COVID-19
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FDA Approves Updated Covid-19 Vaccines to Address Now Circulating Variants
The FDA said the updated messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will protect against the omicron subvariants now prevalent in circulation. Left out of the FDA decision is Novavax, whose protein-based vaccine is still under regulatory review.
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What Are the Challenges in Gaining Trust in Healthcare?
In order to gain trust from communities, healthcare leaders will need more training on effective communication, said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy. He made these comments last week during a panel at the AHIP 2023 conference in Portland.
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Payer’s Place: Dawn Maroney
Dawn Maroney, President, Markets of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, to discuss how they are using technology to provide better service and care to consumers.
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Are We Prepared for the Next Pandemic? Anthony Fauci Weighs In at AHIP
While the U.S. did very well on the scientific front of Covid-19 with the production of vaccines, it needs to improve on the public health front, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He made these comments Tuesday at the AHIP 2023 conference in Portland.
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Inside One Philadelphia Doctor’s DIY Method to Tackle Health Inequity
Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, provided hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 tests and vaccines to Black and Brown people in Philadelphia’s underserved neighborhoods during the pandemic. In her view, her work was impactful because she acted promptly and focused on community-based patient engagement.
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FDA Nod Makes Pfizer’s Paxlovid the First Approved Oral Covid-19 Antiviral Drug
Paxlovid, a Pfizer antiviral awarded FDA emergency authorization in 2021 for treating Covid-19, is now approved for treating adults. Results from a pivotal clinical trial showed that Paxlovid led to an 86% reduction in Covid-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause compared to a placebo.
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7 Things Employers Should Know About the End of the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency
The Covid-19 public health emergency ended May 11, which will affect employer-sponsored insurance in several ways, said Jeff Levin-Scherz, population health leader of Willis Towers Watson. This includes the coverage Covid-19 tests and vaccines.
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Medicare Improperly Paid Providers $348M for Telehealth Psychotherapy Services
Out of the $1 billion in Medicare payments to providers for psychotherapy services in the first year of Covid-19, $580 million were improper payments, an audit by the Office of Inspector General found. This includes $348 million for telehealth services.
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The Public Health Emergency Is Expiring, So What Is the Future of Covid-19 Vaccines?
The FDA will decide this summer which strains the next Covid-19 vaccines should address. But companies are also taking a longer view, developing shots for the future that offer different features than the current ones and potentially broader protection against a wider range of pathogens.
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FDA’s Covid-19 Changes Set Stage for the Vaccines to Emulate Seasonal Flu Shots
Older adults and immunocompromised people may now get a second Covid-19 booster shot, according to amendments to the FDA authorizations of the mRNA vaccines. Further changes will be discussed at an advisory committee meeting planned for June.
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Applying Remote Patient Monitoring to Surgery Prep and Recovery, Oncology and Women’s Health
Join us to learn about the latest trends in remote monitoring and how to extend its benefits beyond chronic conditions to more patients – all while using fewer staff resources.
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InflaRx Covid-19 Drug Welcomes an FDA Win; Pardes Bio Throws In the Towel
The FDA granted emergency use authorization to an InflaRx antibody drug that treats hospitalized Covid-19 patients. But Pardes Bioscience’s coronavirus journey is ending following the Phase 2 failure of an antiviral that was expected to compete with Pfizer’s Paxlovid.
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Devices & Diagnostics, Sponsored Post
The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Served as a Catalyst for Diagnostic Transformation
The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the way we think of diagnostics in our daily lives. In a recent webinar, BD Vice President for Diagnostics Nikos Pavlidis spoke with a clinician and an epidemiologist where they shared their perspectives on how testing developments have changed the way we track respiratory illnesses.
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CMS Administrator: Telehealth Flexibilities Greatly Expanded Access, But Up To Congress To Extend
During an interview at the AHIP Medicare, Medicaid, Duals and Commercial Markets Forum held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure discussed CMS’ key focus areas for 2023. This includes the end of the public health emergency, health equity and prescription drug costs.
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Feds expected to scrutinize Covid-era payments to providers
Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other providers collected billions in government aid during the pandemic. Federal auditors may soon come knocking to ensure the money was spent correctly.
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Elevance Health: Long Covid Patients Are at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Problems, Mortality
A recent Elevance Health study found that long Covid patients are 2.35 times more likely to experience cardiac arrhythmia and 3.64 times more likely to experience pulmonary embolism. The study also discovered higher mortality rates among long Covid patients.
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Medicaid/CHIP Enrollment Will Grow To Nearly 95M by the End of March, Analysis Predicts
By the end of March, Medicaid/CHIP enrollment will have grown by 23.3 million members since the start of the pandemic, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. This is largely due to the continuous enrollment provision enacted during the pandemic, which barred states from disenrolling members and is set to expire March 31.
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Payer’s Place: Dr. Anil Singh
Dr. Anil Singh shares his insights into the strategies employed by the organization to identify the most effective digital solutions for their members.
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Discover the Next-Gen Platform for Integrated Collaborative Care
Beyond EHRs and digital front doors, reducing the gaps in patient care journeys.
