POLITICAL:

The Biden administration rescinded a proposed Trump-era rule that tied prices for certain drugs to the average price paid overseas. This model could have resulted in controversial cuts to drug reimbursement and had received significant pushback via legal defeats.

ECONOMIC:

While focus has turned to primary care physicians to carry out targeted vaccination efforts, physicians worry about the future. Pre-pandemic, the primary care workforce had shrunk. Now, PCPs are burned out and calling for changes to how primary care is financed and paid so that their profession survives.

SOCIAL:

According to the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, those who say they will not get vaccinated are less worried about getting sick and more concerned with the risk the vaccine poses to their health. Understanding this concern may allow primary care physicians and community leaders to alleviate it to achieve greater vaccination rates.

TECHNOLOGY:

Honor Technology Inc. has acquired Home Instead Inc. The new partnership pairs Honor’s tech and operations platform with Home Instead’s home care network, and potentially foretells the future of care for older adults: home care instead of hospital care.

LEGAL:

The Federal Trade Commission has received so many merger filings that they cannot investigate them all. They are issuing warnings to companies who merge before investigations can be completed that the deals may eventually be ruled as unlawful.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

The Sustainable Healthcare Coalition has developed tools to measure carbon footprint for each patient moving through the health care system. Now, the organization is developing a tool to track the carbon impact of clinical trials.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Has the Delta variant thrown off your organization’s return-to-office plans? Harvard Business Review has some tips on how to adjust accordingly.