517,000: Cost of medical and pharmacy claims for a small cohort of caregivers one health plan utilization analyst studied this year. The patients “take care of sick relatives, then they get sick from the stress.” The analyst said she’s providing a report to the medical and product design teams in the fall with “stats and case examples” like the 57-year-old who had zero claims cost for the prior 5 years outside of check-ups then a 3-year uptick that led to a heart attack” One idea she’s going to float is a division of labor system that “weans” hours, gradually taking the caregiver “from the most exhausting part of the shift to the less demanding tasks.”
Allergy Market Boom: The allergy immunotherapy market continues to grow, due to the increasing occurrence of allergies every year. Studies show that the occurrence of food allergies increases 10% every year, partially a result of rising levels of pollution, creating a larger demand for immunotherapy. The demand for new, innovative procedures is driven by the continual increase in allergic reactions. Global players in the market are working to improve existing Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) drugs, which are clinically verified against atopic dermatitis, airway allergies, and several food allergies. Health insurers, meanwhile, will prioritize coverage and reimbursement next year with a range of new policies to manage the trend, but improve outcomes.
Kindred Spirit: Kindred is adding acute inpatient rehabilitation units to 3 of its long-term acute care hospitals to help shorten patients’ recovery time. The units, with a total of 33 beds, are expected to start serving patients in September 2021 and will be located in Denver, Melbourne, and Philadelphia. Patients in physical rehab will receive 24/7 nursing care and at least 3 hours of therapy a day for 5 days a week.
TeamWork: Teladoc is partnering with Microsoft to integrate its virtual care platforms for health systems. More hospitals and health systems have adopted Teams to connect with patients via video during the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies said. Teladoc's Solo platform will be integrated into the Teams environment, meaning doctors will be able to access clinical data within the EHR via Solo without leaving Teams, by early 2022.
Social Service, Polynesian Style: Kaiser is partnering with nonprofit health plan AlohaCare and community organization, Unite Us, to launch Hawaii’s first coordinated care network, Unite Hawaii. The network will focus on social services including meals, employment, and housing. The Unite Hawaii network is available to all community-based organizations at no cost to them, offering features that allow providers and care coordinators to connect members to participating organizations and receive real-time data on fulfillment of services.
Northern Exposure: That 90s TV show that featured caribou traipsing across intersections in the fictional Alaska town, but the series was filmed in Washington state where legend has it caribou were the first to deliver mail and now Dispatch Health is taking a page from the past “dispatching” health services to Pierce County, Washington. The company is partnering with Regence BCBS to provide its acutely ill members with physician visits ala Dr. Baker, remote monitoring, prescription, and meal deliveries for up to 30 days after initial treatment. No word on if caribou will be delivering the meals.
Get Authorized: BCBS Tennessee is making some changes to their prior authorization requirements in the upcoming months, the Blues plan will add a PA requirement for 4 musculoskeletal codes, while removing PAs for 18 other MSK codes. Beginning October 1, 2021, some commercial members will require PA for lab-based sleep studies, while home-based sleep studies will continue not requiring a PA.
Consumer Engagement: United recently launched a predictive analytics advocacy program to improve care of patients by working to target social determinants of health (SDOH). This program was created following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when approximately 41% of Americans avoided healthcare due to health disparities. Rebecca Madsen, chief consumer officer of UnitedHealthcare, endorsed the program, saying, “It’s really about supporting consumers, driving a different kind of experience, being sensitive to the full continuum of needs, and that every person is different, and they interact with the health system differently.”
Extra Point: I found myself driving by the oak tree last night that took Michael Lynch’s life 40 years ago. Michael was in that coma for 30 days and his mom, Christine, would hold fort at the kitchen table, knitting socks and telling Bobby and I to go ride our bikes. There was an air of pain in that house during that time. Michael, just 16, used to race me, Bobby and Ben Elleck in the Tupperware Olympics. We’d run relays using Christine’s ladles and fill up the bowls with water from the hose. Christine wouldn’t mind – “You’re washing those bowls, Mr. Cote, if you lose.” Michael’s passing hit hard but time healed and Christine spent much of the next 30 years working at the convalescent home, knitting for the residents, making jokes about their health in a way that few can. She was a hot ticket and so her passing this week, on the eve of the Olympic games, sort of hit me. Reminded me that humor is an underappreciated gift in caring for patients.