DACA Recipients Now Eligible to Enroll in Obamacare for the First Time
When Camila Bortolleto was 9 years old, her parents brought her from Brazil to the U.S. Bortolleto’s parents are undocumented, but in 2013 she was approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed her to get a job and, with it, job-based health insurance. ... DACA recipients have been barred from receiving government-funded health insurance. That changed Friday, when tens of thousands of DACA recipients became able to sign up for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act for the first time. (Lovelace Jr., 11/1)
Baxter Resumes Operations on High-Capacity Line: 5 Updates on Supply Shortages
Baxter restarted its highest-throughput IV solutions manufacturing line, which accounts for approximately 25% of the site's total production and approximately 50% of 1-liter IV solutions, the most commonly used size by hospitals and clinics, according to an Oct. 31 news release from the company. (Murphy, 10/31)
ER Patients Receiving IV Fluids Drops by Half Following Hurricane Helene Disruptions
Patients visiting emergency departments for dehydration or nausea are half as likely to receive IV fluids now than they were before Hurricane Helene exacerbated supply shortages, according to an analysis of health records by Truveta Research. When the storm hit western North Carolina last month, flooding and other damage halted production at Baxter’s North Cove manufacturing facility. The site typically provides about 60% of IV fluids to hospitals across the US, and the disruptions have led to multiple new shortages. (McPhillips, 10/29)
Stat: Harmful Impacts of Using Race and Ethnicity in Biomedical Research
Race and ethnicity are applied in inappropriate and even harmful ways in biomedical research, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine said in a report issued Wednesday, calling on scientists, research funders, and publishers to transform the way they use — and don’t use — the categories in research. (Palmer and McFarling, 10/30)
Stateline: Overdose Deaths Increasing Among Black and Indigenous Americans
The recent decline in overdose deaths hides a tremendous disparity by race: Deaths have fallen only among white people while continuing to rise among people of color, according to a new Stateline analysis of federal data.Health experts in nonwhite communities say they’re finding strategies that work in their areas, but that they still struggle for recognition and funding to address the problems, especially among Black and Native people. (Henderson, 10/29)
Advancing Health Equity for People with Disabilities Calls for Improved Data
Nearly a third of adults with disabilities experience unfair treatment in health care settings, as well as high rates of discrimination in hiring. Acknowledging these disparities and the detrimental effects of systemic discrimination is essential to developing a more accurate picture of the disabled population in all its diversity, write the Urban Institute’s Sarah Morriss and Nina Russell on To the Point. They say new measures are needed to estimate the disabled population — and these must be developed with input from members of the community.
USA Today: Autism Rates Rising Among Young Adults
Four times as many children have been diagnosed with autism in the past two decades amid improved awareness and screening and evolving definitions. A new study suggests diagnoses have increased at a faster clip among younger adults over the past decade. Autism spectrum disorder spiked 175% among people in the U.S. from 2.3 per 1,000 in 2011 to 6.3 per 1,000 in 2022, researchers found. Diagnosis rates climbed at a faster rate among adults in their mid-20s to mid-30s in that period, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. (Alltucker, 10/30)
USA Today: CDC Study Finds Thousands Hospitalized Annually Due to Flu
More than 100,000 people are hospitalized and 4,900 people die from flu complications annually in the U.S. Vaccines, which target last year’s dominant flu strains, can help you avert serious illness or death. The study published Tuesday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed the risks seasonal flu still poses, especially to people who haven't been vaccinated. (Cuevas, 10/30)
Bankrate.com: Study Finds Infant Care Consumes at Least 10% of Annual Family Income in 48 States
Child care has become one of the biggest expenses for parents no matter where they live in the country. A new Bankrate analysis finds that full-time center-based care for one infant costs at least 10% of a typical family’s annual income in 48 states and the District of Columbia. In some states, like New York and Hawaii, infant care costs can take up roughly 20% of a typical family’s yearly income. And some of the more affordable states in the country, such as New Mexico and Kansas, are surprisingly expensive when it comes to infant care. (Gailey, 10/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Final Phase of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Focuses on Alleviating Pediatric Drug Shortages
The Biden administration took steps to alleviate shortages of cancer drugs for children, part of a final push for one of the president’s domestic priorities: reducing the nation’s cancer burden. The federal government is testing a new way to prevent treatment disruptions for seven pediatric cancer drugs by improving communication between hospitals, nonprofits and wholesalers. Shortages of cancer medicines regularly plague hospitals and patients, sometimes forcing them to delay or change care. (Abbott, 10/28)
USA Today: CDC Reports Increase in Respiratory Illnesses Among Young Children
Respiratory infections among young children have been on the rise since the school year began in August, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past six months, emergency rooms have discharged an increasing number of patients with a Mycoplasma pneumoniae diagnosis, which is typically associated with "walking pneumonia," or acute bronchitis. Discharges peaked in late August, the CDC reported on Oct. 18. (Cross, 10/28)
The New York Times: Understanding Walking Pneumonia: Symptoms and Treatment Guide
Infections with the bacteria that causes walking pneumonia have risen significantly this year, particularly among young children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this month. The bacteria, called Mycoplasma pneumoniae, spreads through coughs and sneezes and can cause respiratory illnesses. Cases have risen among adults and children, but the most notable increase has been among children between 2 and 4, which experts say is striking given that the bacteria typically infects older children. Data suggests that doctors have diagnosed a growing number of children in this age group with infections after they sought treatment in emergency rooms for pneumonia. (Blum, 10/29)
ABC News: Stopping Use of Flovent, a Popular Asthma Medication, Associated with Higher Hospitalization Rates
Data from over 3 million people who had been using Flovent showed a 17.5% increase in asthma-related hospitalization in the three months after Flovent was discontinued, and a 24.1% increase in the following three to six months. ICU admissions for asthma in those previously using Flovent increased 17.4% three months after discontinuation, and 23.1% three to six months after discontinuation. The data included children and adults. It was analyzed by two teams at EPIC Research, who came to similar conclusions. These findings have not gone through the usual peer-review process. (Parekh and Avery, 10/29)
Axios: Hospitals and Clinics Rank Among the Most Violent Workplaces in America
Hospitals and clinics remain among the most violent workplaces in America, continuing to strain health workers in the aftermath of the pandemic experience. The situation is bad enough that the American Hospital Association and the FBI last week announced that they're collaborating on resources to help hospitals make threat assessments and work to mitigate risks. (Goldman, 10/30)
Becker's Hospital Review: Cedars-Sinai Establishes Health Sciences University: 4 Key Highlights
Los Angeles-based Cedars Sinai has established a health sciences university to expand graduate education opportunities and offer pathways into allied healthcare careers. (Carbajal, 10/29)
Becker's Hospital Review: Understanding the Growth of Hospitalists
Long gone are the days when primary care physicians stopped by a hospital on the way home from a hectic day to check on a patient. Since 1999, hospitalists have largely taken over that job for primary care physicians and internists. The number of physicians practicing adult hospital medicine grew 50% in 2012 to 2019, totaling 44,037 by 2019. Rural and urban hospitals employ these hospitalists to cut costs, improve quality and perhaps make a small dent in the growing shortage of physicians who are leaving their practices because of burnout. (Asin, 10/28)