COVID-19 Intel Center
As our healthcare industry works together to make near- and long-term decisions about COVID-19, our public health, vaccine, and policy experts are here to help decipher the facts and navigate downstream implications for the healthcare system.
Featured Content
What’s Next for Telehealth? HITECH May Offer Lessons
Major catastrophes, like natural disasters, global pandemics, and sudden economic downturns require rapid interventions to protect the American public from long-term health and financial damage. Because there is significant momentum and political will during and immediately following a catastrophe, promising innovations may be fast-tracked.
COVID-19 and Its Impact on the Global Drug Supply Chain
Although COVID-19 is introducing new challenges within the global pharmaceutical supply chain, the current situation also creates opportunities for stakeholders to evaluate drug security and implement risk-mitigation strategies around shortages and required stockpiles.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Health Insurance Industry
On April 9, Avalere experts came together to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the health insurance industry.
Podcast: E8 – Get the Facts on COVID-19: The Pharmacy Business
Tune into the eighth episode of our series of podcasts that focuses on COVID-19. In episode 8, Avalere experts from the Policy practice discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on retail pharmacy and pharmacists.
COVID-19 Poses New Challenges in the Evolving Kidney Care Landscape
The kidney care payment and delivery landscape was poised for change in 2020 due to existing policies and market trends. Given the specific risk COVID-19 poses to these patients, the pandemic is creating new challenges and potentially accelerating existing trends in the kidney care space.
Reducing Funding to WHO May Impact Existing Vaccines Programs
On April 15, President Trump announced his intention to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), pending an investigation into WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO first declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30 and a global pandemic on March 11. A reduction in funding from the US could limit WHO’s COVID-19 response activities as well as its regular vaccine programming, including product prequalification, global surveillance, and ongoing efforts to strengthen health systems.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sickle Cell Disease Management
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe red blood cell disorder that disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic populations. In the United States, there are approximately 100,000 individuals living with SCD (although there is a lack of accurate reporting and the exact number is unknown).
Diagnostic Testing and Patient Screening Are Key to Successful US COVID-19 Response
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads throughout the United States, media and policy focus on the rollout of diagnostic testing for the disease has greatly increased. Understanding the role of testing and screening is key to the control of this outbreak.
Considerations for Patient Support Programs in the COVID-19 Era
As the economic and social impact of COVID-19 change how patients access and receive care, manufacturers and third-party suppliers must consider how to evolve their patient support programs to meet the shifting access and affordability needs of patients.
Podcast: E7 – Get the Facts on COVID-19: Post-Acute Care
Tune into the seventh episode of our series that focuses on COVID-19. In episode 7, Avalere experts from the Health Plans and Provider’s practice discuss the short- and long-term implications for post-acute care as a result of COVID-19.
Treatment Disruption due to COVID-19 Poses Challenges to Practices in OCM
Oncology practices with a substantial proportion of Oncology Care Model (OCM) episodes in areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases—such as Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania—may face new challenges in containing total expenditure below target amounts.
FDA Guidance on Digital Devices for Mental Health During COVID-19
To protect the public’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released guidance expanding the availability of digital health therapeutic devices and applications for psychiatric disorders by clarifying which regulatory requirements it does not plan on enforcing as well as which products do not necessitate FDA oversight. This guidance intends to limit extraneous contact between patients (users) and providers by providing regulatory flexibility for low risk products. The policies will last until the national public health emergency ends.
Patients Using DMARDs for Autoimmune Diseases May Encounter Access Challenges
As COVID-19 deaths increase, the FDA is evaluating and considering approval of treatments more quickly, but the rush to find treatment options is creating new access considerations for patients and providers.
Considerations for the Role of Pharmacies and the Retail Pharmacy Business Model in Response to COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues to stress the US healthcare system, pharmacists and retail pharmacies may help respond to the pandemic.
Provider Impact of COVID-19 Telehealth Policies by Specialty
Approximately ⅓ of physician services payments are eligible for telehealth reimbursement under Medicare (fee-for-service) FFS through existing Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance as of January 2020, in addition to temporary coding guidance specific to COVID-19 effective as of March 1, 2020. Avalere’s analysis highlights the immediate potential for specific physician specialties to utilize telehealth based on temporary flexibilities regarding which procedures are eligible for telehealth reimbursement.
COVID-19 Complicates Access to Provider-Administered Autoimmune Treatments
The large-scale disruptions resulting from COVID-19 are significantly reshaping how patients receive care. In particular, patients taking infused and injectable drugs administered by a healthcare professional at a physician office, infusion center, or hospital outpatient department now face greater challenges receiving their medications.
Two-Thirds of Seniors Have High-Risk Conditions in Counties with the Most COVID-19 Cases
Avalere analysis finds that in the top 25 US counties with highest number of COVID-19 diagnoses, two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have 1 or more high-risk medical conditions.
Podcast: E6 – Get the Facts on COVID-19: Oncology Care and Delivery
Avalere experts discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected oncology care and delivery, and the Oncology Care Model (OCM).
COVID-19 Considerations for Medicare Advantage Plans
The COVID-19 pandemic will have ongoing, market-wide implications as Medicare Advantage (MA) plans contend both with responding to the virus and the disruption to their normal activities.
Home Testing Can Keep People Safe and Get Them Back to Work—Here’s How
On April 7, Gillian Woollett authored a Health Affairs blog piece with Ge Bai from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Bruce Pyenson from Milliman about the role that testing plays in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
