Jeff Lagasse

Author's posts

Michigan Medicine to resume construction on $920 million hospital

Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor was forced to delay construction of a new hospital last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with cases down and vaccines being distributed, the academic health system is resuming plans to build the $920 million facility.

Big shift seen in high-risk older adults’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination

Last fall, nearly half of older adults were on the fence about COVID-19 vaccination — or at least taking a wait-and-see attitude, according to a University of Michigan poll taken at the time.
But a new follow-up poll shows that 71% of people in their …

Ohio AG sues Centene, alleging misrepresented pharmacy expenses cost Medicaid millions

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit this week against health insurer Centene, alleging that company subsidiary Buckeye Health Plan utilized a web of subcontractors for the provision of pharmacy benefits in order to misrepresent pharmacy cos…

CVS Health expands COVID-19 vaccine offerings to 29 states

CVS Health has expanded the number of locations that are offering COVID-19 vaccines, nearly doubling the number of states in which eligible patients can receive their shots through the health giant.

Wound dressings have a significant impact on total cost of care

Patching up wounds is one of the more basic services provided by healthcare, and the need for wound dressings is increasing.

New collaborative care model improves access to mental healthcare

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues have been on the rise across the nation, but many struggle to access the care they need. Collaborative care — an approach sown to improve psychiatric care — combats this issue by integrating men…

Former FDA commissioners prompt Biden to nominate permanent head

President Joe Biden has yet to nominate a permanent head of the Food and Drug Administration, but six former FDA commissioners are urging him to do just that, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to do so.
Specifically, the commissioners hi…

Requests for brand name over generic prescription drugs cost Medicare $1.7 billion in a single year

The Medicare Part D program would have saved $977 million in a single year if all branded prescription drugs requested by prescribing clinicians had been substituted by a generic option, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloo…

New York State’s hospital nurse staffing legislation predicted to save lives and money

Improving hospital nurse staffing as proposed in pending legislation in New York state would likely save lives, according to a new study published in Medical Care, and the cost of improving nurse staffing would be offset by savings achieved through red…

A large pay gap exists between independent and hospital-employed doctors

Doctors who work for hospital outpatient facilities get much higher payments for their services from Medicare than doctors who practice independently, according to a new study.
The research, based on Medicare claims data from 2010-2016, found that the …