The Gist Healthcare Podcast

As Democrats pare down their social spending package some healthcare benefits are on the chopping block. Pediatric providers declare a national mental health emergency for kids. And Amazon Care is expanding to five more cities.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of regulatory approval, the Biden Administration lays out plans to distribute COVID vaccine plans to young kids. The FDA kicked off the process of making hearing aids available over the counter. And more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente employees authorized a strike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where will healthcare workers who refuse to get vaccinated work after mandates are implemented? Despite warnings that ivermectin doesn’t help treat COVID, overseas generic drug makers are making big bucks off the medication. And UnitedHealthcare launches a virtual-first primary care plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Instead of spotlighting the importance of the local public health officials, the pandemic has led to a public backlash against them. Large health systems are joining forces to lobby for hospital-at-home waivers to become permanent. And Walmart enters the employer-sponsored coverage market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some have warned that the rapid growth of PE-backed practices is reminiscent of the rise and fall of physician practice management companies of the 1990s. In the second part of our series about the impact of private equity investment in physician practice on the healthcare market, we’ll hear from Peter Kindrachuk, a former PhyCor executive, on how today’s trend compares to what happened back then. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walgreens moves further into care delivery and launches a new health division. The FDA’s vaccine panel recommends Moderna booster shots. And the agency authorizes its first e-cigarette, but only the tobacco flavor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicare open enrollment starts Friday, but once signed up few seniors change plans. Companies are ignoring Texas’ vaccine mandate ban. And in California, Governor Newsom hasn’t delivered on his big healthcare reform promises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best Buy makes another move into healthcare with plans to buy Current Health. The US Preventive Services Task Force is narrowing guidance on who should take aspirin to prevent heart disease. And nurses say patients are increasingly hostile and violent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merck asks the Food and Drug Administration to approve its antiviral COVID pill. Get ready for the wave of physician retirements. And there’s a lot of activity among revenue cycle management companies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Private equity firms are fueling a physician practice buying frenzy that’s heated up over the last year, with just about half of practices now owned by hospitals or other corporate entities.  In the first part of a series about private equity's impact on the market, Anthony D’Eredita, founder and CEO of TrustWorks Collective, discusses how younger physicians and health systems are being outbid by deep-pocketed investors.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.