The Gist Healthcare Podcast

Henrietta Lacks’ family sues biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific for unfairly profiting from her cells. 2021 is the year of the mega-hospital merger. And Pfizer officially asks the FDA to extend emergency use for its COVID vaccine to include young kids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The WHO backs the first malaria vaccine. The Wall Street Journal writes about what is believed to be the country’s first cybercrime-related patient death. And increasing labor costs will continue to be a key concern for hospitals into next year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Missouri’s Medicaid expansion goes into effect. A group of health systems launches Graphite Health, a healthcare app marketplace. And long-serving NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins steps down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merck’s new antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 shows a lot of promise. CMS lays out how the No Surprises Act dispute resolution process will work. And non-covid research is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sanford Health's Chief Physician Dr. Jeremy Cauwels discusses how the Sioux Falls, SD-based health system is building a virtual care center to consolidate its telemedicine offerings and deliver virtual care at scale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healthcare worker shortages are problematic now, but a study project they’ll get worse in several states. This week Pfizer shared data with regulators on its COVID vaccine efficacy in young kids. Coast-to-coast healthcare worker vaccine mandates are working.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hospital-backed healthcare data company Truveta announces a deal with Microsoft. The American Medical Association's annual report finds a single insurer had at least half of the market in 46 percent of metro areas. And in response to a rise of attacks on healthcare workers, one Missouri hospital is adding panic buttons to employee badges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look across the pond to France for more evidence that vaccine mandates work. Walmart Health adopts Epic’s electronic health record system. And regulators ask for more info about a merger between two Michigan hospital systems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York state’s COVID vaccine mandate goes into effect. Devoted Health could be the most valuable insurtech with a valuation at more than $11B. And states start rolling out COVID vaccine booster shots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Capacity and staffing challenges from ongoing COVID surges are creating a domino effect, delaying access to other medical care and backing up emergency departments. Dr. Gregg Miller, Chief Medical Officer of hospital staffing company Vituity, says that these compounding factors are bringing sicker patients into overwhelmed and understaffed emergency departments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.