In a bipartisan effort supported by labor and business leaders, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost employer health insurance. The vote was 419-6. The Senate bill has 40 co-sponsors, but, so far, there appears to be little movement. Unless repealed, the tax will take effect in 2022.
(
Wall Street Journal
)
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Essentially, every health care organization collects, stores and/or shares sensitive data via technologies like cloud platforms, yet fewer than 40% encrypt that data. That’s one finding from a report by the security company Thales and the analysis firm IDC. Perhaps not coincidentally, the report finds that health care leads in data breaches. Seventy percent of health care organizations reported experiencing a data breach at some point, and a third said they had one in the last year.
Healthcare Dive
notes that the findings are in line with other reports revealing that the sector lags in resources to combat breaches.
(
Healthcare Dive
;
report
)
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Innovation & Transformation
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States that spend more on primary care have better patient outcomes, including fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, according to an analysis by the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative. Commenting on the report, Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA Health, says it’s time for the health care industry to move away from building new facilities and invest in primary care. The report, according to
FierceHealthcare
, includes the first-ever state-level analysis of primary care spending.
(
FierceHealthcare
;
PCPCC report
)
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Clostridium difficile
—a hospital-acquired organism that causes diarrhea—remained on a variety of surfaces, even after appropriate decontamination procedures, according to research published in
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. After recommended treatment with disinfectant,
C.
diff spores were found on surfaces including surgical gowns, stainless steel tools and vinyl flooring.
(
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
)
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One-third of malpractice cases that result in death or permanent disability come from a wrong or delayed diagnosis, according to research published in
Diagnosis
. The findings confirm that an inaccurate diagnosis is the top cause of serious medical errors. Each year, roughly 12 million Americans are victims of diagnostic error in a primary care setting. Misdiagnosis-related harms are generally related to vascular events, infections and cancers.
(
Fierce Healthcare
;
Diagnosis
)
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CVS to enter home dialysis business:
On the heels of the Trump administration’s plan to expand access to in-home dialysis, CVS Health announced plans to start a clinical trial of its new home dialysis system. This will put the company in competition with Fresenius and DaVita.
(
Reuters
)
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Lifestyle and dementia:
A healthy lifestyle can cut the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s—even in those genetically predisposed. Research published in
JAMA
and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2019 found that those with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia versus those with low genetic risk and good habits. (
The New York Times
;
JAMA
)
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Stars on hold:
CMS has decided to delay updating the controversial hospital star ratings pending a review from an expert panel.
(
Healthcare Dive
)
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MarketVoices...quotes worth reading
“They thought that only the top—the head, the big execs—got these lucrative plans. [But] we’re talking about everyday people who are on the line, busting their rear end. And I thought, to me, what a punch in the gut to these guys.”—Rep. Mike Kelly (R., Pa.) speaking of the Democrats who created the Cadillac tax, in the
Wall Street Journal
.
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Editors
Sandy Mau and Roxanna Guilford-Blake
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