The Federal Times reports today that
Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., sent a letter to acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert March 22 asking her to appear before the committee May 1 to go over detailed plans for the merger that have yet to be disclosed.
In the meantime the members of the Oversight and Reform Committee asked that the Appropriations Committee include language in the FY20 funding legislation to prohibit the use of any funds for an OPM merger, unless the administration can provide detailed plans, analysis of necessary legal authorities, a cost-benefit analysis, confirmation that the administration has addressed all merger recommendations and concerns by the Offices of Inspector General, and a detailed analysis proving that the merger would actually make government more efficient and effective.
The FEHBlog is a fan of the Econtalk podcast. This week the podcast’s host Russ Roberts interviewed philosopher and author Jacob Stegenga of the University of Cambridge concerning his recent book titled Medical Nihilism. Mr. Stegenga advocates for less interventionist gentle medicine. The FEHBlog found the interview to be thought provoking. You can read a transcript here. The FEHBlog also came across this opinion piece from the British Journal of Medicine about the book. The BMJ article’s author observes
The word “nihilism” may be unfortunate. Stegenga and I spoke at a meeting chaired by the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, where the president objected to the word nihilism, thinking that Stegenga was suggesting that medicine has achieved little and is more of a bad than a good thing. That is not Stegenga’s argument, and he ends his book with some positive ideas on how medical nihilism might lead to better medicine.
He advocates “gentle medicine,” borrowed from the 19th century term la médécine douce. Gentle medicine “encourages a moderate form of therapeutic conservatism.” Many doctors, particularly general practitioners, already practice medicine gently, and gentle medicine clearly overlaps with realistic medicine, prudent medicine, and slow medicine, all of which have their proponents.
On the healthcare information technology front, Amazon announced today that Alexa is not HIPAA compliant. The announcement states that
The new healthcare skills that launched [on Alexa devices] today are:
- Express Scripts (a leading Pharmacy Services Organization): Members can check the status of a home delivery prescription and can request Alexa notifications when their prescription orders are shipped.
- Cigna Health Today (by Cigna, the global health service company): Eligible employees with one of Cigna’s large national accounts can now manage their health improvement goals and increase opportunities for earning personalized wellness incentives.
- My Children’s Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) (by Boston Children’s Hospital, a leading children’s hospital): Parents and caregivers of children in the ERAS program at Boston Children’s Hospital can provide their care teams updates on recovery progress and receive information regarding their post-op appointments.
- Swedish Health Connect (by Providence St. Joseph Health, a healthcare system with 51 hospitals across 7 states and 829 clinics): Customers can find an urgent care center near them and schedule a same-day appointment.
- Atrium Health (a healthcare system with more than 40 hospitals and 900 care locations throughout North and South Carolina and Georgia): Customers in North and South Carolina can find an urgent care location near them and schedule a same-day appointment.
- Livongo (a leading consumer digital health company that creates new and different experiences for people with chronic conditions): Members can query their last blood sugar reading, blood sugar measurement trends, and receive insights and Health Nudges that are personalized to them.