Top Stories

  • The United States is now the global epicenter for the coronavirus, with the number of COVID-19 cases surpassing 82,000, more than the caseload in China, Italy and every other country in the world. With dire supply shortages beginning in New York, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has resorted to the practice of sharing one ventilator between two patients, as New Orleans braces for a wave of infections and only has enough ventilators to make it to April 2 without harsh measures in place immediately. (Reuters)
  • A U.S. government warehouse in Indiana houses almost 1.5 million expired N95 masks, according to five people with knowledge of the matter, and officials from the Department of Homeland Security decided to use the stockpile for the Transportation Security Administration, according to three of those people. Customs and Border Protection is not weighing extending an offer to hospitals or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, three of the people said, but CBP spokesman Nathan Peeters said the agency is working on securing an additional 1.5 million masks and other protective equipment to deliver in the coming weeks. (The Washington Post)
  • Federal prosecutors have opened a lawsuit against health insurer Anthem Inc., alleging the company committed Medicare fraud by requesting reimbursement for inaccurate claims in the order of millions of dollars, a claim Anthem fiercely denies. According to the Justice Department, the company’s “chart review program” added new claims for reimbursement but did not delete inaccurate data, and that the company “prioritized profits over compliance.” (Bloomberg)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

03/27/2020
03/28/2020
03/30/2020
03/31/2020
Wall Street Comes to Washington — health care roundtable with Brookings 9:00 am
Improve Eye Health Quality While Managing Care Costs 2:00 pm
04/01/2020
20th Population Health Colloquium
View full calendar

Morning Consult Debuts Daily Consumer Confidence Tracking Data

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to upend global markets and roil businesses, Morning Consult is committed to delivering daily economic data on how consumer confidence is shifting in these economically uncertain times.

Recently, we debuted our newest product, Morning Consult Economic Intelligence: Global Consumer Confidence, the most robust data set on consumer confidence available today.

Click here to learn more or speak to one of our specialists.

Coronavirus

House leaders seek to expedite emergency aid package amid uncertainty about GOP lawmaker delaying measure
John Wagner et al., The Washington Post

House leaders sought to expedite the emergency $2 trillion relief bill aimed at mitigating the financial havoc caused by the coronavirus pandemic amid uncertainty about whether a renegade lawmaker could delay sending the measure to President Trump.

As Trump signals readiness to break with experts, his online base assails Fauci
Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post

A cadre of right-wing news sites pulled from the fringes in recent years through repeated mention by President Trump is now taking aim at Anthony S. Fauci, the ­nation’s top infectious diseases ­expert, who has given interviews in which he has tempered praise for the president with doubts about his pronouncements.

Internal Emails Show How Chaos at the CDC Slowed the Early Response to Coronavirus
Caroline Chen et al., ProPublica

The CDC fumbled its communication with public health officials and underestimated the threat of the coronavirus even as it gained a foothold in the United States, according to hundreds of pages of documents ProPublica obtained.

Coronavirus deals one-two financial punch to state budgets
Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press

The coronavirus is pounding state governments with a financial one-two punch, costing them many millions to try to contain the disease just as businesses are shutting down and tax revenue is collapsing. The sharp drop in revenue could jeopardize some states’ ability to provide basic services.

After Considering $1 Billion Price Tag for Ventilators, White House Has Second Thoughts
David E. Sanger et al., The New York Times

A deal with General Motors and Ventec Life Systems to produce tens of thousands of the critical lifesaving devices seemed imminent. Then the announcement was pulled back.

White House officials push back on calls to activate DPA for critical medical supplies
Myah Ward, Politico

The resistance comes as former national security professionals joined the call for ramping up production.

To Slow Virus, China Bars Entry by Almost All Foreigners
Keith Bradsher, The New York Times

Beijing halted most international flights, making it hard for citizens to return. And it blocked even foreigners with Chinese residency or visas from entering.

U.S. Coronavirus Testing Hits Milestone but Still Falls Short
Lazaro Gamio et al., The New York Times

This week, the number of coronavirus tests in the United States surpassed those in South Korea and Italy — two countries that had been testing more aggressively.

New Jersey officials planning for possibility of rationing ventilators
Matt Friedman, Politico

New Jersey officials are beginning to discuss the “haunting” possibility that hospitals may soon have to decide which patients critically ill with coronavirus get ventilators and which do not.

New Orleans Faces a Virus Nightmare, and Mardi Gras May Be Why
Katy Reckdahl et al., The New York Times

Louisiana may be experiencing the world’s fastest growth in new cases. Medical experts said Mardi Gras might have accelerated the crisis.

A Likely But Hidden Coronavirus Risk Factor: Pollution
Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Center for Public Integrity

Air pollution, research shows, lowers our ability to fight off infections. It worsens reactions to viruses in people with health challenges like asthma. And it could have a pernicious effect in a pandemic.

Payers

Could Obamacare save jobless Americans from coronavirus?
Susannah Luthi, Politico

The law’s backers say it will prove a crucial safety net during the pandemic. The Trump administration may soon agree.

Providers

Retailers shift production to make masks, gowns for health-care workers in coronavirus pandemic
Courtney Reagan, CNBC

As patient numbers swell for those who have tested positive or are suspected of having coronavirus, hospitals and health-care facilities throughout the U.S. are experiencing a tight supply, if not an outright shortage, of personal protective equipment, including masks and gowns.

‘The Other Option Is Death’: New York Starts Sharing of Ventilators
Brian M. Rosenthal, The New York Times

To keep coronavirus patients breathing, hospitals are pioneering a little-tested method.

Dialysis centers face significant challenges in protecting patients from COVID-19
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare

While social distancing will help stem the spread of COVID-19, the practice is near impossible for thousands of vulnerable people who risk becoming severely ill without their regular treatment.

Pharma, Biotech and Devices

Pharmas to share assets in COVID-19 consortium led by Narasimhan, Gates
Sandi Wong, BioCentury

Global alliances among public, private and non-profit entities to counter COVID-19 continue to gather steam, with one of the latest alliances comprising over a dozen life sciences companies and the Gates Foundation.

Trump keeps touting an unproven coronavirus treatment. It’s now being tested on thousands in New York.
Christopher Rowland et al., The Washington Post

The push in the U.S. pandemic epicenter follows the president’s declaration that he ‘feels good’ about compounds with unproven efficacy, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.

Special status for coronavirus drug caught health officials off guard
Caitlin Owens, Axios

When an experimental coronavirus treatment received a special designation from the Food and Drug Administration on Monday, it came as a surprise to the government’s top health care officials — including the FDA commissioner.

Coronavirus Upends Testing of New Drugs
Jared S. Hopkins, The Wall Street Journal

The world-wide spread of the new coronavirus is throwing into disarray studies critical to the development of promising new medicines.

Bluebird says gene therapy application delayed again, citing disagreement with FDA
Yujin Kim, BioPharmaDive

Bluebird bio said Thursday it doesn’t expect to complete an application for U.S. approval of its gene therapy LentiGlobin until mid-2021, as the biotech failed to reach agreement with the Food and Drug Administration about providing additional data for the agency’s review.

Two At 2 Million Guinea Pigs And Counting: The Remarkable Rise Of Self-Monitoring In The Time Of Coronavirus
Thomas Brewster, Forbes

It was only last Friday when a team of 14 software engineers and data scientists at little-known health and nutrition startup, ZOE, started piecing together what would become the hottest coronavirus app on Apple’s App Store by Wednesday: the COVID Symptom Tracker. 

Health IT

Telemedicine Surges, Fueled By Coronavirus Fears And Shift In Payment Rules
Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News

Lukas Kopacki, home from college after the coronavirus pandemic closed his campus, was feeling lousy for days with headaches, sore throat and difficulty breathing through his nose. But he worried that a trip to a doctor’s office might make him sicker.

Quarantined Doctors Turn to Video Chats So They Can See Patients
Amy Thomson and Helene Fouquet, Bloomberg

Marie-Pascale Schuller started feeling sick last week. The 57-year-old doctor specializes in respiratory illnesses, and she had a strong suspicion as to what her fever, cough and aches meant.

Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives

How Medicare Is Limiting Cancer Care for Seniors
Brian Koffman, Morning Consult

As a cancer survivor and health care provider, I’ve never felt more optimistic about the possibilities of new cancer treatments — or more worried that today’s care innovations will further health care disparities.

We Need to Know Who’s Developed Immunity to Coronavirus
Bill Cassidy and Christopher Mores, The Wall Street Journal

To restart the economy, the government needs to set up immunity registries similar to those for childhood diseases.

Research Reports

Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19
Ezekiel J. Emanuel et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

Covid-19 is officially a pandemic. It is a novel infection with serious clinical manifestations, including death, and it has reached at least 124 countries and territories. 

General

U.S. Futures Drop With Europe Stocks; Bonds Rise: Markets Wrap
Yakob Peterseil, Bloomberg

U.S. equity futures and European stocks slipped on Friday as investors caught their breath following the first three-day rally in global shares since mid-February. Treasuries climbed and the dollar swung between gains and losses.

Morning Consult