CAREERS: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Our #PeoplePowered team was excited to be at the @poccareerfair yesterday. We proudly showed how working at UCare means becoming part of a people-powered team, devoted to making a positive impact in the lives of our communities and members.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/3BULTrB (SPONSORED: UCare)
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SURVEY: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Vice President Harris leads former President Trump by 3 percentage points nationally, according to a survey released two weeks before Election Day . . . In terms of issues, the former president led on immigration, 48 percent to 35 percent, and the economy, 46 percent to 38 percent. Harris had an edge on threats to democracy, 42 percent to 35 percent, as well as health care and abortion.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NDNVPh
POLL: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “Every year the American Psychological Association takes a look at the leading causes of stress in the U.S., and publishes an annual report. This year the report shows all the usual suspects like money, health and family are still wearing people down, but one issue is dominating – politics. Seven out of 10 adults say the future of the nation is a significant source of stress in their lives and the issue crosses party lines: 80% of Republicans rated it a top stressor, so did 79% of Democrats and 73% of Independents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dYNrxY
MENTAL HEALTH: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “In September, the federal government issued a rule intended to make it easier for Americans with private health coverage to access treatment for mental health and substance-use disorders. The rule clarifies and strengthens the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, which -- according to a recent West Health-Gallup poll -- has broad support among the American public. Majorities of U.S. adults in both political parties, along with independents, say they support the federal law that requires insurance companies to provide coverage of mental health and substance-use disorder care that is equal to coverage of medical care for physical conditions. Though the updates to MHPAEA align with public opinion, the poll finds that many Americans are skeptical that insurance companies will comply.”
“Nearly four in five Americans say they either strongly (48%) or somewhat (31%) support the federal parity law requiring insurance companies to cover mental health, substance-use disorder, and physical care the same. This includes 95% of Democrats, 79% of independents and 67% of Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3AfbVVV
LONELINESS: From Torey Van Oot and Alex Fitzpatrick via Axios, VERBATIM: “Close to 40% of Minnesotans are lonely, according to a recent vibe check from the U.S. Census Bureau. Why it matters: Feelings of isolation and loneliness are a real public health threat — so much so that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year issued an advisory on the matter. The big picture: Nearly half of Americans reported feeling lonely at least sometimes, the Census survey conducted this summer found.” READ/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4hhO1to
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NEXT YEAR: Via Medical Alley, VERBATIM: “Join us on February 6, 2025 at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis for our 2025 Summit! At our Annual Summit, we convene thought leaders, community partners, and innovators to fast-track ideas that shift the paradigm and transform health.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hfYeXr
TRANSPLANT: From Heather Carlson Kehren via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Surgeons recently performed Mayo Clinic's first paired living liver donation, a significant first step in helping more people with liver failure get a lifesaving transplant. ‘Liver transplantation is the only treatment option for most people with end-stage liver disease. But sadly, there are not enough donated livers available for everyone who needs one. That is why living liver donation is so important,’ says Timucin Taner, M.D., Ph.D., division chair of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic who led the team that completed the clinic's first paired liver donation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BXVxts
MORE: From Jeremy Olson via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Anne Werpy had been waiting a year for a liver transplant — getting sicker and more exhausted the entire time — when she was rescued by an unusual exchange that had never happened before in Minnesota. An Eagan doctor wanted to make a living liver donation at the time Werpy needed one, but he wasn’t a good match for her. He was, however, a match for another transplant recipient, and that woman had a son. And the son’s liver was just the right size and blood type to transplant to Werpy and treat her worsening liver disease.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eVyein
MEDICARE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Private Medicare insurers got about $4.2 billion in extra federal payments in 2023 for diagnoses from home visits the companies initiated, even though they led to no treatment, a new inspector general’s report says. The extra payments were triggered by diagnoses documented based on the visits, including potentially inaccurate ones, for which patients received no other medical services, the report says. Insurers offering private plans under Medicare, known as Medicare Advantage, are paid more when patients have costly conditions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3AbwT85
GHOST NETWORKS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The push for more transparency in the health system is increasingly taking aim at ‘ghost networks’ — the inaccurate health provider directories that critics say are keeping Americans from getting mental health care. Why it matters: A lawsuit filed against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield this week comes as Congress and the White House are stepping up efforts to require insurers to accurately account for which providers are in network. Driving the news: Patients across the country have detailed accounts of buying health coverage only to learn that it didn't provide promised access to therapists and other mental health professionals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eNEMj7
MERGER: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “Sanford Health has officially signed a merger agreement with Wisconsin-based Marshfield Clinic Health System. Plans for the merger were announced last July, and now, according to a press release from Sanford Health, the merger is expected to close by the end of the year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40AZheP
From morning take…
ALLINA: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Allina Health has notified thousands of patients with Humana Medicare Advantage plans that their doctors might be out-of-network next year and therefore only available with higher out-of-pocket costs unless the Kentucky-based insurer agrees to a contract that reduces claims denials and prior authorization rules. The Minneapolis-based health system, one of the largest operators of hospitals and clinics in Minnesota, alerted about 18,000 patients of the potential disruption last week, just as Medicare open enrollment was getting underway. The network exit would extend a recent trend where four other nonprofit health systems operating in Minnesota have announced their intent to [do the same].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3A1Y8C6
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CYBERATTACK: Via Modern Healthcare, VERBATIM: “It's official: The massive cyberattack against UnitedHealth Group unit Change Healthcare was the biggest healthcare data breach in history. The ransomware incident in February affected 100 million people, or nearly 30% of the U.S. population, according to the Breach Portal maintained by the Office for Civil Rights at the Health and Human Services Department. That's consistent with what CEO Andrew Witty told a House subcommittee in May, when he testified that the breach ensnared about one-third of the country.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3A1ygq1
PRICES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Federal price transparency rules are showing signs of stoking more hospital competition and making prices more reflective of the cost of care, a new review found. Why it matters: There's still limited understanding of how the rules are affecting market dynamics, and experts acknowledge they haven't yet translated to lower across-the-board patient costs. The health pricing platform Turquoise Health examined more than 390,000 rates that health systems negotiated with insurers for 37 common services in the 10 biggest U.S. metro areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e37X0p
VACCINE: Via USA Today, VERBATIM: “On Wednesday, members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to lower the recommended age for the pneumococcal vaccine from 65 to 50 and older. Dr. Mandy Cohen, the top official at the CDC, endorsed the committee's recommendation a few hours later. The vaccine, which older adults need only once, protects against pneumococcus bacteria, the leading cause of pneumonia in older adults, said Dr. Jiansheng Zhao, an internal medicine doctor in the SOMOS Community Care network. Pneumococcal pneumonia kills about 1 in 20 older adults infected with the bacteria, according to the CDC.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e8o5xS
HALLOWEEN: From Minnesota Dental Association via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “This Halloween the Minnesota Dental Association advises treat-givers to make tooth-healthy choices and to pass on popular sour candy options. They might seem harmless, but these tricky treats may haunt teeth later on.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eUBvi9
STUDY: From Rhoda Madson via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “How long a person can stand — on one leg — is a more telltale measure of aging than changes in strength or gait, according to new Mayo Clinic research. The study appears today in the journal PLOS ONE. Good balance, muscle strength and an efficient gait contribute to people's independence and well-being as they age. How these factors change, and at what rate, can help clinicians develop programs to ensure healthy aging.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48i3RQR
INOVEDIS: From Eden Prairie-based Inovedis via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “Inovedis Inc., a cutting-edge medical technology start-up, has announced a major milestone in soft tissue repair with the first U.S. patients receiving treatment using their revolutionary SINEFIX Rotator Cuff Repair System. This breakthrough system aims to transform the approach to rotator cuff surgery by addressing not just biomechanical fixation, but the critical role of blood flow in tendon-to-bone healing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BWF6gR
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DNA SWITCHES: From Jackson Laboratory via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Yale University, have used artificial intelligence to design thousands of new DNA switches that can precisely control the expression of a gene in different cell types. Their new approach opens the possibility of controlling when and where genes are expressed in the body, for the benefit of human health and medical research, in ways never before possible.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YAw2XP
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