Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
To Remedy Past Bias, Black Patients Get Credit On Kidney Transplant List
An unprecedented effort to reverse the effects of a racially biased medical test that blocked or delayed Black people from getting kidney transplants seems to be working. Researchers reported Monday that thousands of Black transplant candidates have been given credit on the transplant waiting list for time they lost because of that misguided test, moving up their priority in an attempt at restorative justice. (Neergaard, 3/9)
Also 鈥
Cases of suspected Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infections in U.S. organ transplant recipients jumped in the last 5 years, highlighting the need for new screening tools and sharper clinical scrutiny in transplant patients, according to a CDC report. (Rudd, 3/9)
In other health care industry updates 鈥
A federal judge has ruled against the Leapfrog Group in a suit brought by Tenet Healthcare subsidiary hospitals that said they were punished for not voluntarily submitting data to the hospital safety grading nonprofit. The ruling, handed down Friday, focuses on a methodology change Leapfrog implemented ahead of the fall 2024 publication of its hospital safety grades. The approach more heavily weighed 鈥渋mputed鈥 scores for four of Leapfrog鈥檚 32 safety measures that were assigned when recent safety data for the two preceding years are unavailable. (Muoio, 3/9)
Despite making up nearly a fifth of the U.S. economy and providing a much-needed set of crutches, the latest health care jobs data highlights just how wobbly the labor market is. Over 28,000 jobs in the health care industry were lost in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report on Friday, making up nearly one-third of the 92,000 total jobs lost for the month. The dip marks the sector鈥檚 first decline in more than four years. (Rogelberg, 3/9)
Universal Health Services, a behavioral health provider that operates over 340 inpatient facilities across 40 states, announced Monday that it will acquire virtual mental health company Talkspace for $835 million, marking a new chapter for a digital health leader that has often been considered ripe to be picked up by a larger organization. (Aguilar, 3/9)
