4: Percent increase in suicides in 2021 compared to 2020, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Experts are worried that after declining rates in 2019 and 2020, rates are increasing again. The report found that males ages 15 to 24 continue to be at higher risk than other groups, but there was a worrying 16% increase among middle-school-aged girls. In a smaller study, CVS Health recently reported a 32% increase in suicides among their members aged 13 to 17 and in response, is partnering with virtual mental health companies targeting adolescents as well as implementing toolkits for parents.
Predicting The Future: Like we predicted back in 2014 when we suggested grocery delivery service Peapod ought to add nutritionists and partner with healthcare insurers and hospitals (see video here -- starting at the 4:20 minute mark until 5:55), nearly a decade later the grocery delivery service Instacart is moving into healthcare with the launch of Instacart Health. As part of the launch, the company will work with WellCare of Kentucky and digital health company, Good Measures, to make food prescription programs available for Medicaid members. Good Measures’ dietitians will work with members to create a nutrition plan for them, which will be accessible via Instacart. For low-income consumers, Instacart will allow people to use their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance funds.
Easier Credentialing: Credentialed primary care nurse practitioners with more than 3,600 hours of experience, as well as psychiatric and women’s health nurse practitioners are no longer required to provide evidence of a collaboration with a physician, a written practice agreement or written practice protocols under a revised Excellus BCBS rule.
Gastro Park: Starting in November, Regence BCBS will require pre-authorization for the site of service for select gastrointestinal procedures including endoscopies and colonoscopies. Providers wishing to perform these procedures at a hospital outpatient surgical site will be required to submit proof the member needs this level of care. Similarly, Aetna is now beginning to require a precertification for certain procedures like lithotripsy, carpal tunnel surgery, hernia repair and others for members when they are performed in a hospital outpatient setting.
Concierge With Multi Specialty Flare: Gone are the days when the concierge doctor just checked your vitals. A new concierge care platform from Cigna and its subsidiary Evernorth will focus on MSK conditions, injectable and infusion drugs in a variety of locations including at home and will eventually expand to offer behavioral health and nutrition. The new offering, Pathwell, targets commercial members and integrates Evernorth’s data analytics and digital solutions with Cigna’s medical benefits and networks to provide personalized, comprehensive care for members with high-cost conditions. Pathwell Bone & Joint will connect patients with PT, behavioral health and peer support and if surgery is necessary the members’ benefits will cover the procedure at low to no cost, according to the insurer.
Physical Meet Mental: 24 Hour Fitness is teaming up with Headspace Health, the digital mental health platform, to offer a complimentary three-month Headspace subscriptions to new and existing fitness club members on a first-come-first-served basis. The partnership is set to launch on World Mental Health Day, October 10. Be aware – these marriages will likely proliferate and partner with health insurers over the next several years.
Extra Point: Please pray for my 15-year-old Tommy. He has to write 4 whole sentences with adverbs, adjectives and creative verbs by next Thursday on a “health” topic of his choice. He has to submit it over the google doc, using his iPad. Oh the absurdity, plus this is for his health class. “I don’t know why we have to write at all – it’s not English class!” Tommy said today. I asked him what his topic is. “I don’t know, I picked the punemo. Sounds like the fish in the movie, right, but no idea what it is.” It sounded like a rare disorder to me, but on a hunch I asked him to show me the spelling. “That’s pneumonia you dummy!” If there’s a lesson here it’s that iphones are creating a generation of misspellers and schools are probably enabling the youth. “Tom when I was your age we didn’t have computers– we had to write book reports, that’s like 30 sentences, all with a #2 pencil on paper and the only spell checker I had was Webster’s dictionary!” Wait, Tommy said, “what’s a computer?”