From the Omicron front —
MedCity News reports
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline weathered clinical trial delays for their Covid-19 vaccine, but the partners now have data to support filings seeking regulatory authorizations. Key features of the vaccine may be able to persuade the vaccine hesitant; it may also be well-suited for use as a booster.
This news bears similarities to the reports about the Novavax Covid vaccine already submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization.
The American Hospital Association informs us
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday listed all over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests authorized for home use, including links to home use instructions for each test.
Fierce Healthcare adds
Walmart has administered tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccines to date, with 80% delivered in medically underserved communities, the retail giant announced Wednesday.
The company released a report (PDF) looking back at its progress in providing vaccines over the course of 2021. Cheryl Pegus, M.D., executive vice president of health and wellness at Walmart, told Fierce Healthcare the company has focused on connecting with people who may not otherwise have been able to get the shot.
From the health equity front —
The American Hospital Association tells us
The U.S. maternal mortality rate increased to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 from 20.1 in 2019 as rates for Black and Hispanic women increased, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The maternal mortality rate for Black women was nearly three times the rate for white women. Mortality rates increased with maternal age, with the rate for women aged 40 and over nearly eight times higher than the rate for women under 25.
The AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies initiative offers resources to help hospitals and health systems eliminate maternal mortality and address health disparities for mothers and babies.
What can be more tragic than a baby losing a mother?
Beckers Payer Issues adds from the mental health perspective
Work-sponsored health plans aren’t addressing the growth of loneliness, which leads to employees missing work and decreased productivity, according to data from Cigna’s Loneliness Index shared with Becker’s.
The data, which is slated to be published in the Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, surveyed nearly 6,000 employees between July 16 and Aug. 2, 2019.
Six insights:
1. The widespread presence of loneliness affected 3 in 5 (62 percent) adults before the COVID-19 pandemic. Feelings of loneliness play key roles both in employee health and work performance, according to the study.
2. On average, preventable, stress-related absences caused lonely employees to miss about five more work days than their counterparts who did not identify as lonely.
3. Employees who reported higher levels of loneliness were almost twice as likely to consider quitting their current job than employees who were less lonely.
4. The study estimates that absenteeism and productivity losses tied to preventable loneliness cost employers $154 billion each year.
5. The study said work-based factors like communication, work-life balance and social companionship play key roles in determining employee loneliness. Personal resilience and a feeling of connection outside of the workplace also play a role.
6. Employers looking to combat employee loneliness should consider actions that hit on these factors, including flexible work hours, email “blackout” periods and forming employee resource groups.
From the Black History Month department, Everywell, an at-home testing service, celebrates ten Black pioneers who improved healthcare in our country. Bravo.
From the U.S. healthcare front, Healthcare Finance News reports
Including federal government support, national health spending grew by 3.4% in 2021, according to new data released by Altarum.
This growth in spending, the analysis found, reflected the fact that support from the federal government was strong in 2020, likely in response to the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and was lower in 2021.
Taking these support dollars out of both 2020 and 2021 estimates, spending growth from 2020 to 2021 would have been 8.4%, as the economy continued to recover.
From the healthcare business front —
Healthcare Dive informs us
Despite worries that demand for telehealth could fall as the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care giant Teladoc beat Wall Street expectations with its 2021 financial results, and issued strong future growth projections Tuesday.
The New York-based vendor posted revenue of more than $2 billion in 2021, 86% higher than in 2020. Total visits were up 38% to 15.4 million, and Teladoc closed out the year with 53.6 million U.S. paid members, up just slightly from the year prior.
Beckers Hospital Review identifies 92 U.S. health systems with CMS-approved “hospital at home” programs.
Managed Healthcare Executive tells us
Tired of grappling with the rising costs and poor quality of healthcare, a coalition of major healthcare purchasers is taking things into its own hands, establishing a company that is designing healthcare products to meet its members’ needs. “There’s an incredibly high frustration level among buyers of healthcare,” says Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) in San Francisco.
The nonprofit PBGH represents almost 40 large private employers and public entities that together spend $100 billion each year on healthcare services for more than 15 million Americans and their families. PBGH members include Microsoft, Walmart and American Airlines.
The decision to create the company, Emsana Health, was made about two years ago, with the initial focus on “really understanding the needs on a deep level,” Mitchell says. The company officially launched in the fall, and its first venture is setting up a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), EmsanaRx, which went started operating on Jan. 1.
Finally, in a troubling tidbit, the Wall Street Journal reports
U.S. life insurers, as expected, made a large number of Covid-19 death-benefit payouts last year. More surprisingly, many saw a jump in other death claims, too.
Industry executives and actuaries believe many of these other fatalities are tied to delays in medical care as a result of lockdowns in 2020, and then, later, people’s fears of seeking out treatment and trouble lining up appointments.
Some insurers see continued high levels of these deaths for some time, even if Covid-19 deaths decline this year.