As healthcare trends evolve, employers should continue to adapt their approach to ensure they effectively manage the impact on their employees and business. Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz provides monthly updates on the latest healthcare developments, with a focus on the implications for employers and guidance on how they can tackle challenges to keep their workplaces safe.
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March 2024
Healthcare Insights: Value-based insurance, hepatitis
Our population health leader weighs in on value-based insurance design and diabetes complications, hepatitis C, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and cervical cancer, and more.
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December 2023
Infant mortality rises in U.S. – how employers can help improve maternal outcomes
Our population health leader weighs in on infant mortality, at-home testing, GLP-1 medications, pharmaceutical patents and more.
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November 2023
Employers remain focused on controlling healthcare costs
Our population health leader weighs in on our recent healthcare survey findings, GLP-1 medication costs, telemedicine data and more.
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October 2023
Finding consistent prices for hospital services remains difficult
Our population health leader weighs in on hospital pricing transparency, disparate out-of-pocket costs for women, vaccinations in pregnancy and more.
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September 2023
How you can help employees as COVID-19 infections rise
Our population health leader weighs in on recommended vaccinations, medical care and financial insecurity, the impact of Wegovy on heart failure and more.
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August 2023
White House announces new mental health parity regulations
Our population health leader weighs in on mental health regulations, AI and prior authorizations, Medicare drug negotiations, exercise and hearth disease, and OTC birth control.
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July 2023
Maternal mortality continues to worsen in the U.S.
Our population health leader weighs in on worsening maternal mortality, problems navigating health plan coverage, medical care costs and more.
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June 2023
Healthcare roundup: Missed cancer diagnoses, excess deaths in Black people, and medication costs
Our population health leader weighs in on missed cancer diagnoses, excess deaths in the Black population, waiving out-of-pocket medication costs, indoor clean air guidelines and more.
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May 2023
Healthcare roundup: Loneliness as a health risk, menopause and work absences, and cancer biomarkers
Our population health leader weighs in on loneliness, the high costs of pediatric hospitalization, climate change impacts on healthcare costs and more.
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Healthcare roundup: Preventive services, high cost of asthma inhalers and low insulin prices
Our population health leader weighs in on preventive services, the high cost of asthma inhalers, a drop in insulin prices and some recent healthcare successes in this monthly update.
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March 2023
Healthcare roundup: Being heart healthy, paying for outpatient care, and 4-day work weeks
Our population health leader weighs in on the value of being heart healthy, the rising cost of outpatient hospital care and the benefits of a four-day workweek in this monthly update.
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February 2023
Healthcare roundup: Long COVID, lifesaving AEDs and the growth of AI in healthcare
Our population health leader weighs in on long COVID, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare and more in this monthly update.
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January 2023
Healthcare roundup: A focus on rising costs, telehealth privacy and psychedelics
Our population health leader weighs in on healthcare costs, privacy in telehealth and the use of psychedelics for depression in this monthly update.
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December 2022
How to reduce respiratory infection risk during the holiday season
Our population health leader weighs in on COVID-19 and holiday gatherings, diabetes programs, and a new hemophilia drug in this monthly update.
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November 2022
Newly available anti-obesity drugs are safe, effective but pricey
This month’s update includes the latest on anti-obesity drugs, mental health crisis, and a follow up on maternity care.
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October 2022
Over 2 million U.S. women of childbearing age live in counties with no maternity care
This month’s update includes the latest on maternity care, colon cancer and colonoscopies, and the importance of exercise.
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September 2022
Vaccine mandates did their job but are no longer necessary for many employers
This month’s update includes the latest on employer vaccine mandates and a new ruling on the Affordable Care Act’s preventive care requirements.
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August 2022
How employers can prepare for the flu season
Our population health leader weighs in on why influenza could be worse this season, the undertreatment of hepatitis C, the effectiveness of blood pressure apps and much more in this monthly update.
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There’s room for improvement in diabetes and blood pressure care in employer sponsored health plans
This week’s roundup looks at a recent data on the quality of care provided by employer sponsored health plans for those with chronic diseases, and the latest on polio, monkeypox and COVID-19.
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July 2022
National rollout of 988 for mental health emergencies begins
A new mental health hotline, a report on medical errors, an update on hospital mergers and the latest on COVID-19 in this week’s roundup.
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Healthcare costs decreased, but prices rose during pandemic
The Health Care Cost Institute published its annual report on health insurance; the National Center for Health Statistics reported an increase in Cesarean section, and more healthcare news.
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The possible impact of long COVID on the workforce
Long COVID is now a well-recognized medical condition and you should make efforts to be open to this diagnosis and prepare your managers to respond to employees with this condition.
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June 2022
Employer-provided sick leave and job flexibility increase healthcare access and use
Providing employees paid time off for illness can decrease workplace spread of infection and boost recruitment and retention rates.
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Can text messages encourage healthy behavior? Results are mixed
This week’s roundup of health care news includes studies on the effectiveness of text messages, breast cancer mortality, medical waste and updates on COVID-19 and monkeypox.
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Weight loss surgery lowers cancer risk
Bariatric surgery and immunotherapy drugs are possible options to prevent and treat different types of cancer.
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Employer-sponsored health plans should reflect national benchmarks for cancer screening
Employers should update any reminder or incentive program to avoid prompting cancer screening more often than recommended.
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May 2022
What employers should know about monkeypox
While monkeypox is unlikely to become a widespread disease or have a big impact on employers, there could be isolated outbreaks.
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Are we on the verge of another COVID-19 surge?
Employee notification systems, access to free masks and improved testing enable employers to be better positioned for rising COVID-19 variants and cases.
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Child and adolescent mental health worsened during the pandemic
COVID-19 continues to exact a heavy toll on individual wellbeing, especially among youth.
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The acute phase of the pandemic is probably over
Whether the pandemic has formally ended or not, people’s behavior has changed. Also, an update on potentially misleading prenatal tests.
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April 2022
Understanding COVID-19 risks on planes and public transit
When a federal judge threw out the CDC’s mask mandate for planes and other transit, questions about safety ensued. Also news about a new antibody treatment and a look back on the Clean Air Act’s success.
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8 ways U.S. employers can improve access to maternal healthcare
Despite the challenges of racial disparity and high overall maternal mortality, there are steps employers can take to improve maternal health for all pregnant women.
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How the pandemic has increased healthcare innovation
Despite devastating loss, the pandemic has also led to impressive innovation that can help improve healthcare, the workplace and the world.
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Explore the monthly video updates
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Video: Improving employee health with better ventilation and healthcare innovation
- An update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. (0:41)
- Environmental actions employers can take to help improve employee health (2:45)
- What are your thoughts on the approval of a second COVID-19 booster shot for people over age 50 and those who are immunocompromised? (4:27)
- What are your predictions for healthcare costs in 2023 and what can employers do to prepare? (7:17)
- What healthcare innovations have come out of the pandemic? (10:25)
- Final thoughts and quote: Jeff Levin-Scherz, MD (12:47)
“The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably been a terrible tragedy but I do think we have to learn from this and be more prepared going forward.”
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Want to improve employee health? Improve indoor air quality
Ensuring pure indoor air is one way employers can help protect employees from COVID-19 and other transmissible illnesses, regardless of their immune status and willingness to be vaccinated.
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March 2022
COVID-19 reverses gains in cardiovascular disease
Employers can lower cardiovascular risk of their employees by offering and promoting tobacco cessation programs and programs to better treat high-blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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Businesses need to keep COVID-19 plans up to date to ensure resilience
This moment of relative peace offers employers the opportunity to plan for a possible future wave of COVID-19. While no one wants to plan for another surge, the time to prepare for one is now.
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COVID-19 risk diminishes amid increased immunity, better treatments, lower severity
New data suggest that a combination of heighted immunity and improved treatment options will result in lower fatality rates for COVID-19 than for influenza in those age 60 and under.
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Video: How employers can effectively plan for post-pandemic challenges
- Update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. (0:30)
- How are we utilizing community wastewater monitoring? (1:40)
- As the infection rates decrease, what should employers be focusing on? (2:25)
- How can employers manage the affects of long COVID on their workforce? (3:57)
- What is the latest research on COVID vaccines for kids? (5:50)
- How can employers encourage employees to return to preventive care routines? (7:20)
- What can employers do to help protect immunocompromised employees? (9:20)
- What impact is the pandemic going to have on healthcare costs in 2023 and beyond? (11:10)
- Final thoughts and quote: Katherine Wu, The Coronavirus’s Next Move, Atlantic Magazine (14:44)
“We can’t say when the next threat will appear, or how formidable it will be. But we do have some control over its emergence: The more chances we give the virus to infect us, the more chances we give it to change itself again.”
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What Biden’s new COVID-19 plan could mean for employers
The Biden administration unveiled a new road map for COVID-19 treatment, prevention and preparedness measures aimed to end shutdowns.
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Employers should be aware of the pandemic’s effects on maternal wellbeing
A focus on how the pandemic has affected maternal mortality in the U.S. and how employers can address this important issue and help improve care for pregnant women.
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February 2022
Employers must address workplace safety for immunocompromised employees
Employers are responsible for creating a safe work environment for all and must be prepared to offer accommodations to decrease COVID-19 risks for those with weakened immune systems.
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Employers may end mask and distancing rules as case and hospitalization rates continue to decline
This new phase of the pandemic will require flexibility from employers as they provide support to employees navigating a safe work environment.
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Employers restart return-to-work programs as Omicron cases decline
We’ll likely see continued decrease in community transmission and an increase in vaccine options and availability of rapid tests, leading many employers to return remote workers to the workplace.
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Video: Creating a safe workplace that can withstand future COVID-19 disruptions
- Where are we now in the pandemic? (0:30)
- Is getting COVID-19 really no worse than getting the flu? (1:42)
- Should those who have already recovered from COVID-19 still get vaccinated? (3:19)
- How should employers be orienting around boosters, with respect to any vaccine mandates that they might be considering? (5:03)
- How concerned should employers be about Long COVID? (6:39)
- Should employers be thinking about incorporating early cancer detection technology into their healthcare offerings? (8:24)
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Employers continue workplace safety efforts as employees return and COVID-19 still threatens
Omicron cases are down, but we continue to have hospitals under severe stress and the long COVID-19 threat persists.
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January 2022
6 ways the pandemic has changed employer approaches to the workplace
COVID-19 case counts in the U.S. have started to decline. But even when we achieve low community transmission rates, the world will likely not look as it did in the fall of 2019.
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What the Supreme Court ruling on OSHA’s vaccine mandate means for employers
The Supreme Court decision does not prevent most employers from instituting a vaccine mandate, but some will need different policies for different geographies to maintain compliance with state laws.
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Video: Navigating the Omicron wave
- Can you give us an overview of what's happening with Omicron? (0:28)
- How should people be thinking about COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters? (2:13)
- How does the CDC's new guidance on "up to date on vaccination" impact employers? (3:26)
- Where do we stand with respect to COVID-19 testing? (4:36)
- What are the implications of school's closing because of Omicron? (6:11)
- Can you share your thoughts on reports that children currently represent a higher number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 than in previous waves? (7:39)
- Recent studies suggest that teenage boys may experience complications from the COVID-19 vaccine. What is your recommendation on boosters for teenage boys in light of this research? (8:46)
- When do you think oral treatments for COVID-19 will be available? (10:14)
- Are we heading towards the exit ramp of the pandemic? (11:38)
- Final thoughts, Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz: "I think that we are at an inflection point in the pandemic. In the coming weeks and months, we have the promise of fewer infections and better treatments. In the meantime, we should to be careful by continuing to wear masks indoors and trying to avoid places where we're less likely to wear masks, like restaurants and gyms." (13:36)
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Omicron causing strain on employers and hospitals despite being less dangerous
As rates of Omicron cases skyrocket, studies continue to show that those infected are likely to be less sick than those who were infected during previous waves of COVID-19.
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How employers are responding to Omicron
Though Omicron appears to be less dangerous than its predecessors, we should not let our guard down.
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