Memorial Day Weekend Update

David Ermer–CDC, Congress, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Obesity, Rx coverage, U.S. Healthcare–

Happy Memorial Day!

From Washington, DC

  • Congress is on a District / State work break this week.
  • Federal News Network points out five workforce bills for federal employees to watch this summer.
  • Federal News Network also looks back at the history of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurnace Program which was launch in late 2006.

From the public health and medical research front,

  • The Washington Post sheds light on an e Coli outbreak “which a Feb. 11 internal Food and Drug Administration memo linked to a single lettuce processor and ranch as the source of the contamination. In what many experts said was a break with common practice, officials never issued public communications after the investigation or identified the grower who produced the lettuce.”
  • The Post also lets us know,
    • The National Cancer Institute says 85 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years later and that there were nearly 496,000 pediatric cancer survivors in the United States in 2020. While the good news is encouraging, long-term survivor care brings its own challenges — something pediatric oncologists are working to improve.
    • “Kids with cancer are beating a disease we never beat 30, 40 years ago,” says Greg Armstrong, who chairs the department of epidemiology and cancer control at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and is also the principal investigator of its Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. “There’s an entire population of kids who didn’t exist before. Now we need to figure out how to best support them.”
  • Consumer Reports, writing in the Washington Post, explains how to cope with heartburn.
  • The New York Times considers whether or not there is a “least bad” alcohol for human consumption. “We all know about the health risks of drinking. But if you’re going to partake, it’s natural to want to minimize the damage.”
  • The Wall Street Journal considers
    • “A lack of fiber causes changes in the microbiome that can trigger immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation.
    • “Low fiber intake may contribute to rising cancer rates among young people, especially with the popularity of ultra-processed foods.
    • “Increase fiber intake through diverse fruits, vegetables and whole grains, rather than relying on supplements.”
  • Medscape discusses the overlooked link between Vitamin D and GI health.
  • RAND delves into suicide among veterans.
  • In GLP-1 drug news, the Wall Street Journal notes
    • GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic show promise beyond diabetes/weight loss, potentially treating heart, kidney, liver issues, sleep apnea, and Alzheimer’s.
    • Millions more could benefit from GLP-1s, but doctors caution against use in people who don’t medically fit the bill because it could cause malnourishment.
    • The use of GLP-1 drugs will grow, but high costs, tolerability, and manufacturing capacity could limit uptake despite new versions being developed.
  • and
    • Some consumers are microdosing GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic to save money, lessen side effects, or for perceived health benefits.
    • Doctors note some patients are ‘super responders’ and can maintain weight loss at low doses, but most will need to escalate their dose.
    • A survey found 36% of GLP-1 users microdose, often learning about it from TikTok, despite safety concerns from doctors and manufacturers.

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s CEO Tricia Smith, writing in Crain’s Detroit Business, explains how her company is tackling the healthcare affordability issue.
  • Per Beckers Payer Issues,
    • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota will offer access to specialty behavioral care through partnerships with Equip and Pelago. 
    • Equip provides fully virtual care for eating disorders, according to a May 22 news release. 
    • Pelago offers virtual treatment for opioid and alcohol dependency. It provides three levels of care based on acuity. Both Equip and Pelago will be available to BCBS Minnesota members with commercial or individual coverage. 
  • Beckers Hospital Review offers ten things to know about HCA and Tenet Health, two large U.S. healthcare systems.
  • Fierce Healthcare explains how rural hospitals are powering innovation in healthcare.
    • “One of the best examples of rural innovation scaling to broader impact is Project ECHO, launched in my native New Mexico to address the hepatitis C crisis in underserved areas. Faced with long waitlists and limited specialist access, Sanjeev Arora, M.D., developed a model that used simple videoconferencing technology to mentor rural clinicians in treating complex conditions. 
    • “Instead of centralizing care, it democratized it—turning primary care providers into specialists through case-based learning and ongoing support. What started as a rural solution became a global model, now used in over 40 countries to manage everything from cancer to addiction to COVID-19. Project ECHO redefined how knowledge moves through healthcare. And it all began by listening deeply to the needs of rural providers and designing something that worked in their reality first.”