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What We're Reading: COVID-19 Testing Lags; Malaria Drugs Get Emergency Approval; Shutdown Extended
The reasons behind coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing lags; FDA issues emergency authorization of malaria drugs for treatment of COVID-19; an expert from the University of Washington predicts that there could be at least 1 more extension of social distancing, beyond President Trump's announcement extending coronavirus guidelines to April 30.
Reasons Behind COVID-19 Testing Result Lags
In a piece published by Kaiser Health News, experts explained the mechanisms behind the current testing standards for COVID-19 and why they often lead to extended wait times. Experts note that testing is a multi-step process, in which initially a sample is taken from a patient’s nose or throat, using a special swab that then goes into a tube and is sent to a lab. Although some large hospitals have on-site molecular test labs, others have to send these samples to outside labs for processing, which can take 24 hours or longer. Capacity isn't expanding fast enough to keep up with demand, labs can handle varying amounts of tests, and supply shortages are coming into play and slowing test production.
FDA Issues Emergency Authorization of Antimalarial Drugs
As Guidelines for Distancing Extend, One Projection Hints at Even Longer Time Frame
Despite scant evidence of its efficacy against COVID-19, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, decades-old malaria drugs touted by President Trump. POLITICO reports that Sandoz donated 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to the Strategic National Stockpile and Bayer donated 1 million doses of chloroquine to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, when a clinical trial is not available or recommended. The federal government is keeping its projections of possible COVID-19 fatalities private, but one expert said the the guidelines for social distancing could extend through May, The Washington Post reported. President Trump extended his guidelines from today through April 30. Meanwhile, Christopher Murray, MD, DPhil, who leads the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, is predicting that on April 15, the United States will hit a peak of 2271 deaths in 1 day, with a shortage of 61,509 beds, 15,103 intensive care units, and 26,753 ventilators.
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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