Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
About healthcare quality
Joint Commission to launch peer learning initiative: The Joint Commission will introduce a new initiative in 2026 aimed at spotlighting high-performing accredited hospitals and encouraging peer-to-peer learning.
Called the Survey Analysis for Evaluating Strengths, or SAFEST, the initiative will focus on identifying and documenting strong performance areas during hospitals’ triennial accreditation surveys. These strengths will be compiled into a report for each organization.
A separate team at The Joint Commission team will then review these reports to develop resources for other hospitals. Participation in resource development is optional, but hospitals that do contribute will be able to review and approve any materials before they are shared.
About health insurance/insurers
Medicare Savings Program Take-Up Estimates and Profile of Enrolled and Unenrolled Individuals: More broadly, our findings show that MSP enrollees tend to be more vulnerable not only in terms of health, but also across socioeconomic dimensions. On one hand, this finding suggests that the MSPs are effectively reaching those most in need. On the other hand, it raises concerns about why eligible individuals who are somewhat better off—but still have low income—are much less likely to enroll in the MSPs. Two structural features of the program may be associated with these patterns and point to policy opportunities.
The CMS activities that will, won’t continue during the shutdown FYI
In a related article:
Health Centers Face Risks as Government Funding Lapses: The federal funds come through two primary routes, both of which face challenges: grants paid in part through the federal Community Health Center Fund and reimbursements for patients’ care through programs like Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income people and people with disabilities. Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government.
About pharma
US Antibiotic Importation and Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: This cross-sectional study analyzed 1992 to 2024 antibiotic importation records and found 50 originating countries of finished dosage forms and 52 countries for active pharmaceutical ingredients as well as a significant increase in annual antibiotic imports and a decrease in importation prices. In the past 5 years, India was the leading originating country for finished dosage forms, with China as the leading originating country for antibiotic active pharmaceutical ingredients.
White House delays 100% drug tariffs to negotiate pricing: The Trump administration will hold off on imposing pharmaceutical tariffs Oct. 1 for companies that do not onshore manufacturing or participate in the president’s “Most Favored Nations” pricing initiative, a White House official told Becker’s.
How Trump’s Drug-Buying Site ‘TrumpRx’ Will Work: The government website will direct patients on where to buy medications directly from manufacturers “often” at the MFN price, and “and always at lower prices than currently available,” said Chris Klomp, director of Medicare. The site is expected to launch in early 2026…
Will I save money buying from the TrumpRx website? It depends, but probably not if you are among the 90% of Americans who have health insurance. Even if you have high copays or deductibles, your out-of-pocket share with insurance is still likely to be cheaper than paying the entire cost yourself, even at a substantial discount.
FDA will not accept submissions requiring fees until funding resumes: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will only conduct vital and mission critical activities amid a government shutdown that began Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a deal to fund the federal government. During the funding lapse, FDA said it will not accept any regulatory submissions that require a fee.
US offers priority review incentive in effort to reshore generic manufacturing: In its latest bid to reshore drug manufacturing, the US on Friday unveiled a pilot prioritisation programme aimed at generics manufacturers. The FDA said that under the initiative, companies that conduct any required bioequivalence testing in the US and whose products are made in the country using exclusively domestic sources for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are eligible for priority review.
About the public’s health
Soft Drink Consumption and Depression Mediated by Gut Microbiome Alterations: In this cohort study, soft drink consumption was significantly associated with diagnosis of major depressive disorder, as well as depression severity, across a single-study cohort of 932 clinically diagnosed patients and healthy controls. This association was significantly mediated by Eggerthela abundance in female patients and controls.