988: The new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number, available nationwide by 2022. The previous number, 1-800-273-TALK, was hard to remember, so advocates have changed it to three digits to make it “similar to 911 calls for emergencies.”
High School Ups & Downs: Nearly three quarters of 394 sophomores and juniors in high school either lost significant weight or gained significant weight during the pandemic, citing lack of social interaction, according to a tracking poll of high school behavior we started in March. 9% self-acknowledged that they started “dabbling” in drugs or alcohol, though that number is far higher in urban areas, and was at a peak of 17% in late April. Depression, which at its peak in early May affected 84% polled, including 91% of boys, has mitigated since, down to 57% overall since June 15th.
Dental Care, But Make It Virtual: We’ve been reporting on the inroads that telehealth has made during the course of the pandemic, but now there is growth in an area that falls outside the traditional telehealth priorities like urgent care and behavioral health. Teledentistry is emerging, which will be a factor that could impact some clinic-based practices. DentaQuest has partnered with MouthWatch to provide their teledentistry platform to more than 70 DentaQuest managed or affiliated practices in Alabama, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington. Teledent offers live video conferencing and file and photo sharing capabilities to help patients receive dental care from home.
Amazon: Thanks to a new partnership with Amazon, members of Anthem’s commercial medical and dental health plans can now use Alexa-enabled devices to order prescription refills. Known as Anthem Skill, the service will also allow members to access their health and dental plan benefit information using only their voices.
Go Blue: In Michigan, Cigna and Priority Health have formed a strategic alliance that will allow Cigna members to access Priority Health’s provider network, which includes 97% of PCPs in Michigan. Priority Health members who may work or travel outside Priority Health’s service area will now have access to Cigna’s national provider network through the alliance.
Behavioral Practice Gains Half Million: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island has awarded $422,000 to a local behavioral healthcare provider, Newport Mental Health, to allow them to better collect and analyze population health data on their patients. The grant is part of a Behavioral Health Quality Grant program, which helps behavioral healthcare providers make the leap into population health models. These models support methods, such as screenings and tracking and reporting outcomes, and can help providers and payers better focus care and improve outcomes.
Hospital System Payer Affiliation: The trend in hospital systems partnering with government-sponsored plans and primary care continues. CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the US, is partnering with primary care provider Paladina Health to offer direct-to-employer primary care. Participating employers will pay a flat fee per employee for access to onsite or virtual clinics and primary and preventive care will be free to employees. The first location will be in Las Vegas, with plans to eventually spread to all 21 states CommonSpirit is in. And starting in July, members covered by Health Partner Plans, a Medicaid and Medicare plan in Pennsylvania, can utilize Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and its affiliated outpatient primary and specialty providers as an in-network provider. The hospital is recognized nationally as a top pediatric center.
Game Time for ADHD Patients: EndeavorRx is the first video game ever to be approved by the FDA that is targeted to help children with ADHD and will be marked as medication or “game-based therapy.” Its intended use is indicated by the agency to improve children’s symptoms associated with ADHD. The game is based around an alien in which the user, aged 8-12, navigates through a course and responds to on-screen prompts. Akili, the creator of the game, said in a statement that the game “will be available with a prescription to families soon.”
Heads Carolina: BCBS of North Carolina launched a new two-year program in June 2020 that is aiming to keep primary care offices open while moving them into value-based care arrangements. In order to participate, providers must join Blue Cross NC’s value-based program, Blue Premier. Providers have the option of joining an existing ACO in Blue Premier’s network or they can work with Aledade to transition to a value-based model. Participating doctor's offices will receive supplemental payments to stabilize revenue for primary care services at their pre-COVID-19 levels beginning in September, through 2021, and in 2022, providers will have the option to receive capitation payments.
A New Type of Drive-Through: Humana recently announced that it will cover LabCorp’s at-home COVID-19 test, as well as tests offered at drive-through sites in Walmart parking lots; labs from the drive-through sites will be processed by Quest. Other retailers, such as CVS and Walgreens, have also promised to make testing sites available in their parking lots. CVS, for example, has established 1,400 test sites in 33 states. Patients are instructed to stay in their cars and go to the drive-through window to receive the test. Samples are then sent to a third-party lab to process.
Extra Point: Songs from Glee’s Santana Lopez soared from Sophie and Mukue’s bedroom this past spring, her angelic voice giving the girls a bit of freedom to get lost in during what’s been an isolating year for teens. So it was awfully sad to hear today that the Glee character Naya Rivera, just 33 years old, may have drowned on Wednesday, possibly leaving behind a 4-year-old son and, at least in my household, kids who looked up to her. Who hung on her every note for Glee’s six seasons. Santana’s version of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal was actually the first time Sophie heard Jackson’s epic 1980s hit. “Wait, dad, Santana sings that right? Who’s Michael Jackson again? Wasn’t he a president?” If you grew up in the 80s, dancing to Smooth Criminal was a rite of passage. You tried to lean over like Jackson did when the FM radio station played it, like you were in a V8 commercial. You wore a turtleneck, bellbottoms, a walk-man, and Reeboks with the air bubbles to pump up before jumping to a Van Halen song, or moonwalking like Michael from locker to locker. You couldn’t afford Air Jordans, but the Reeboks worked. This generation doesn’t really know about these 80s music stars. Glee is their music. Santana is their Madonna, their Michael. Their mental health.