16.8: The percentage increase in hospital admissions in 2022 related to these diagnoses, representing the second biggest driver for a national union health plan with more than a quarter million members. We’ll give you a hint – it’s a famous Joe. That’s right, GI or gastrointestinal conditions are an increasing driver of hospitalizations, namely stomach, intestine, and pancreas related conditions – and drove more admits than lung, pulmonary, musculoskeletal and mental health. Save the date: Friday, November 10th, at noon ET for a ~30-minute live conversation with this union plan.
61: The portion of all mental health disorder related hospital admissions in 2022 for a national union health plan that were attributed to “dependents” of the plan’s primary adult beneficiary. Dependents were typically teenagers. 39%, by comparison, were tied to the primary beneficiary.
54.9: The percent of Black medical students who plan to work in underserved locations, compared to 24.6% of white students and 23.1% of Asian students, according to data collected across 48,000 medical students between 2019-2022. We’ve heard from many behavioral health providers recently about the lack of providers who look like the diverse populations they’re treating or those willing to practice in more rural and underserved areas. Research indicates that increasing diversity among doctors tends to lead to better health outcomes – it seems like at least some of this next generation of doctors are trying to make that happen.
59.99: The maximum cost of a monthly membership with nutrition and wellness company GNC who’s partnered with ReviveHealth to offer virtual primary care, urgent care, mental health, physical therapy, medications and eventually virtual weight-loss care, all without insurance.
55: The number of FastMed urgent care clinics that Blue Cross NC is purchasing in hopes building the clinics “back to pre-pandemic" levels.
2: Dual eligibles, those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, will have a new benefit starting January 1, 2024, from BCBS Tennessee. The Blue Care Plus members will get health food, over the counter supplies and housing utilities. Previously, these benefits have only been available to those who meet Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill requirements.
1972: The year when the FDA determined that a product called Trypsin was less than effective as a debriding agent and so they rescinded approval, but not until about 40 years later did it find that some products approved by the agency contained the ingredient. A popular topical treatment to handle wounds in nursing home residents lost its own FDA approval because it contained the ingredient and about a month after that FDA decision, Part D plans that covered the wound care product stopped covering it. “Nursing homes complained, particularly since some were concerned about readmission penalties and relied on it for preventing wounds from going from stage 2 to 3, preventing pressure ulcers,” SNF clinical director Barbara Keller said at the time. What’s past is somewhat prologue. CVS is the first big pharmacy chain to announce a voluntary recall of a product called phenylephrine used in many popular decongestants. A month ago an FDA panel determined that phenylephrine is ineffective. CVS will pull many products containing the ingredient from its shelves.
20: Did you know that this portion of calls into the 988 crisis line go unresolved, largely because there’s no local option to direct the person to? A lot of people in crisis still call 911, but only some of those responders are trained and knowledgeable enough to transition the person over to 988. As with any new system, this should improve. In Houston, a 911 and 988 crisis center co-locate responders, and this is having better results. Read more details about the ever-changing behavioral health ecosystem in our special report by clicking here.
What’s The Over Under? Is it at all possible drones from Amazon will drop off prescriptions and pizza directly into the Texas A&M’s Kyle Field football stadium during this weekend’s home game vs. South Carolina? Amazon will begin testing prescription drone deliveries in College Station, Texas, and patients there can now get scripts delivered within one hour of placing an order. They’re focusing on medications for illnesses like the flu or pneumonia, where starting medications quickly is particularly important. They won’t be delivering any controlled substances and, despite what seems like a good idea according to college students, no pizza pies.
Extra Point: Watching the Patriots game on an iPhone over pancakes last Sunday in NYC – yes, late afternoon pancakes are delicious – I asked our 18-year-old Sophie what an extra point is worth. “Wait, that’s the kick, right?” Yes, I said, it’s the kick. “Oh well, that’s easy. It’s 3, obviously.” Her answer made me smile and reminded me when she was just 6 and she made a list over pancakes of all the things she would need if we ever had to go to a hideout, and high on her list were 3 pairs of tights, or as she wrote it, “3 ti_s” (that word George Carlin said we couldn’t say on television!). Webster could not have seen that one coming, right? But I’m not so sure what was funnier: the spelling or the 3? When I told her that she was close but had spelled “tights” incorrectly, she chuckled and snorted the way kids do. “Oh yeah,” hee hee she giggled, “there’s no ‘s’” It’s a strange set of emotions when the kids leave the nest and go out on their own. You begin to feel yourself age, and not necessarily physically. Your brain just instantly becomes older. You find yourself staring out windows and getting emotional just looking at that picture frame made of popsicle sticks she gave you for Christmas. You start to randomly choke up thinking about those moments when you could just be a kid with your kids. You rely on FaceTime. And then you get on a train for 3 hours to go see the kid strum a guitar and sing the Emily King song “Teach You” like she did here in front of 500 some people on the Upper East Side, just like the two of you are back home in the living room, only that song was Crosby’s “Teach Your Children.” But I suppose this is the point too - that you grow up, they grow up, and while you may not be able stop them from leaving and stop yourself from aging, you can turn back time once in a while, and have a good laugh over pancakes.