TOP STORIES
HIPAA regulations became a concern for some hospitals in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the gay nighclub, Pulse, in Orlando, Florida. Given the high casualty rate, the city’s Mayor Buddy Dwyer fretted over hospitals breaking the law as friends sought to find out the area hospitals more freedom in sharing information. Ultimately, the mayor got a waiver from President Obama. But the Department of Health and Human Services said no official waiver was required from the president in this kind of situation.
“HIPAA allows health care professionals the flexibility to disclose limited health information to the public or media in appropriate circumstances,” according to Kevin Griffis, assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS. “These disclosures, which are made when it is determined to be in the best interest of a patient, are permissible without a waiver to help identify incapacitated patients, or to locate family members of patients to share information about their condition. Disclosures are permissible to same sex, as well as opposite sex, partners.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
— Modern Healthcare, The Washington Post
UnitedHealth Group and Optum will cover kidney donors’ travel expenses of up to $5,000 for those donating kidneys to its members to reduce the cost of dialysis and other treatment. — Forbes
LIFE SCIENCES
Boehringer Ingelheim wants to know whether financial incentives through gift cards can motivate COPD patients to stay adherent to their medications. — Fierce Pharma
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Why do women outlive men? The type of white blood cells that destroy aging and cancerous cells are more active in women than men. That’s according to a study in Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. — The Wall Street Journal
Zimmer Biomet was quite public about its acquisition of orthopedics device startup LDR, but it was quite a bit quieter regarding another acquisition: Compression Therapy Concepts. — Fierce Medical Devices
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
An initiative at Duke University’s ALS Clinic — The Resilience Project — wants to understand the small segment of people with Lou Gehrig’s disease who get better. As part of its research, it is studying genomes of healthy individuals, to find people who have gene mutations that should cause disease, but they don’t get sick. — The Wall Street Journal
Seattle-based nonprofit Northwest Kidney Centers will invest $1.2 million to improve treatment technology for patients waiting for kidney transplants witha Center for Dialysis Innovation. — Puget Sound Business Journal
In a low point for the patient experience, and a lower point for electronic medical record usability, a Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia sent a recently discharged patient a condolence letter written by a priest in remembrance of the former patient’s death. When asked to explain its actions. the hospital said it was an EMR error. “The list of families who receive notes of condolence is generated by a button in the hospital’s EMR. In Ms. [Marilynn] Mullins’ case, the unit secretary accidentally clicked the box for deceased patient instead of the one for discharge to home. — Becker’s Hospital Review
TECHNOLOGY
The American Medical Association adopted a set of ethical guidelines for the delivery of telemedicine. — Forbes
The Office of National Coordinator views electronic health record information blocking as something intentional by hospitals and health systems that’s thwarting the push for interoperability, but some healthcare IT staff say outmoded infrastructure is preventing data sharing and is the real culprit. — Healthcare IT News
Apple took the wraps off some tweaks to its Apple Watch including making it possible for users to share, compare and compete on fitness goals with friends and family. Users receive notifications about their friends’ progress, including achievements. It also added an app for wheelchair users. Wheelchair pushes contribute to all-day calorie goals and it added wheelchair-specific workouts. — BusinessWire
HealthGrid, a digital health business centered on patient engagement has agreed to deliver health education content from nonprofit Healthwise. — PR Newswire
POLITICS
The U.S. Department of Health and the Cuban government signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on health policy issues and research such as dengue fever and aging populations. — STAT
LITTLE BIT EXTRA
A special guest at a decadent desert-themed party at BIO 2016 last week? A camel, possibly in violation of a city ordinance banning such exotic animals from this sort of thing. — San Francisco Chronicle
Photo: Flickr user Vox Efx
