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What We're Reading: Coronavirus Deaths Exceed SARS; Trump Delays Kidney Dialysis Rule; Lost, Delayed Lifesaving Organs
The reported death toll of the coronavirus in China has exceeded that of the SARS crisis from 17 years ago; the Trump administration delayed a signature healthcare initiative aiming to increase dialysis at home and transplants for US kidney patients; nearly 170 organs could not be transplanted due to transportation issues on commercial flights.
Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses SARS
Yesterday, the coronavirus death toll surpassed that of the SARS outbreak from 17 years ago, totaling 908 reported deaths in China in the last month compared with 774 deaths in the SARS crisis, according to The New York Times. China’s Health Commission announced the highest number of deaths in a single day related to the virus on Sunday, with 97 reported deaths. So far, only 2 deaths have occurred outside China.
Trump Delays Kidney Dialysis Rule
The Trump administration delayed a signature healthcare initiative that would boost the number of US kidney patients who undergo dialysis at home and get transplants, according to The Washington Post. The move comes amid resistance from kidney doctors and large dialysis companies who cited a potential reduction in payments from the Medicare system. The plan was originally supposed to take effect on January 1, 2020, but now its timetable remains unclear.
Trend of Lost, Delayed Lifesaving Organs for Transplant
In an analysis on the trend of lifesaving organs being lost or delayed following shipment on commercial flights, nearly 170 organs could not be transplanted and almost 370 endured near misses, with delays of 2 hours or more linked to transportation problems. Kaiser Health News reports that transplant surgeons across the United States have stressed that they lost the chance to transplant otherwise usable kidneys due to these transportation issues. “We’ve had organs that are left on airplanes, organs that arrive at an airport and then can’t get taken off the aircraft in a timely fashion and spend an extra 2 or 3 or 4 hours waiting for somebody to get them,” said David Axelrod, MD, transplant surgeon at the University of Iowa.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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