Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After 45% Drop In Membership, Cox HealthPlans Will Retreat From ACA Marketplace
Another health system is scaling back its insurance business. Cox HealthPlans will not sell exchange policies on the Affordable Care Act of 2010’s federal health platform next year, the company announced Friday. The insurance arm of Springfield, Missouri-based CoxHealth will instead partner with insurer Oscar Health to provide on-exchange coverage in eight Missouri counties. (Tepper, 8/10)
News about healthcare workers —
The healthcare sector added 22,000 jobs in July, marking a significant slowdown compared to recent months, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday. The industry added significantly fewer jobs than the 42,000 roles created in June and the 35,000 created in May. The number of jobs added also fell below the 36,000 average monthly increase over the past year. (Hughes, 8/10)
Nurses, who make up the largest part of the health care workforce, are getting more vocal about the risks posed by clinical artificial intelligence to their jobs and patient care as the technology makes deeper inroads into the practice of medicine. (Palmer, 8/11)
Unionized CVS pharmacists in three states overwhelmingly voted to approve a strike sanction late last week over what they say are unsafe staffing levels and taxing workloads. It’s the first of two approvals needed before employees can actually walk off work. (Parduhn, 8/10)
More health industry updates —
Access, a physician-led management services organization, and its group purchasing organization announced an agreement Monday with Johnson & Johnson to bring cardiac electrophysiology technologies to affiliated ambulatory surgery centers. The deal includes pulsed field ablation, radiofrequency ablation, 3D mapping and intracardiac imaging technologies. (Dubinsky, 8/10)
Allina Health will unveil the largest capital project in the health system’s history in a few weeks, just months before it anticipates completing a proposed merger with Sutter Health. The 620,000-square-foot surgical and critical care center at its flagship Minneapolis hospital and the proposed merger with Sacramento, California-based Sutter, will help Allina manage financial pressures and grow, said President and CEO Lisa Shannon. Sutter has said Allina would become Sutter’s upper Midwest division, led by Shannon. (Kacik, 8/10)
Healthcare providers are boosting profits by using artificial intelligence and other technologies to grow lucrative in-home physical therapy businesses. Home-based rehab can help health systems and physician groups meet rising demand for services from aging baby boomers and other patients without investing in brick-and-mortar facilities. Technology is helping capture some of those patients, although selling them on something other than hands-on rehab can require some work. (Eastabrook, 8/10)