Recession fears grip health executives

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Dec 15, 2022 View in browser   By Ben Leonard, Carmen Paun, Ruth Reader and Grace Scullion FOLLOW THE MONEY Many hospitals expect they'll struggle with staffing next year. Health systems can expect a difficult 2023, a new survey from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found. Firms brace for trouble: More than 8 in 10 C-suite executives from health systems, device and pharmaceutical companies and insurers polled by the consulting firm expect they'll struggle with staffing. More than 3 in 4 said the same about inflation. The increased cost of capital could also delay health systems' technological upgrades. Less than a third of executives surveyed said they'd be able to accelerate their digital modernization efforts. Health insurance executives were more optimistic, though, with nearly half saying technology would have a "great impact." Explaining the difference: "Many health system leaders want to digitally transform but do not know how to pay for it," Tina Wheeler, health care sector leader at Deloitte, wrote in a blog post. Health insurers, by contrast, are often further along than health systems and might better grasp digital transformation's importance, according to Wheeler.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Routeburn Track overlooking the Dart River, Mt. Aspiring National Park, New Zealand | Brennecke Gale This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care.  New Zealand has passed a law permanently banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, even after they turn 18 in 2027. Now that's future thinking. Share news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Grace Scullion at gscullion@politico.com.  Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, Grace talks with Carmen about the $5 billion over five years for global health security that the National Defense Authorization Act authorizes. The House passed the bill last week and the Senate is expected to do so shortly. Listen to today's Pulse Check podcast WORLD VIEW John Nkengasong is taking on a bigger porfolio at State. | Veronica Davison via the Department of State The State Department is establishing a bureau "to strengthen global health security and to address the growing national security challenges presented by global health crises," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong will be the first head of the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy. Why it matters: The bureau will bring together State's offices that deal with worldwide health issues. It marks a rethinking of how State operates on global health security following the coronavirus pandemic. How come? The purpose is to improve coordination across all agencies working on global health, including those that won't be part of the new bureau, such as the Agency for International Development and the global arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nkengasong will have two deputies to help him manage the new bureau and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.   A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.     HELPING WITH MENTAL HEALTH: On a new episode of The POLITICO Show, rapper Megan Thee Stallion explains why she's started a new website directing fans to mental health resources, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), in an emotional interview, says his nephew's suicide informs his interest in passing mental health legislation. FORWARD THINKING Lawmakers believe poor maternal health could be improved with better broadband access. | John Moore/Getty Images Lawmakers think data pinpointing how maternal health outcomes coincide with poor broadband access could help improve those outcomes and show a way to target other chronic health problems. The Senate followed the House this month in passing the Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk. "Moms with some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world — it's just unacceptable," said bill co-sponsor and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). "Anything we can do to intervene and get some help for moms right there on the spot is going to make a difference." How it could help: Supporters believe the improved knowledge will bolster telehealth access and, in doing so, improve maternal health outcomes. Looking ahead: Rosen told Ben she sees the legislation as a template that could be used to tackle other health conditions like heart disease or diabetes. CHECKUP New research has found that telehealth visits often don't require in-person follow-up. | Business Wire Most patients who had virtual visits didn't need an in-person follow-up in the three months after, according to a large study. Based on a massive trove of electronic health records data from Epic Research, the finding may assuage concerns that virtual visits are less effective than in-office visits. For example, mental health and psychiatric care — the areas that use telehealth the most — only required in-person follow-ups 15 percent of the time. The findings add to a growing body of research reports that have found telehealth can perform as well as, if not better than, in-person care. Some other specialties with lower follow-up rates included: — Genetics (4 percent) — Endocrinology (14 percent) — Neurology (19 percent) — Addiction (21 percent) "Telehealth can stand on its own," said Jackie Gerhart, vice president of clinical informatics at Epic and the study's lead researcher. "It doesn't need a second in-person visit in the majority of cases."   Follow us on Twitter Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ Ruth Reader @RuthReader Carmen Paun @carmenpaun   Follow us

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