Keith A. Reynolds is the editor of Physicians Practice.
IQVIA study: World medicine spending to hit $1.6 trillion in 2025
Spending on COVID-19 vaccines through 2025 is expected to hit $157 billion.
Executives: Costs of health care benefits becoming unsustainable
A majority of employers say government should have a greater role in providing health care coverage and covering costs.
Expanding your life lens to enhance patient care
Kimberly Manning, MD, FACP, shared how her own life lens and what she learned from a diverse work environment helped to enhance the care she provides.
ACP calls for improved privacy protections
The organization is making proposals to improve the existing health information privacy framework and expand similar privacy guardrails to other entities not covered by these laws and regulations.
Fauci: Addressing healthcare access disparities will take decades
The NIAID head said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to address social determinants of health.
Accolade acquiring virtual primary care platform PlushCare
The move will allow Accolade to provide virtual primary care and mental health consultations.
CDC updates COVID-19 outdoor mask guidance
The agency says masks aren’t necessary outdoors unless in a large crowd if fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Proposed bill would pay pharmacists to provide care in underserved areas
The bill would have Medicare paying pharmacists for providing basic care.
Coronavirus vaccine and case numbers in the United States: April 27, 2021
Data from the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control.
Healthcare groups still uncertain due to COVID-19 pandemic
Uncertainty remains in the healthcare sector as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the industry.
Feds lift pause on Johnson and Johnson vaccine, hesitancy remains
A federal advisory committee says the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, but many Americans says they won’t take it.
Billions in NIH funding enabled COVID-19 vaccines
The NIH’s investments in vaccine technology before the pandemic paid dividends in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Bringing equity to healthcare
Leaders of healthcare ACOs spoke about how their institutions are bringing equity to care they provide.
CMMI chief reaffirms commitment to value-based care
In the opening plenary of the NAACOS 2021 Spring Conference, Liz Fowler, MD, PhD, talked about the CMMI’s priorities now that she’s in the lead.
Healthcare jobs still down from end of 2020
Small employment increases in March and February couldn’t replenish the more than 80,000 jobs lost in January.
Pfizer chief says COVID-19 booster likely needed
The CEO of the drug company says that a booster followed by annual vaccinations will likely be needed to defeat the pandemic.
Medicare sequestration pushed to end of 2021
President Biden signed legislation extending the moratorium on a 2 percent Medicare cut.
Drug advisory committee needs more time on Johnson and Johnson vaccine decision
ACIP delayed a vote on lifting a federal pause on the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
Physician advocacy group pushes CMMI to change course on direct contracting model
The physician group organization wants CMS to reverse course and reopen applications for the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model for 2022.
Microsoft to acquire Nuance
The technology juggernaut is acquiring the company as part of its push into artificial intelligence and cloud services for the healthcare industry.
FDA, CDC call for pause on Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
U.S. regulators is taking a pause on administering the vaccine while experts study a small number of blood clots.
New CMMI director to headline NAACOS conference
Elizabeth Fowler, JD, PhD, will be opening the conference April 20.
Physician organizations call for prior authorization changes
A letter to the acting administrator of CMS says there’s concern they can delay patient access to care.
Information blocking rules take effect
The interoperability rule is currently limited in what information cannot be blocked.
CDC: COVID-19 surface transmission rare
The risk of contracting COVID-19 from surfaces is far less than believed early in the pandemic.
COVID-19 drove increase in size of healthcare mergers
While the number of healthcare mergers fell, the average transaction size skyrocketed.
Fewer patients complete clinical trials during pandemic
Clinical research has been limited during the pandemic due to COVID-19 precautions.
COVID-19 brought little relief from prior authorizations
Insurers continued to impose bureaucratic barriers as new COVID-19 cases peaked in late 2020.
Majority in healthcare say pandemic has hurt their mental health
New poll from Kaiser Family Foundation and The Washington Post details the effects of the pandemic on healthcare workers.
Verizon moving into telehealth
The new venture will seek to connect physicians to their patients simply and securely.