New data from Israel, Pfizer show potent effect from third coronavirus shot
The much-anticipated data arrived two days before an important FDA advisory meeting to discuss authorization of a booster dose for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
In rare move, DOJ intervenes in MA fraud case against data mining company
Defendants Independent Health, an MA payer, and its now-defunct medical analytics subsidiary DxID denied all allegations of wrongdoing and said they planned to defend themselves “vigorously” in court.
Providers balk at MIPS value program, Medicare rate in physician pay rule comments
While providers strongly support the telehealth coverage increases in the proposed rule, they asked the agency to go further by putting the services that are now going to be covered until the end of 2023 on the permanent list.
Former employee blows whistle on Aetna’s fraudulent provider network that listed dead physicians, suit claims
The plaintiff discovered that “tens of thousands of children were assigned to [primary care providers] that had no relationship whatsoever to [Aetna],” the suit alleges.
Private health coverage for working-age adults fell amid pandemic, Census data shows
The drop from March 2019 to March 2021 was largely offset, however, by coverage gains in programs like Medicaid.
Preventable hospitalization costs among unvaccinated patients surged to $3.7B in August, KFF says
More than 280,000 hospitalizations from COVID-19 between June and August could have been prevented by vaccination, researchers found.
Delta patients clog hospitals, spur more procedure delays
Intermountain is the latest system to announce it’s putting non-emergency procedures back on hold at 13 of its hospitals, and expects the pause to last several weeks, CEO Marc Harrison said Friday.
CMS moves to scrap Medicare coverage of breakthrough devices due to clinical evidence concerns
AdvaMed said the repeal of the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology rule is the wrong decision for patients. Analysts noted the reimbursement pathway could be resurrected in Cures 2.0 legislation.
HHS to release $25.5B in COVID-19 relief funding for providers
Some providers have been anxiously waiting on additional disbursements from the provider relief fund, especially for the period of the pandemic that saw the highest hospitalization rates.
Departing FDA officials, WHO leaders argue against broad rollout of COVID-19 booster shots
Marion Gruber and Philip Krause, two top FDA vaccine reviewers who are unexpectedly departing this fall, joined senior WHO officials in saying booster vaccine doses are not yet widely needed.