The move is rare in the industry, as hospitals have steadily consolidated over the years, raising serious concerns about a lack of robust competition and the subsequent impact on prices.
Advisers’ recommendations followed the FDA’s clearance of additional doses for certain people vaccinated with Moderna’s and J&J’s shots, while also endorsing a mix-and-match approach.
The deal comes as major U.S. clinical networks increasingly build out their suite of services to jockey for employer and payer clients in the increasingly competitive space.
Megan Rosengarten spoke to MedTech Dive about challenging Intuitive Surgical’s 20-year lead in soft tissue robotics, growing global robotics usage and the stress of entering a new market amid COVID-19.
Officials acknowledged provider concerns that current models are too burdensome and benchmarks too complex, which the innovation center aims to rectify.
The for-profit hospital operator reported that visits to its emergency rooms were up a whopping 25% compared with the prior-year period, reaching 97% of pre-pandemic levels.
The agency also cleared booster shots of all three currently available vaccines to be used interchangeably, a so-called mix-and-match approach that recent study results showed could boost immune responses.
AdvaMed and MDMA responded to a call for feedback on the planned repeal of the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology pathway by proposing tweaks and new ideas to salvage it.
The plan is dependent on FDA authorization and CDC recommendation of Pfizer’s vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 by early next month.
Medical costs came in below projections despite the wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases that were fueled by the delta variant during the quarter.