Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia is offering Israeli companies $1 million for developing new health care technology solutions and helping them break into the US health care market. The initiative, in partnership with the Israel Innovation Authority, will provide funding to four companies, which will have access to Thomas Jefferson's academic medical center facilities.
Applications are being taken for Health Level Seven International's Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources accelerator program. The program will facilitate adoption of the FHIR standard by connecting health care organizations with support such as self-service templates, contracted project management and infrastructure services.
Challenger, Gray, & Christmas' CEO Turnover Report showed a 19% increase in CEO departures in January compared with the same month a year ago. Health care/health products had 17 CEO departures, the second most for any sector, while pharma had 10 departures.
CMS has launched the Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) model. Through it, the agency will continue to pay for Medicare beneficiaries' emergency transport to a hospital emergency department or other destination covered under current regulations while adding payment for transportation to primary care and urgent care or for providing treatment on the scene.
A study in Pediatrics showed that children who used a telehealth-based referral system had more than three times increased odds of completing an initial screening visit with community mental health systems, compared with those who used the traditional phone call referral process. Researchers also found higher parent-reported satisfaction with the telehealth referral process and with overall care compared with the traditional system.
AHIP criticized a proposal from House and Senate Democrats that would permit people ages 50 and older to buy into Medicare and obtain the same cost-sharing subsidies and tax credits offered through Affordable Care Act exchanges, calling the measure a "slippery slope to government-run health care for every American." Congress should "focus on protecting and improving what's working and fixing what's not" instead of taking away the coverage that works for older Americans, said David Merritt, AHIP's executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives.
A study published in JAMA Network Open involving 327 individuals without diabetes found that a model that accounts for diet, physical activity, age and gut microbiome was able to accurately predict how blood glucose reacted to food 62% of the time, substantially better than models based on calories or carbohydrates alone. The findings helped the team understand why certain foods resulted in more energy or fatigue for some individuals, and the work suggests that a more individualized approach to diet may help reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
Cigna and Sentara Healthcare have joined a collaborative blockchain project launched by IBM, Anthem, CVS Health's Aetna, Health Care Services Corp. and PNC Bank that aims to enhance transparency and interoperability in health care. Executives from Cigna and Sentara said blockchain has major potential to help stakeholders solve challenges and improve health care.
A federal judge in Louisiana has agreed to let House Democrats join 16 Democratic states and the District of Columbia as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states that challenges the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The judge, however, denied the Democratic states' request to expedite the appeal of a lower court decision that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
Results of the 2019 Staples Workplace Survey showed 41% of workers said they would accept a 10% reduction in pay if their company cared more about employee wellness. The survey found 90% of employees said having more flexible work arrangements increases morale, and 78% said employers are responsible for helping workers stay mentally and physically fit.