Weekly Spotlight
Something rather remarkable happens when you save all your reading until the end of the week: you start to realize just how much happens over the course of a handful of days. For example, it is rather strange to consider thought pieces that contemplate the impact of the assassination attempt on President Trump, on the next 100 days of the election. Despite being less than two weeks old, that news has largely been replaced in our collective consciousness by President Biden passing the torch to Vice President Harris, the enthusiasm for her days-old campaign, coconuts and couches, and a speech by Prime Minister Netanyahu to a joint session amidst chaos in Gaza.
So, just to help us all keep our bearings, I went back and tapped into something timeless: global surgical payments. It may not as reassuring as that weighted blanket you keep on the couch or as comforting as a warm cup of tea at the end of the day, but, if you’re like me, you’ll be heartened to know that, the more thing change, the more they stay the same.
I’ll be updating this Issue Brief on Global Surgical Payments over the next few weeks to include an analysis and maybe a few predictions so please send me any feedback or questions you may have. Meanwhile, for related doc pay news, check out:
- A letter from AMA and other physician groups urging Congress to pass payment reform legislation #PROVIDER
- This analysis from McDermott+Consulting explaining that Docs Could Face Bigger Cut If CMS’ Global Surgical Policy Doesn’t Materialize. #PROVIDER
Other Regulatory News
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Health’s Care Colossus: How UnitedHealth harnesses its physician empire to squeeze profits out of patients
Thanks to a series of stealthy deals, almost 1 in 10 U.S. doctors — some 90,000 clinicians — now either work for UnitedHealth or are under its influence, more than any major clinic chain or hospital system.
#All
Fixing the reimbursement and coverage divide between ‘breakthrough’ drugs and medical devices
Once breakthrough devices are approved, they face a far less predictable pathway and a longer timeline to achieving coverage by payers such as Medicare, compared to breakthrough pharmaceuticals, even though both involve years of development, significant investment, commitment of resources, running of clinical trials, and market launch preparations.
#Device
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Jeff Shuren, medical devices head at FDA, to leave the agency
Jeffrey Shuren, longtime chief regulator of medical devices at the Food and Drug Administration, announced to staff on Tuesday that he is leaving the agency
#Device
Medical Device Sterilization Town Hall – Sterilization Short Topics and Open Q&A
Join the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 7, 2024, for the Medical Device Sterilization Town Hall: This town hall will cover topics including bioburden, bacterial endotoxin, and packaging integrity testing for sterile medical devices.
#Device
Drug Industry Gets FDA Guidance on Electronic Health Data Usage
The FDA says sponsors of drug and biological products should address potential limitations of data sources and study design elements when proposing to use electronic health records or medical claims data in clinical studies according to a new guidance published this week.
#Drug
Hill Happenings
After a Neuro Disorder Stole Her Voice, Rep. Jennifer Wexton Takes It Back
When Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) [rises] Thursday to speak on the House floor, something she has done countless times before, she will be using a voice she thought was gone forever.
#All
Ranking Member Cassidy Introduces Legislation to Rein in Administrative State Amid Overturning of Chevron Deference
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Upholding Standards of Accountability (USA) Act. This bill comes as the Supreme Court recently overturned the Chevron deference, which required federal courts to defer to an agency’s interpretation of ambiguous provisions in federal statutes so long as the court determined that the agency’s interpretation was reasonable.
#All
House hearing keeps pressure on PBM practices while Congress considers reforms
The House Oversight Committee kept pressure on drug middlemen at a hearing that focused on a new committee report that criticizes industry practices.
#Drug, #Patient
Powerful Senate committee demands testimony from CEO of bankrupt Steward hospital chain
Federal lawmakers investigating the Steward Health Care bankruptcy moved on Thursday to compel testimony from chief executive Ralph de la Torre about his role in the hospital system’s financial collapse.
#Hospital
Notable Notes
Opinion: With the End of Chevron, Health and Environmental Experts’ Hands Are Tied
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo on June 27 overturning what’s known as “Chevron deference” prioritizes business interests over public health. Modern Healthcare posits that the Chevron decision my give Congress a reason to finally pass PBM reform.
#All
Lessons for Healthcare From the Global IT Outage
A robust and resilient infrastructure can help ensure continued access to care
#All
U.S. News Releases This Year’s ‘Best Medical Schools,’ With Changes
Medical schools that opted out of submitting data went unranked.
#All
What’s behind a staffing crisis that just won’t quit
Healthcare employment has been on the rise in all sectors this year, pushed higher by a surge in ambulatory healthcare services and mounting pressure on facilities to meet staffing minimums. Employers are doing what they can to recruit workers by increasing wages while also turning to technology to improve workforce efficiency.
#All
Nurse Survey Signals Improvements, Though Retention Still a Problem
The proportion of RNs planning to leave their position fell from 2022 to 2023, though planned departure rates, abusive or violent events, and unsafe conditions remained high, according to a survey of nurses in Michigan
#All
What to know about Trump VP pick J.D. Vance’s health care views and investments
Sen. J.D. Vance, who was tapped to be former President Trump’s running mate, has a history of investing in health care companies — and of pursuing health care policies that are sometimes at odds with his party’s base.
#All
Kamala Harris’ views on health care were shaped by her mother, cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan
As Vice President Kamala Harris emerges as the likely Democratic candidate in the U.S. presidential race, her background on health care issues ranging from reproductive rights to drug pricing is attracting more attention. A look at the life and work of Harris’ late mother, the prominent breast cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, offers insights into the personal connections that have shaped Harris’ views on health and medicine.
#All
Rural hospital CEOs plead for better reimbursement to avert cuts
Rural hospitals are weighing which services to cut if lawmakers do not boost Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and streamline pay processes, CEOs said.
#Hospital
Do medical errors creep up at hospitals when interns arrive? Yes, but the ‘July effect’ is minimal.
With excitement also comes a seemingly perennial debate around a phenomenon called the “July effect” – the idea that the inexperience of first-year residents, commonly called interns, might lead to a decrease in patient safety or increase in medical errors.
While some studies have found disruptions and medical errors can creep up, there’s no reason to avoid hospitals in July if you need care.
#Hospital, #Provider
Pay People, and They Will Go to Cardiac Rehab
It might take giving people money directly for them to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, a randomized trial showed.
#Patient, #Provider
