing employee assistance programs (EAPs), expanded wellness benefits and greater attention to work/life balance. That’s according to Ragan’s 2022 Communications Benchmark Report that surveyed close to 1,000 communicators across industries on opportunities and changes.”
  • Per Health Payer Intelligence, Humana has produced an issue brief that provides “an overview of the policymaking landscape surrounding social determinants of health data collection.”

Midweek Update

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, COVID-19, No Surprises Act, Rx coverage, SDOH, Telehealth, U.S. Healthcare–

From the Centers for Disease Control front —

Roll Call informs us

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday asked the Justice Department to appeal a federal judge’s ruling overturning the federal mask mandate for airlines and other forms of public transportation, setting up a legal battle that could permanently impact the CDC’s ability to weigh in on public health issues.

The Wall Street Journal adds

The judge’s ruling was the latest in a series of court decisions that have left the Biden administration with dwindling legal options for mandates to combat Covid-19. And it came amid a shift away from mask mandates in the U.S., even in Democratic-controlled states along the East and West coasts. An appeal gives the Biden administration the opportunity to persuade a higher court to wipe the Florida ruling off the books, which could prove useful to the White House if it chooses to pursue a mask mandate in the future.

The AP reports

A new U.S. government center [residing within the CDC] aims to become the National Weather Service for infectious diseases — an early warning system to help guide the response to COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The new Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics launched Tuesday. Its leaders say predicting the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has been hampered by data-collection problems.

In contrast, the United Kingdom uses regular population sampling with swab tests and blood draws to get a clearer picture of who’s been infected, said Marc Lipsitch, the new center’s science director. He said similar sampling should be considered in the U.S.

And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to have better access to data from state governments and hospitals, said Caitlin Rivers, the center’s associate director.

From the Omicron front, STAT News discusses six Covid mysteries that scientists are beginning to unravel.

“1. How will the virus evolve next?

“2. What will future waves look like?

“3. If you’ve never had Covid, how worried should you be right now?

“4. How, exactly, does the virus transmit from person to person?

“5. Will we get a new, better generation of vaccines, therapeutics, and tests?

“6. How long before we understand long Covid?“

“The eventual answers will determine our relationship with Covid and how we’ll fight a future pandemic.”

Reuters reports

Hospitalization rates for unvaccinated children ages 5 to 11 were twice as high as among those who were vaccinated during the record COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant, according to a U.S. study released on Tuesday.

For every 100,000 unvaccinated children in the age group, 19.1 per were hospitalized with COVID-19 between mid-December and late February, compared with 9.2 per 100,000 vaccinated kids, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

From the Social Determinants of Health front,

The Center for Medicare Services “outlined an action plan that demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to provide high-quality, affordable health care for all people, regardless of their background, and to drive health equity across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).”

 “The goals of CMS’ action plan include:

  • Promoting culturally and linguistically appropriate services in organizations;
  • Enrolling more people in Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Health Insurance Marketplace; and
  • Incorporating screening for and promoting broader access to health-related social needs.”

“For more information, please visit: www.cms.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/Health%20Equity%20Pillar%20Fact%20Sheet_1.pdf“

The CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation called attention to its new website on improving health equity

From the No Surprises Act front, the American Medical Association offers an article on how doctors can use the NSA to resolve billing disputes. It’s always helpful to take a peek at the other sides’s strategies.

Cigna announced

Beginning in August, Kaiser Permanente commercial HMO and exclusive provider organization (EPO) members who need urgent care when they are traveling outside of areas served by Kaiser Permanente will have access to Cigna’s national PPO network of more than one million physicians and other providers. This will significantly expand Kaiser Permanente’s ability to provide more affordable and convenient access to valuable, high-quality health care and services for current and future members.

This is a smart move by KP to reduce its exposure to NSA emergency department billing disputes.

From the healthcare business front —

Cigna’s press release adds

In the area of specialty pharmacy services, the agreement seeks to deliver overall value and savings to Kaiser Permanente and its commercial plan members. Accredo, Evernorth’s specialty pharmacy, will become Kaiser Permanente’s preferred external pharmacy for limited distribution drugs, and Evernorth’s CuraScript SD will be a preferred distributor for purchasing certain other specialty products.

The broad agreement between Evernorth and Kaiser Permanente is effective immediately.

Forbes reports

Anthem’s first-quarter profits reached $1.8 billion thanks to strong enrollment in its Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans. 

Anthem, which operates an array of government and commercial health insurance including Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states, Wednesday reported first-quarter profits rose 8.4% to $1.8 billion, or $7.39 per share, compared to $1.67 billion, or $6.71 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose nearly 17.6% to $38 billion compared to $32,4 billion a year ago.

Anthem’s membership grew by 3.3 million, or 7.5%, to 46.8 million as of March 31, 2022, compared to a year ago.

Beckers Payer Issues offers 11 takeaways from Anthem’s first-quarter 2022 earnings report.

The American Hospital Association reports

The Department of Health and Human Services today released a report and public data on 2016-2022 ownership changes for hospitals and nursing homes enrolled in Medicare.

According to the report, only 4.6% of hospitals were sold over the period. Small hospitals with 26-64 beds were more likely to be acquired than larger hospitals, and hospitals with the greatest negative margins were over twice as likely as those with the highest positive margins to be acquired (8.6% versus 3.0%). Only one critical access hospital was acquired during the study period, and urban hospitals were more likely to be acquired than rural hospitals (5.6% versus 3.3%). Long-term care hospitals were the most likely to be acquired, while psychiatric and “other” hospitals were the least likely.

The agency plans to update the data on a quarterly basis. 

In telehealth news, mHealth Intelligence tells us

When comparing the use of telehealth among different pediatric subspecialties, a JAMA Network Open study found that pediatric telehealth use was inconsistent across subspecialties, with genetics and behavioral health subspecialists using the care modality the most.

The study included 549,306 patients, representing a total of 1.8 million visits from eight pediatric medical groups from the Children’s Specialty Care Coalition (CSCC). There were 11 different subspecialties, including cardiology, orthopedics, urology, nephrology, dermatology, genetics, behavioral health, pulmonology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology. The study period began Jan. 1, 2019, and ended Dec. 31, 2021.

Weekend update

David Ermer–Congress, COVID vaccine mandate, COVID-19, SDOH, U.S. Healthcare–
CPhoto by Mark Tegethoff on Unsplash

Happy Easter and Passover.

Congress continues with its State / District work period for a second week. Congress resumes its work on Capitol Hill next week.

From the Omnicron and siblings front, the Wall Street Journal reports

In the latest phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, federal and local officials are telling people to decide for themselves how best to protect against the virus. 

Health officials are leaving it up to people to assess if they need booster shots, whether to wear a mask and how long to isolate after a positive test. Businesses, schools and other entities are scaling back specific guidelines as they prepare for a return to normal.

The question of when older adults should get a second vaccine booster is the latest example of the government shifting decisions from broad-based community outreach to personal choice. People 50 years and older can get the additional booster at least four months after their first, but health authorities aren’t pushing those eligible to get the shots. 

That’s sensible. Bloomberg’s Prognosis adds

Nearly a third of employers who previously required Covid-19 shots have dropped or plan to drop the requirement by the end of this year, according to a forthcoming survey from the consulting firm Willis Towers Watson. (Read the full story here.)

From the Social Determinants of Health front, Fierce Healthcare reports

Optum Ventures is investing in senior care startup DUOS to help fuel the company’s growth and build out its technology capabilities.

Launched in 2021, New York-based DUOS helps place expert personal assistants, called “Duos,” into the homes of seniors. The company works directly with consumers as well as with payer and provider organizations.

and

Kaiser Permanente has doubled its Thriving Communities Fund to $400 million, unlocking more money to build affordable housing and other value-based investments. 

The nonprofit healthcare provider’s announcement Thursday comes as the Biden administration is pressing for the industry to tackle social risk factors such as food and housing insecurity.  * * *

Insurer UnitedHealth Group earlier this month announced a $100 million investment in affordable housing, bringing its total housing investment to $800 million. The insurer has created more than 19,000 housing units as part of the initiative. 

CVS also invested $114 million in affordable housing in 2020, hoping to also set aside certain units for the homeless and seniors. 

The major investments in housing come as the healthcare industry is pressing to tackle social risk factors. 

From the novel approaches front

Health Payer Intelligence informs us

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is making at-home genetic testing available to members as part of a precision medicine approach to care.

The payer will cover genetic testing through Blue Care Network, the company’s nonprofit health maintenance organization (HMO), which covers 840,000 members.

“Our first priority with the Blue Cross Personalized Medicine program is to ensure that a physician is able to provide the right medication, at the right dose, as early in the process as possible,” said Scott Betzelos, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of HMO strategy and affordability at Blue Care Network.

Fierce Healthcare tells us

Cigna’s Evernorth is teaming with the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) to more effectively measure the quality of care for people with autism.

The partnership will allow the two to collaborate on creating measures that will help people with autism and their caregivers track the efficacy of their treatment. The partners plan to start with measures for applied behavior analysis (ABA), which is the most well-researched and effective intervention for people with autism spectrum disorder.

The lack of common performance measures for ABA makes it hard to track outcomes among providers, according to the announcement.

Friday Stats and More

David Ermer–COVID treatment, COVID-19, COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 vaccine, OPM, Rx coverage, SDOH–

Based on the Centers for Disease Control’s Covid Data Tracker and using Thursday as the first day of the month, here are the FEHBlog’s weekly charts of new Covid cases and deaths

Here is a link to the CDC’s weekly review of COVID statistics. Among those statistics are the following:

New Hospital Admissions

The current 7-day daily average for April 6–April 12, 2022, was 1,446. This is a 1.3% increase from the prior 7-day average (1,427) from March 29–April 4, 2022.

Here’s the FEHBlog’s weekly chart of Covid vaccinations distributed and administered from the beginning of the Covid vaccination era to the latest week ending last Wednesday, April 13.

For the second week in a row, Covid vaccines distributed and administered have increased materially.

The CDC’s principal point in this week’s Covid statistical review is the following:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have delayed or avoided medical care, including routine, urgent, and emergency care. If it’s something you’ve neglected, it’s time to jump back in—consider putting “get a checkup” on top of your to-do list, especially if you’re at risk for heart disease. Regular checkups provide the opportunity to prevent, screen for, and manage chronic conditions, and to get routine vaccinations.

The FEHBlog agrees that the best step a person can make on the road to a healthy life is to establish a relationship with a primary care doctor.

In other Omicron and siblings news —

MedPage Today informs us

The FDA granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to the first COVID-19 test that can detect the virus in breath samples, the agency announced on Thursday.

Dubbed the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer, the test uses gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to rapidly detect volatile organic compounds associated with SARS-CoV-2. Patients breathe into a disposable straw on the device — which is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, according to the agency — and results are returned in less than 3 minutes. The test is intended for healthcare settings where samples can be collected and analyzed, such as mobile testing sites, doctor’s offices, and hospitals.

Cool.

Kaiser Health News tells us

The federal “test-to-treat” program, announced in March, is meant to reduce covid hospitalizations and deaths by quickly getting antiviral pills to people who test positive. But even as cases rise again, many Americans don’t have access to the program.

The program allows people with covid symptoms to get tested, be prescribed antiviral pills, and fill the prescription all in one visit. The federal government and many state and local health departments direct residents to an online national map where people can find test-to-treat sites and other pharmacies where they can fill prescriptions.

But large swaths of the country had no test-to-treat pharmacies or health centers listed as of April 14. * * *

Even people who regularly see a doctor may be unable to get a prescription in time, and that’s where the program comes in. Before the pandemic, 28% of Americans didn’t have a regular source of medical care, with rates even higher for Black and Hispanic Americans. 

See above re PCPS and no bueno.

The article adds

Truepill, a company that provides telehealth and pharmacy technology, offers online covid assessments through its website findcovidcare.com * * *. The company has filled more than 10 million prescriptions in the past five years.

The service, available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., costs $25 to $55. Though insurance isn’t accepted, the cost is comparable to insurance copays for in-person doctor appointments. Prescriptions can be sent to a local pharmacy for no additional charge or shipped to a home overnight via FedEx for a $20 fee.

It’s always good to have a Plan B.

From the FEHB front, OPM issued a final, final rule concerning a Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 provision extending the opportunity for tribal employers to enroll employees at certain tribal schools to join the FEHB Program.

From the Social Determinants of Health Front, Fierce Healthcare calls to our attention

a Northeast Business Group on Health guide for employers looking to tackle obesity and diabetes through a racial lens. “Obesity, Diabetes and Health Equity: What Employers Can Do” lays out a step-by-step approach. Key among them is embedding health outcomes within other diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Another big recommendation is to build benefits to address obesity and diabetes that are based in clinical best practices.

In the FEHBlog’s view, OPM’s 2023 call letter asks carriers to address member obesity issues in this manner.

From the Rx coverage front, the Wall Street Journal reports

After Covid-19, vaccine makers’ next big target is a respiratory virus that kills up to 500 children a year nationwide and has been among the leading causes of U.S. hospitalizations for decades.

The respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, infects nearly everyone at some point, causing mild, cold-like symptoms for most people. But it can lead to serious health problems such as difficulty breathing and pneumonia for infants and older adults.

Now several drugmakers including Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC are testing shots that infectious-disease specialists say show promise at safely preventing RSV disease. Initial development of most of these vaccines predated the current pandemic, but the rapid success in finding effective Covid-19 vaccines has energized the RSV effort, according to analysts.

Good luck.

From the federal government front

  • Meritalk provides a Who’s Who in implementing the President’s Management Agenda. The article explains “As the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) effort to transform the President’s Management Agenda from a list of goals into actionable policy steps gathers steam, OMB is fleshing out its list of Federal agency officials who are taking on leadership roles not only for the three major PMA pushes but for numerous strategic goals within each of them.” The OPM Director Kiran Ajuha is one of three senior federal executives in charge of the PMA’s workforce issues.
  • Federal News Network offers an interview with the Postmaster General Louis Dejoy.