Leading the News
Administration says any American can now be tested for coronavirus if a physician deems it necessary
The Washington Post (3/3, Kim, Sacchetti, Dennis) reports that the “administration vowed late Tuesday that any American can now be tested for” coronavirus “if a doctor deems it necessary.” Vice President Pence said, “We’re issuing clear guidance that subject to doctors’ orders, any American can be tested.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times (3/3, Thomas, Sheikh) reports public health laboratories are questioning the FDA’s ability to deliver one million coronavirus tests this week as Commissioner Stephen Hahn promised on Monday. The article says, “The figure includes orders for commercial tests that companies said were still weeks away from approval, and public health laboratories said their capacity doesn’t come close to that.” The article adds that the White House has “been trying to address the lag in testing caused by botched test kits that were rolled out by the” CDC last month.
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 GOVERNMENT AND MEDICINE
Administration considering reimbursing health care providers for care of uninsured people with coronavirus
The Wall Street Journal (3/3, Armour, Subscription Publication) reports the Administration is considering reimbursing health care providers if they care for uninsured people with coronavirus.
 HEALTH COVERAGE AND ACCESS
In 2016, Americans and their insurance companies spent an estimated $134.5 billion on lower back and neck pain, researchers say
CNN (3/3, Rogers) reports, “In 2016, Americans and their insurance companies spent an estimated $134.5 billion on lower back and neck pain – more than all forms of cancer combined,” researchers concluded after estimating “U.S. public, private and out-of-pocket spending on health care for 154 health conditions from 1996 to 2016.” Back and neck pain were followed by “musculoskeletal conditions including joint and limb pain, then spending for diabetes, heart disease, falls and urinary diseases.”
Newsweek (3/3, Gerogiou) reports, “The United States now spends more on health care than at any point in its history, and significantly more than nearly any other nation on Earth, according to the” study. The findings were published in JAMA.
Nearly one-third of patients worry about health care costs, poll finds
PatientEngagementHIT (3/3, Heath) reports, “Nearly one-third of patients are worried about health care costs, including the ability to pay for health insurance and out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, according to a new poll from NBC News and the Commonwealth Fund.” The poll “investigated the concerns top of mind for the American patient, with health care affordability leading the way. Overall, 31% of respondents said they are worried about being able to pay for their health insurance, while 29% are concerned about the out-of-pocket costs associated with many prescription drugs.”
 QUALITY AND SAFETY
Report looks at how hospitals adhere to key patient safety protocol when delivering common but high-risk surgeries
PatientEngagementHIT (3/3, Heath) reports, “Adherence to key patient safety protocol during high-risk surgery may be getting better, but steps lay ahead for organizations delivering a slate of certain medical procedures, according to a new report from the Leapfrog Group.” The report (PDF) “looked at how hospitals adhere to certain patient safety protocol when delivering one of eight common but high-risk surgeries.”
 PUBLIC HEALTH
WHO says COVID-19 may have fatality rate around 3.4%
Reuters (3/3, Nebehay, Kelland) reports the WHO said that around 3.4% of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have resulted in death, suggesting the disease’s fatality rate is far higher than that of influenza. However, the WHO also said that coronavirus can be contained and “urged countries to prepare for patients with the virus turning up in their hospitals and ensure that health workers are protected.”
Researchers say mercury exposure may be tied to increased skin cancer risk
Reuters (3/3, Rapaport) reports, “Americans who eat a lot of mercury-containing seafood might be at increased risk for skin cancer, suggests a study based on national surveys.” The data based on “29,000 adults showed those with the highest mercury levels in their blood were 79% more likely to report having had a non-melanoma skin cancer than those with the lowest levels.” For the study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, investigators “analyzed data from annual health surveys of nationally-representative samples of adults between 2003 and 2016 that included blood tests.”
 PHARMA & DEVICE UPDATE
FDA grants breakthrough therapy status to pirfenidone for interstitial lung disease
Reuters (3/3, Miller) reports the FDA granted breakthrough therapy status to Roche’s Esbriet (pirfenidone) for interstitial lung disease (uILD), “a catch-all term for 200-plus lung-damaging disorders.” Back in 2014, the drug was approved for the treatment of “adults with lung-scarring idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”
Coronavirus may cause drug shortages due to Chinese factories being closed and India’s government restricting exports
The New York Times (3/3, Goel) reports that coronavirus “is now starting to hurt the supply of essential drugs” with pharmaceutical companies “struggling to get vital raw ingredients for common antibiotics and vitamins from Chinese factories, which were closed for weeks as China battled to contain the coronavirus.” The article adds that “even as some of the country’s factories have restarted, shortages of some drugs may develop.” On Tuesday, India ordered pharmaceutical companies “to stop exporting 26 drugs and drug ingredients, most of them antibiotics, without explicit government permission,” which could have a large impact around the world, because many of the world’s generic drugs are exported from India.
 ALSO IN THE NEWS
Popular APMs including ACO, bundled payment models have high drop-out rates, review finds
RevCycle Intelligence (3/3, LaPointe) reports, “Alternative payment models (APM) primarily run by Medicare have generally produced modest savings and quality improvements,” although “popular APMs including accountable care organization (ACO) and bundled payment models have high drop-out rates, which may indicate a problem with downside risk, according to a new review article in Health Affairs.” The article looked at “40 APMs operated by the CMS Innovation Center, including the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI), Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model, and the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) initiative,” and “found that population- and episode-based payment models – which largely cover ACO and bundled payment programs – generated some savings on average, with ACO models making the biggest impact overall. Bundled payment savings largely depended on the model.”
TUESDAY'S LEAD STORIES
• USPSTF recommends screening for hepatitis C infection in all adults ages 18 to 79 without known liver disease
• Supreme Court will hear third major challenge to Affordable Care Act
• Changing regular sleep-wake time by 90 minutes in either direction may increase chance of heart attack or heart disease, researchers say
• Online pharmacy says tests found probable carcinogenic impurity in metformin
• Women earn less than men in top positions at U.S. medical schools, research shows
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