Practice Management
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s insurance division, was shot and killed outside of a hotel in New York City on December 4, according to news reports. The 50-year-old Thompson has worked for the company for 20 years and was promoted to the chief executive position in 2021. UnitedHealth Group leadership canceled the day’s scheduled investor event immediately after the incident. He was described as an “extraordinary person” in a video sent to employees. Thompson was …
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The United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency has now contracted with a supplier to purchase more than 5 million doses of human H5N1 avian flu vaccine to prepare the country should an avian flu pandemic occur. The virus has been causing a prolonged global outbreak with new cases emerging in humans recently—although the risk still remains quite low. Poultry and dairy cattle are the most likely animals to experience outbreaks of the virus, and thousands of …
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CEO Tim Barry, the founder and top executive of VillageMD, is stepping down from his role as the company faces significant financial difficulties. Majority owner Walgreens Boots Alliance has reported substantial losses amounting to billions of dollars, according to Forbes. VillageMD has struggled for more than a decade to attract patients to its clinics located within Walgreens retail stores. This has led to a sharp reduction in its intended expansion plans to stand up clinics …
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President-elect Trump has announced his intended appointment of Janette Nesheiwat, MD, to be the next surgeon general, according to NPR. She is currently a medical director for CityMD and has contributed to Fox News. With a specialization in emergency and family medicine, she is known for supporting vaccine efforts with an emphasis on the balance of risk and benefit. CityMD merged with Summit Health and was ultimately acquired by VillageMD in early 2023 for $8.9 …
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In the week ending November 9, 2024, 30%-40% of adults had received 2 of the most recommended vaccines, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An estimated 34.7% of adults reported having received a seasonal influenza vaccine, and 39.7% of adults age 75 and older have received a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. Likewise, 31.6% of adults aged 60–74 years at increased risk have received an RSV vaccine. …
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At least 60% of Americans say they will probably not get an updated COVID-19 vaccine for this flu season, according to the Pew Research Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, yet only 15% of those surveyed in October said they had received a COVID vaccine. Another 24% say they probably will get an updated vaccine. While the center reports partisan differences, there are also noteworthy …
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The H5N1 bird flu virus that recently infected a teenager in British Columbia is apparently a mutated virus strain, increasing its ability to infect humans, according to STAT News. The teen, hospitalized on November 8, was reported to be in critical condition this week. No evidence suggests the virus has spread to others, meaning this mutated strain could die out once the teen recovers. Virologists believe the mutation likely developed during the teen’s illness, though …
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Attempts to disrupt or supplant primary care haven’t gone as planned for a number of ambitious start-ups. After raising more than $600 million and reaching a valuation of $1 billion, Forward has abruptly canceled already-scheduled patient visits, disabled its app, and began shutting down its clinic locations last week. The Forward model was based on cash payment for direct primary care backed by tech-enabled care automation. Reportedly, the company had technical issues with its automated …
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that respiratory virus activity remains low nationally, while also confirming the first pediatric flu death of the 2024-2025 season, recorded in the middle of October. Overall, 201 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported between October 1 and November 2, 2024. Weekly trend lines show an increase of 2.4% in terms of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for respiratory illnesses for the week ending November 2. Separately, the …
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Breaking a 10-month stalemate, WellNow Urgent Care and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) have at last executed a new contract agreement, putting WellNow back in-network as of November 15, 2024, according to an email from WellNow. Excellus insurance plans covered about 300,000 WellNow visits in New York last year. At least 40 centers are located in Central New York where hospital closures in recent years have provided WellNow opportunities to fill gaps in access. “At WellNow …
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