Page 102 - Mployee Wellness Programs News Today

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare in California has begun notifying 43,000 patients about their eligibility for billing corrections and refunds. The system’s patient outreach effort is a result of a recently settled lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County. In the complaint, former patients alleged the county did not inform them about its hospitals' charity care and discount payment policies, leading them to have to pay large bills.

Oncology is already a big piece of Pfizer’s drug lineup. The portfolio is expanding to multiple myeloma with FDA approval of Elrexfio, a bispecific antibody that targets the cancer protein BCMA.

In-home provider MedArrive can now connect members of its payer customers, particularly Medicaid plans, to Heartbeat Health for virtual cardiovascular services, the companies announced Tuesday.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective cancer treatments, but are expensive. Understanding the least-costly settings for administering treatments, leveraging genomic testing and following evidence-based guidelines can help health plans optimize cancer care, according to Evernorth Research Institute.

Staffing agencies are convincing hospitals that it is dangerous to hire nurses like me, telling them that us independent nurses are not equipped to provide quality patient care, and that hiring independent nurses could open the door for legal ramifications.

Johnson & Johnson’s Akeega is approved for treating advanced prostate cancer with a BRCA mutation. The drug, which interferes with a way cancer cells repair themselves, will compete against recently approved drugs from Pfizer and partners AstraZeneca and Merck.

FemTech is at the forefront of providing effective solutions to menstrual challenges, and the efforts to normalize and destigmatize menstruation are paving the way for the democratization of women’s healthcare.

HPC International launched Pinpoint, an app that helps teens manage their sickle cell disease. It allows them to learn about the disease, track their pain and communicate with their physicians. 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is under federal investigation after it turned transgender patients’ medical records over to Tennessee’s attorney general. HHS launched the investigation a couple weeks after two VUMC patients filed a class-action lawsuit against the hospital for releasing their records to the attorney general.

The Medicaid Staffing Flexibility and Protection Act was introduced by Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Georgia) and Representative Neal Dunn (R-Florida). It would allow state Medicaid agencies to hire outside contractors to help with Medicaid redeterminations, as many agencies don’t have the workforce to handle the return to the redetermination process.