| | | | | | | Presented By PhRMA | | | | Axios Vitals | | By Tina Reed · Oct 24, 2022 | | Welcome back to another week, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 825 words, a 3-minute read. 🍺 On tap this week: Amazon's earnings are in this Thursday, and we'll be listening for any details on the health segments of their business — and its pending deal to acquire One Medical. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Biden's COVID dilemma as winter nears |  | | | Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios | | | | Stealthy new COVID-19 variants, low vaccination rates and mixed messaging over the state of the pandemic threaten to thwart the Biden administration's efforts to contain a wintertime surge, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim and I write. Why it matters: The pandemic has largely become background noise to a crisis-fatigued public even as new strains show their ability to topple our best defenses. And there's still confusion over such basics as what it means to be "fully vaccinated." What they're saying: "Right now it's looking good, but we have to be cognizant the train is coming down the tracks," said Peter Hotez, dean at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "People are tired and it's going to be hard to persuade them to do a full-court press." The Biden administration says it's taking steps like setting up pop-up clinics and media campaigns to promote the new shots. Officials say the ideal time to get vaccinated is by Halloween, before colder weather, holiday gatherings and travel send more people indoors. But it makes for a challenging message, Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist and chief scientific officer at the biotech software company eMed, told Axios. - "They're between a rock and a hard place right now because you try to push too much of a COVID message then you're risking the election because [voters] want the pandemic to be done, but it's not," Mina said.
Related: Biden to get updated COVID vaccine booster shot Tuesday |     | | | | | | 2. Pediatric hospitals feel early season crush |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | Pediatric hospitals around the country are reaching capacity amid a surge of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, cases, as well as other respiratory viruses. Why it matters: Experts say the convergence comes as they're girding for a rise in new COVID cases and a worse-than-usual flu season. The big picture: Nearly three out of every four pediatric hospital beds are occupied, with Rhode Island, Delaware and Washington D.C. reporting more than 94% occupied, the Washington Post reports. - Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., neared capacity this week as cases of respiratory illness spiked, Axios D.C. reports.
- Children's Hospital Colorado has been filling up with sick kids, too, per Axios Denver.
- Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford is considering building a field hospital outside the main facility if case numbers continue to grow, Juan Salazar, the physician-in-chief, told the Wall Street Journal.
What they're saying: "We've had reasonably quiet years as a result of all the efforts to control COVID," John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, told ABC News. - "It means that there is a resurgence of some of these viruses that we have annually, but in a more significant way," he said.
| | | | | | | | 3. HCA, Tenet Healthcare report profits down | | Shares for HCA Healthcare and Tenet Healthcare, two of the largest publicly traded hospital companies, plummeted last week after disappointing third-quarter earnings compared to performance a year earlier, Axios' Arielle Dreher writes. Why it matters: The results reflect ongoing inflationary pressure, dwindling federal COVID assistance and higher staffing costs, which are even hitting the largest for-profit health systems. Zoom in: HCA's profits dropped from $2.3 billion in Q3 of 2021, to $1.1 billion this quarter, down 50%. - Tenet, meanwhile, saw profits drop to $131 million, down 71% from $449 million in the same quarter a year ago.
Yes, but: Executives told investors that the high costs of labor are expected to decline in the coming months if they haven't already. - HCA spent $195 million less on salaries and benefits in Q3 compared to the same quarter last year.
- Tenet hospitals hired more than 2,000 nurses in the third quarter alone, executives told investors.
Driving the news: Hospital leaders told analysts they expect to rely less and less on staffing agencies in the coming months, as hiring and recruitment efforts at both hospital groups have intensified. - Tenet reported a potential tailwind even after increasing wages for current employees because contract labor is still much more expensive than paying their own staff.
What we're watching: Inflation continues to be the wild card, leading both companies to shy away from sharing specific projections for 2023 until the new year begins. | | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | How insured Americans navigate unclear insurance coverage | | |  | | | | According to new findings, insured Americans favor policy solutions that improve their ability to navigate and access their care while lowering their out-of-pocket costs. An example: Tackling the barriers introduced by insurers and middlemen like pharmacy benefit managers. Read more. | | | | | | 4. Data du jour: Primary care access |  Data: Health Resources and Services Administration; Note: Need is measured by the primary care physicians needed to remove the designation as a Health Professional Shortage Area; Map: Axios Visuals Six states, including Alaska, Washington, Nebraska, Missouri, New Jersey and Delaware have fewer than 30% of needed physicians available, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. - In Delaware, only 16.4% of the primary care physicians needed are available.
- Rhode Island was the state with the greatest share of need met at 72.1%.
| | | | | | | | 5. While you were weekending |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | :small_red_triangle_down: A global helium shortage is worrying doctors because of the threat it poses to MRIs. (NBC) 👉 HHS is cracking down on poorly performing nursing h0mes. (Modern Healthcare) 👀 Health department medical detectives find 84% of U.S. maternal deaths are preventable. (NPR) | | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | Americans want policy reforms that improve their insurance | | |  | | | | Did you know 39% of insured Americans say they don't understand what's covered by their insurance? Health insurance coverage should be predictable and transparent, and insured Americans agree. Learn more from PhRMA's latest Patient Experience Survey report. | | | | :studio_microphone:️ "How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter" unpacks Twitter's history, its challenges, what Musk has said about his intentions for the platform, and the tension between free speech ideals and content moderation. Listen here now. Thanks for reading, and thanks to senior editor Adriel Bettelheim and copy editor Azi Najafi for the edits. Please ask your friends and colleagues to sign up. |  | | Why stop here? Let's go Pro. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington VA 22201 | | | You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios.
Change your preferences or unsubscribe here. | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. | | | | Follow Axios on social media:    | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment