�������ýҕ�l

COVID-19 testing has become big business for freestanding emergency rooms in Texas. These facilities have been charging insurance plans thousands of dollars for a single COVID-19 test. Advocates say it’s driving up the cost of health care, and they want state lawmakers to step in. (Lopez, 2/4)

Dr. Robin Larabee was thrilled to start offering coronavirus testing at her pediatrics practice in Denver last fall. Testing for children is often scarce, and her new machines could return results within minutes. She quickly discovered an unexpected obstacle: a major health insurer that paid her less than the cost of the test itself. Each kit Dr. Larabee purchased for her machines cost about $41, but the insurer sent back half that amount each time she submitted a claim. (Kliff, 2/3)

or months, U.S. public health experts have called on the federal government to approve and fund cheap and fast at-home Covid-19 tests, to help bring the spread of infection under control. But when the Biden administration this week announced a $231.8 million deal to ramp up production of the first fully at-home test, the experts’ response was, to say the least, unenthusiastic. One dismissed it as “a spit in the ocean.” It’s not that home testing with a 15-minute turnaround time isn’t a good idea, they said, it’s just that the rollout of this initial kit is too little and too late, and the test too expensive and complicated, to help extinguish the raging pandemic fire. A number of experts called on the Biden administration to subsidize the home test for consumers, and said the Food and Drug Administration needs to do more to make such tests widely available. (McLaughlin, 2/5)

Except for a slight decrease from Mar 29 to Apr 11, 2020, emergency department (ED) visits involving drug and opioid overdoses (ODs) were 1% to 45% more frequent than in 2019, according to a JAMA Psychiatry study published yesterday. The researchers also found that the median number of ED visits per 100,000 involving mental health conditions (MHCs), suicide attempts (SAs), and suspected child abuse and neglect (SCAN) cases also increased during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the decrease in overall visits. (2/4)

A new report indicates global antibiotic consumption and resistance levels continue to rise, with many countries in the developing world facing worrisome drug resistance rates. Among the findings from the State of the World's Antibiotics in 2021 report is that, while per capita antibiotic consumption in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains lower than in wealthier nations, consumption rates are converging. (Dall, 2/4)

Ascension, CommonSpirit Health, Trinity Health and 20 other Catholic health systems have pledged to confront systemic racism in part through top-down examinations of their operations to ensure they're promoting diversity and inclusion. The systems, which together treat more than 4 million patients annually and employ almost half a million people in the U.S., unveiled the initiative Thursday alongside leaders from the Catholic Health Association. A big part of the undertaking will be addressing the disparities that led to COVID-19's disproportionately devastating impact on communities of color. They'll also ensure COVID tests are accessible in minority communities and vaccinations are prioritized for those at higher risk. (Bannow, 2/4)

Healthcare technology executives are weighing whether to attend the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual trade show amid the COVID-19 pandemic and following cancellation of the 2020 event. HIMSS21, which is slated for Aug. 9-13 in Las Vegas, hasn't opened registration for attendees yet. The conference and exhibition has traditionally been one of the largest gatherings of health IT professionals, drawing in tens of thousands of attendees. But some companies, like Cerner Corp., have already said they won't have a booth at the 2021 event. (Kim Cohen, 2/4)