- 2015: The Health Care Year in Review (commonwealthfund.org)
When it comes to historic changes in the U.S. health care system, few years could compete with 2014, but 2015 gave it a run for its money. With 2016 knocking at the door, it’s time to take a look back and round up the biggest health care events of the year.
- The health spending slowdown ends.
- Rx pricing lands in the spotlight.
- The insurance expansion presses on…
- …But the pay-fors take a hit.
- Consolidation reshapes the health care landscape.
- Collapse of the CO-OPs.
- Health care politics mellowing?
- Rates of hospital-acquired conditions remain low.
- Mortality is rising for white, middle-aged Americans.
Despite the year’s ups and downs, it’s clear that the insurance expansions continued to make a big impact in the lives of Americans in 2015. Here’s to a new year in which we continue to make coverage gains—and make inroads on issues such as drugs spending and broader economic inequality.
- Pharmacists ranked No. 2 in latest Gallup ethics poll (drugstorenews.com)Americans Rate Nurses Highest on Honesty, Ethical Standards (gallup.com)
Pharmacists ranked No. 2 in Gallup's 2015 Honesty and Ethics of Professions Ratings, falling behind No. 1 ranked nurses and ahead of No. 3 ranked medical doctors...This annual Gallup survey presents another data point in the strong and growing case for pharmacy patient care...those who have more first-hand experience with pharmacist-provided services feel even more strongly about their value. These positive attitudes are translating into ever-stronger bipartisan support for pro-patient and pro-pharmacy initiatives in the U.S. Congress, as well as an expansion of the pharmacists’ scope of practice in the states.
- CMS demands scrutiny of opioids, antipsychotics in Medicaid (modernhealthcare.com)2016 Updates to the Child and Adult Core Health Care Quality Measurement Sets (medicaid.gov)
CMS plans to more closely track the use of opioids by adults and antipsychotics among children and adolescents with new quality measures for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program...The agency issued a notice this month outlining the new measures, which come amid a national epidemic of opioid abuse and a rising unease with the high rates of antipsychotic medications prescribed to minors for off-label uses...CMS will require Medicaid programs...to track the use of opioids at high dosages acquired from four or more providers and pharmacies by beneficiaries who don't have cancer...The measure is intended to indicate inappropriate prescribing or fragmented care...American Pharmacists Association said the new Medicaid measure could help identify patterns of opioid misuse...The CHIP measure, meanwhile, would track the percentage of children and adolescents who are on two or more antipsychotic medications at the same time...an analysis by HHS' Office of Inspector General found that 92% of antipsychotics taken by Medicaid children in five states were prescribed for off-label uses...The use of multiple antipsychotic medications “is seldom justified and is an appropriate focus for a quality measure,”...children on Medicaid are prescribed antipsychotics at much higher rates than privately insured children.
- Half Of U.S. Doctors ‘Burned Out’ As Obamacare Begins Third Year (forbes.com)
The number of U.S. physicians who say they are suffering "burnout" has jumped to more than half of doctors as the practice of medicine becomes more complicated and millions more Americans gain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act...An analysis from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association say doctors’ work-life balance is worsening, with the percentage of physicians who say they are suffering burnout rising to 54% in 2014 from 45% in 2011..."disturbing trend"..."Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among U.S. physicians are getting worse,"..."American medicine appears to be at a tipping point with more than half of U.S. physicians experiencing professional burnout...has effects on quality of care, patient satisfaction, turnover, and patient safety, these findings have important implications for society at large."
- How Closer Integration of Pharmacists into Care Teams Improves Outcomes (pharmacytimes.com)
Alexander Kantorovich, PharmD, BCPS, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Chicago State University College of Pharmacy, discusses how closer integration of pharmacists into care teams improves outcomes for patients taking new oral anticoagulants.
- Pharmacy delivery vans targeted by thieves seeking painkillers (statnews.com)
They’re the new Brink’s trucks...Delivery vans that transport prescription painkillers from warehouses to pharmacies and hospitals are the targets of an escalating number of thefts across the country...Amid a nationwide epidemic of opioid addiction, the delivery vans have become an appealing and vulnerable target for thieves, addicts, and drug dealers...Hitting the right pharmaceutical courier can yield a payoff similar to robbing an armored car. But the pharmaceutical van drivers usually receive little security training, work alone, and rarely carry weapons...“We still have a segment of criminals that very much want to get their hands on those pills because they have high street value,”...“People are willing to go to extreme means to get those pills.”...Three wholesalers, with combined revenues of over $300 billion, dominate the US pharmaceutical market. All three declined to answer specific questions about how often couriers delivering their products are robbed, any security measures undertaken in recent years, and their reliance on independent contract drivers to deliver their goods...Cardinal Health said the company maintains “robust safety measures to ensure the safe distribution of products.”...McKesson Corporation said it would not answer questions for “security reasons.” AmerisourceBergen...did not provide responses to questions.
- FDA still seems reluctant to regulate mobile health apps (medcitynews.com)
Remember when the Food and Drug Administration was going to regulate mobile health apps? The year was 2013...There was even a bill from the congressman representing Silicon Valley that aimed to tame the “Wild West” of mobile and wireless health. The House Energy and Commerce Committee even held three...days of hearings...Rep. Mike Burgess asking then-national health IT coordinator Dr. Farzad Mostashari to magically create interoperability...Now, it sounds like the FDA might almost be ready to throw its hands up and walk away...the agency circulated a draft guidance that really didn’t say much...The 2013 final version clarified policy a bit, stating that the FDA generally would focus only on mobile apps that serve as medical devices, and mostly stay away from regulating consumer technology...Earlier this year, an FDA specialist in digital health told Bloomberg that the agency would be “almost hands-off” when it comes to consumer wellness and fitness gadgets...
- Pharmacy Week in Review: December 23, 2015 (pharmacytimes.com)
Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times...(PTNN) This weekly video program highlights the latest in pharmacy news, product news, and more. (video)
- 3 people to watch in biotech and drug pricing in 2016 (statnews.com)
Big valuations, big investments, and big price tags drove lots of the news in health care in 2015 — and you can bet they’ll do the same in the new year. For signs of where things are headed, keep an eye on these three influencers:
- Jeffrey Marrazzo, chief executive of Spark Therapeutics - Can gene therapy work — and can the system afford to pay for it?...The idea that a one-time treatment could replace a broken gene has generated plenty of scientific and commercial interest.
- Deborah DiSanzo, general manager of Watson Health - IBM’s big bet on health care analytics...use high-powered computing to sift through massive amounts of data to find useful and cost-saving nuggets for medical researchers, doctors, and insurers.
- Vivek Ramaswamy, chief executive of Axovant Sciences - has recruited some top Alzheimer’s researchers to join his...company...they initiated a late-stage clinical trial testing the GSK reject in combination with another Alzheimer’s drug.
- Dear Santa: Can you bring me a happier, healthier healthcare industry? Dear Santa, (medcitynews.com)
Dear Santa,
I’m writing to you with my Christmas wish list. I realize that I am a little over the typical age limit for this activity, but I am pretty short so maybe I can still pass for a kid? I also know that, as a venture capitalist, I may automatically default to the "naughty list." But I am an eternal optimist and I’m hoping that the social value inherent in investing in healthcare instead of video games and drones can help me put a few points on the Santa board...Here’s to hoping that my wishes will be fulfilled, for what it’s worth, I will be listening for Rudolph et al on Christmas Eve, cookies at the ready. I make really good cookies. Here’s my list, in no particular order:
- Great companies with rational valuations
- A better IPO market for digital health companies
- A parade of experienced, driven, humble entrepreneurs who can balance their tech and healthcare knowledge for good
- A world where venture capitalists and entrepreneurs recognize that diversity is a plus–
- A medical system that values the active role of the patient aka consumer
- A better work environment for physicians, nurses and others who care for people
- Recognition and reward for the unpaid and overwhelmed caregivers of our nation
- An end to avoidable medical errors
- A pony
Anyway, whatever your holiday of choice—Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years Eve, Festivus or other—I hope yours is a great one and that you find love, relaxation and moments of joy before the new year revs up again...Happy Holidays everyone.