POLITICAL:

A group of almost 40 employer and health care organizations signed a joint letter calling on members of Congress to pass legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices in hope of “meaningful” pricing reform.

SOCIAL:

The gap in vaccination rates along partisan lines continues to increase, with counties that voted for Biden more likely to have higher vaccination rates than those that voted for Trump. Offering vaccines at doctors’ offices may help, as unvaccinated individuals may be more likely to trust their doctors and health care providers than news or government sources.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

According to a new Yale report, 8.5% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to the healthcare industry. There are few measures in place to mitigate this, currently, which means there is room to improve sustainability measures in health care.

Professional Development:

Here’s how to use gratitude to ground yourself during an intensive time.

ECONOMIC:

Telehealth usage has had a three-month decline but remains at higher-than-pre-pandemic levels. Still, this could bode ill for the sector, which is currently seeing more funding than ever before. Usage of online mental health services is trending in the opposite direction.

TECHNOLOGY:

The 2021 Innovator Award has been given to Denver-based UCHealth. This team created a telemedicine-based sepsis detection and response system, utilizing AI, that led to a 30% decrease in sepsis mortality.

LEGAL:

A $73 million settlement has been approved by a federal judge in a lawsuit against UCLA, who employed and received complaints about a gynecologist who sexually abused patients in an on-campus health center. More than 5,500 women will receive compensation.