The Gist Healthcare Podcast

During this Delta surge, more pregnant women are ending up severely ill with COVID and physicians urge vaccinations. Religious groups and affiliated hospitals require the COVID-19 vaccine. And insurers expand marketplace offerings. To take the 5 question survey go to Gisthealthcare.com/survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doctors beg people to get their first vaccine doses, while companies ask for booster shot approval. Mental health apps Ginger and Headspace merge. And desperate for staff, places in Nebraska say no COVID vaccine necessary.  To take the 5 question survey go to Gisthealthcare.com/survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House advances the $3.5 trillion social spending package. Despite job losses from the pandemic, the uninsured rate stayed about the same. And the US Preventive Task Force is lowering the recommended age for Type 2 diabetes screening. To take the 5 question survey go to Gisthealthcare.com/survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the FDA gave full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, a flood of new requirements followed. Google and Apple’s health initiatives struggle. And the latest groups to fight price transparency are businesses and pharmaceutical benefit managers. To take the 5 question survey go to Gisthealthcare.com/survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More companies are mandating COVID vaccines every day, but not all mandates are created equal. Just as patients were returning to hospitals the Delta wave hit. And Anthem strikes a partnership with senior-focused primary care company CareMax. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health officials now say everyone needs COVID vaccine boosters. Clinical staffing shortages are leading hospitals to pay as much as 20 percent more than previous surges for travel nurses. And Verily Life Sciences gets deeper into clinical trials with a new acquisition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden Administration is set to roll out a plan to give most Americans COVID vaccine booster shots. National Medicare Advantage spending continues to rise. And UnitedHealth launches its direct-to-consumer play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immunocompromised Americans can now get COVID vaccine boosters. More insurers decline to cover the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. And a new study challenges our long-held assumptions about metabolism.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This latest Delta surge is putting public health officials and hospitals on their heels as beds fill up and hospitals struggle to find enough staff.  Gist Healthcare co-founders Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz discuss how hospitals are dealing with the fourth wave.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Biden throws his support behind giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. Costly health system cyberattacks are at an all-time high. And as the Delta variant surges across the US, consumers' confidence in traveling and other public activities is falling. According to a Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock survey, nearly a third of consumers said they are less likely to seek non-emergent in-pe...

Some employers are considering charging unvaccinated employees higher premiums or the cost of testing. CVS Health launches its virtual first primary care offering to companies. And patients in Western North Carolina sue HCA Healthcare.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As more companies mandate COVID vaccines, a law prevents hospitals from doing so in Montana. While ICUs fill up in Texas, the governor asks hospitals to postpone elective care. And with the infrastructure bill behind them, Democratic Senators move onto their $3.5 trillion budget resolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As kids make up a larger share of covid cases, pediatricians implore the FDA to move quickly to approve the shots for young kids. Morgan Health makes its first investment. And rising COVID cases combined with patients returning for delayed care dampen health insurer profitability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Passon, CEO of data strategy consulting firm Ancore Health discusses recent trends his firm has been watching in physician compensation. He outlines the need to update physician pay approaches to keep pace with the changing economics of health system medical groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vaccinated Americans are most concerned about the Delta variant while many unvaccinated think the shot is riskier than the disease. Enhanced federal subsidies caused individual insurance premiums to drop by 40 percent. And nursing homes start to mandate vaccines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The WHO says hold off on booster shots, but some Americans are already finding ways to get them. Medical boards start cracking down on physicians spreading vaccine misinformation. And the FTC says it can’t keep up with merger filings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A growing number of hospitals, companies, and even local governments announced more COVID vaccine requirements. Hospitals in the states with surging COVID cases are overwhelmed and can’t give adequate care. And CMS nixes a transparency requirement for hospitals and Medicare Advantage plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Missouri Supreme Court rules the state needs to provide coverage to the Medicaid expansion population. Leaders of some of the country's biggest health systems are calling on Congress to support gun violence prevention funding. And spas are popping up to treat long COVID patients. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

States reach a $26 billion settlement with three opioid distributors and Johnson and Johnson. As new daily COVID cases rise, the pace of vaccinations slows. And patients have been coming back for care they delayed because of the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CMS scales back plans to move more procedures to outpatient settings. As the Delta variant spreads and more breakthrough cases are reported, Nephron Research shares an outlook for the COVID testing market heading into the fall and winter. And a new study finds nearly a fifth of Americans have medical debt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Calls for vaccine mandates for healthcare workers intensify. Microsoft is integrating Teladoc’s virtual visit platform into its Teams software. And fines for hospitals not publishing prices could go up to $2 million per year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To explore the impact of a “Medicare at 60” policy on health systems, Gist Healthcare Analyst Patrick Grant discusses how he modeled the revenue implications for health systems if a large portion of their commercially insured patients aged 60 to 64 switched to Medicare coverage.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicare plans to keep paying for telehealth services through next year. Two large health systems announce they won’t offer Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug. And in attempts to drive down prescription drug prices, states target the industry middlemen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Expanding Medicare benefits and Medicaid to holdout states are all part of Democrats' $3.5 trillion-dollar budget package. Tennessee’s top vaccine official was fired and outreach efforts halted amid rising COVID cases. And hospitals sue Intuitive Surgical alleging it’s abusing its monopoly power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicare starts the process of deciding how to cover Aduhelm. As insurers and employers sign on, teletherapy gains momentum. And two states with similar COVID case rates took different paths - one resulted in a lot more deaths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.