Friday, May 26, 2023
UPDATE: GA Passes Medicaid Omnibus With Rate Increase
Registration Open: IL Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit
FDA Approves First Oral Treatment for COVID-19
RECALL: Seattle PAP Plus, Breathing/Anesthesia Kits
New Research Identifies 12 Long COVID-19 Symptoms
Illinois COVID-19 Data
Briefly Noted
UPDATE: GA Passes Medicaid Omnibus With Rate Increase
On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker and General Assembly leaders announced they had reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) budget. The proposed FY2024 budget (SB 250) includes appropriations for a General Revenue Funded (GRF) across-the-board increase to hospital Medicaid base rates, which is included in Medicaid omnibus legislation (SB 1298) advanced as part of the proposed budget agreement.
Early this morning, the Medicaid omnibus legislation was passed by both legislative chambers and will be sent to the Governor for final action. At this time, the final language included in the Medicaid omnibus legislation follows the same framework of IHA’s originally introduced legislation contained in SB 1763, and embodies the fundamental principles of money following the patient and added consideration for Safety Net Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals.
Additionally, Senate lawmakers have approved the proposed budget contained in SB 250 and the corresponding budget implementation bill (HB 3817) and moved those bills to the House of Representatives, where they are now awaiting action in that chamber. Both SB 250 and HB 3817 must be read into the House record on three separate days before they can be voted on and approved by House lawmakers. At this time, both bills have been read into the record once, making tomorrow, May 27, the earliest possible date these proposed budget bills could be approved by House legislators and sent to the Governor for final action.
We will keep you apprised of any significant changes or action taken in the coming days.
Registration Open: IL Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit
Registration is now open for the 2023 Illinois Summit on Antimicrobial Stewardship, which will be held June 13 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Parke Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington.
Click here to register for the summit, an annual event established to bring together healthcare professionals to discuss best practices for appropriate antibiotic use, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, quality directors, infection preventionists, facility leaders and public health professionals across inpatient, outpatient and long-term care settings. Click here to view a preliminary agenda.
After attending the summit, participants will be able to:
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Summarize the regulatory and national landscape for antimicrobial stewardship;
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Apply national guidelines and best practices for implementing and evaluating facility antimicrobial stewardship programs;
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Identify tools and resources for implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs; and
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Review past successful antimicrobial stewardship programs and lessons learned.
More details about the event, including hotel arrangements, cost, objectives and continuing education information can be found here.
FDA Approves First Oral Treatment for COVID-19
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it has approved the oral antiviral Paxlovid for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at high risk of severe COVID-19, which could result in hospitalization or death. Paxlovid is the fourth drug—and first oral antiviral pill—approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 in adults.
“Today’s approval demonstrates that Paxlovid has met the agency’s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness, and that it remains an important treatment option for people at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including those with prior immunity,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
RECALL: Seattle PAP Plus, Breathing/Anesthesia Kits
Draeger Medical has recalled the Seattle PAP Plus, VentStar and other breathing circuit/anesthesia kits after finding that glued connections may loosen before or during ventilation due to a manufacturing error. According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall notice, partial or complete detachment of components including the water trap, y-piece or hose connector may occur as a result.
The FDA said this is a Class 1 recall because loosening or detachment of these parts can interrupt the breathing circuit and may cause severe injury including lack of oxygen (hypoxia) or death. Risk is especially great for critically ill patients, including newborns. At this time, there are no reported injuries or deaths related to this issue.
New Research Identifies 12 Long COVID-19 Symptoms
New research has developed a definition and symptom checklist for long COVID-19, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA.
Researchers analyzed data from 9,764 adults in the RECOVER trial, a prospective longitudinal cohort study coordinated through the National Institutes of Health.
UPI reports the study identified a set of 12 long-term symptoms that can occur following infection with COVID-19. According to the study, these symptoms, which range from brain fog to chest pain, are linked to the effects of the coronavirus on multiple organ systems.
Using these symptoms, UPI reports the research team created a diagnostic checklist for what they call PASC (Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2)—another term for long COVID.
The study reveals symptoms contributing to the new PASC score include: post-exertional malaise; fatigue; brain fog; dizziness; gastrointestinal symptoms; heart palpitations; changes in sexual desire or capacity; affected smell or taste; thirst; chronic cough; chest pain; and abnormal movements.
Illinois COVID-19
With the state of Illinois and federal government having ended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has shifted to a new cadence for data reporting and will release updates every other week. The latest update is expected today. IDPH will continue to report COVID-19 data on the weekly number of people admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, as well through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
Yesterday the American Hospital Association (AHA) published a report on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, its history and value to hospitals and patients, and details on 340B contract pharmacy arrangements. This report is available at no cost on the AHA website.