About health insurance/insurers
Elevance Health posts $2.2B profit in Q1 “Elevance Health posted $2.2 billion in net income during the first quarter, a nearly 13% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the company's earnings report published April 18.”
Examining how Improper Payments Cost Taxpayers Billions and Weaken Medicare and Medicaid [From the HHS OIG] In the appeal to Congress she said: “Every day HHS-OIG makes tough choices on cases and issues to decline for lack of resources. HHS-OIG has been turning down between 300 and 400 viable criminal and civil health care fraud cases each year. In addition to these cases, for the past several years, OIG has been turning down more than half of the referrals of potential fraud CMS’s contractors make as part of OIG’s major case coordination effort with CMS. Uninvestigated cases represent real, potential unchecked fraud; the potential for patients to be put in harm’s way; and missed opportunities for deterrence and monetary recoveries.”
Page 9 has a great graphic on the flows of pharma funds.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
20 large health systems ranked by reputation score FYI
M&A Quarterly Activity Report: Q1 2024 With 20 announced transactions, Q1 2024 showed a significant uptick in M&A activity and represents the strongest Q1 we have seen since 2020.
Of the 20 announced transactions, four were “mega mergers” (transactions in which the smaller party has annual revenues of $1 billion or more).This is one of the highest numbers of mega mergers we have seen and contributed to average seller size and total transacted revenue figures that remain at historically high levels.
Academic health systems also had an active quarter, acting as the acquirer (or larger party) in six of the 20 announced transactions.”
About the public’s health
Whooping cough rising sharply in some countries. Why you may need a booster. “Whooping cough outbreaks in Europe, Asia and parts of the U.S.should be a reminder to get vaccinated, experts say.
Since January, cases of whooping cough have risen sharply in the U.K. and Europe, the largest surge since 2012.
Age-Friendly System-Wide Spread Collaborative “IHI is excited to announce the Age-Friendly System-Wide Spread Collaborative, which will be the learning and action community for US health systems interested in fully embedding the 4Ms [What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility] system-wide, to have an equitable impact on older adults across all of their sites and settings of care.
The Collaborative will convene a cohort of 30 teams from health systems with sites of care recognized as Committed to Care Excellence to accelerate system-wide adoption of the 4Ms, with guidance from expert faculty and an ‘all-teach, all-learn’ approach. Collaborative participants will have the opportunity to be among the first to achieve an ambitious new IHI recognition for system-wide spread of age-friendly care.”
About healthcare IT
Emergency services a likely target for cyberattacks, warns DHS “The analysis, compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and obtained by ABC News, outlines concerns that the Emergency Service Sector can be exploited and mined for sensitive data, in turn hampering medical and law enforcement services and posing an ongoing threat to personal information and public safety.”
About healthcare finance
23andme CEO Anne Wojcicki moves to take company private “Wojcicki disclosed her plans in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Wednesday, saying that she intends to seek out potential partners and financiers to help. Wojcicki currently holds 49.99% of the voting power in the company, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the plan.”