Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar announced Sunday that he is under
self-quarantine after coming in contact with an individual who has
tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, Gosar, who represents Arizona’s
4th District, said, “I have been informed that during the CPAC
conference members of my staff and I came into contact with an
individual who has since tested positive for, and is hospitalized for,
COVID-19. I was with the individual for an extended period of time, and
we shook hands several times.”
Gosar went on to say he and his staff members are not experiencing
any symptoms, but in order to prevent any potential transmission, he is
going to remain at home in Arizona for a 14-day period following his
contact with the confirmed patient. The congressman said he is also
closing his office in Washington, D.C. for the week. He said his team
will be telecommuting instead.
Gosar said he has been in contact with the CDC and the House Office of the Attending Physician.
Gosar’s announcement comes shortly after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced that he is self-quarantining himself after learning that he too had interacted with someone who tested positive with COVID-19 at last week’s CPAC Conference.
https://www.abc15.com/news/state/arizona-congressman-paul-gosar-under-self-quarantine-over-coronavirus-fears
Monday, March 9, 2020
Despite more electronic record use, hospitals rely on fax, mail of patient data
- Electronic availability of patient health information from outside sources increased by 10% in 2018, resulting in more than half of hospitals having EHR information available at point of care, according to a report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. But most hospitals still rely on a mix of both physical and electronic records.
- About 10% of hospitals said they exclusively use electronic methods for sending and receiving summary of care records, while almost 25% said they still rely on non-electronic methods. About 70% of hospitals surveyed said they continued to use mail or fax for sending and receiving summary of care records in 2018.
- The most frequently cited barrier among respondents was exchanging data across different EHR vendor platforms. More than 60% of hospitals reported difficulty finding providers’ addresses and more than half had trouble matching or identifying correct patients between systems.
Providers are increasingly using patient health information received electronically from outside sources, according to the ONC report, although seamlessly sharing that data remains a challenge. Cost barriers are also an issue.
In 2018, about six in 10 hospitals reported often or sometimes using patient health information they electronically received through EHRs. Among hospitals that rarely or never used electronically received information, one-third reported that information was not presented in a useful format and one-fifth said information was difficult to find.
On average, hospitals used two methods for finding patients’ health information electronically; most often through a Health Information Service Provider, through a state, regional or local health information network or through a national network.
About six in 10 hospitals reported using a Health Information Service Provider to send summary of care records, making it the most popular method for sending and receiving summary of care records electronically in 2017 and 2018.
Most hospitals participated in one national health network in 2018, and about one-third participated in more than one. These include provider portal, direct access to EHRs, and multi-EHR vendor networks to electronically find patient health information. About one-fifth participated in CommonWell Health Alliance, DirectTrust and Carequality.
Rural providers were less likely to participate in national networks, with a 14 percentage point difference in participation in national networks by medium and large hospitals compared to small hospitals with 100 beds or less.
Almost half of hospitals used state, regional or local HIOs to electronically find or query patient health information from outside sources. Use of HIOs and single EHR vendor networks for receiving summary of care records significantly increased from 2017 to 2018.
The push for interoperability, however, has proven costly for healthcare organizations, and was a frequently cited barrier among study respondents.
Spending on developing customized interfaces to electronically exchange health information and additional costs to exchange data with outside providers were cited by about four in 10 hospitals.
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/despite-more-ehr-use-hospitals-rely-on-fax-mail-to-share-patient-records/573721/
NYC coronavirus cases rise, including Bronx girl, city worker
There are now 20 confirmed cases
of the coronavirus in the city — including a 7-year-old girl from the
Bronx and a city government worker, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
Hizzoner said the little girl attends the Westchester Torah Academy in White Plains, Westchester County, and is quarantined at home and doing “well.’’
She has no pre-existing conditions or a recent travel history and is showing “minimal symptoms,” de Blasio said.
The child’s mother, father and two sisters have all tested negative, he said.
A city employee also has tested positive for the potentially deadly bug, de Blasio said.
The worker, who lives in Westchester County, “was in a city office last week but only for three hours,’’ the mayor said.
The man was not symptomatic at the time and still isn’t, he said.
The patient is in quarantine, de Blasio said, adding that all of his family members tested negative for the virus.
But the mayor said a stricken 65-year-old man from Queens with diabetes is “critically ill’’ and “someone we’re very, very worried about.’’
He said the man had a fever, then developed pneumonia and shortness of breath and ended up in the ICU.
The other new coronavirus patients in the city include a 68-year-old man in Brooklyn who recently traveled, although not to any of the hot-spot countries, so it’s unclear where he contracted the virus, de Blasio said.
The man, who has diabetes and heart disease, had symptoms and was admitted to the ICU at a private hospital in Brooklyn. He is currently critical but stable, the mayor said.
A 22-year-old man in Brooklyn also had symptoms and was transported by EMS to a private hospital in the borough.
“Why is a 22-year-old man stable but hospitalized at this point?’’ de Blasio told reporters. “The one factor we know of is he is a vaper.
“We think the fact that he is a vaper is effecting this situation.’’
Hizzoner said there is at least one more case in the Bronx and related to the Westchester County cluster. Two more are in Manhattan — including Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, he said.
“We’re seeing more and more cases related to community spread,’’ de Blasio said.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/09/nyc-coronavirus-cases-rise-including-bronx-girl-city-worker-de-blasio-says/
Hizzoner said the little girl attends the Westchester Torah Academy in White Plains, Westchester County, and is quarantined at home and doing “well.’’
She has no pre-existing conditions or a recent travel history and is showing “minimal symptoms,” de Blasio said.
The child’s mother, father and two sisters have all tested negative, he said.
A city employee also has tested positive for the potentially deadly bug, de Blasio said.
The worker, who lives in Westchester County, “was in a city office last week but only for three hours,’’ the mayor said.
The man was not symptomatic at the time and still isn’t, he said.
The patient is in quarantine, de Blasio said, adding that all of his family members tested negative for the virus.
But the mayor said a stricken 65-year-old man from Queens with diabetes is “critically ill’’ and “someone we’re very, very worried about.’’
He said the man had a fever, then developed pneumonia and shortness of breath and ended up in the ICU.
The other new coronavirus patients in the city include a 68-year-old man in Brooklyn who recently traveled, although not to any of the hot-spot countries, so it’s unclear where he contracted the virus, de Blasio said.
The man, who has diabetes and heart disease, had symptoms and was admitted to the ICU at a private hospital in Brooklyn. He is currently critical but stable, the mayor said.
A 22-year-old man in Brooklyn also had symptoms and was transported by EMS to a private hospital in the borough.
“Why is a 22-year-old man stable but hospitalized at this point?’’ de Blasio told reporters. “The one factor we know of is he is a vaper.
“We think the fact that he is a vaper is effecting this situation.’’
Hizzoner said there is at least one more case in the Bronx and related to the Westchester County cluster. Two more are in Manhattan — including Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, he said.
“We’re seeing more and more cases related to community spread,’’ de Blasio said.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/09/nyc-coronavirus-cases-rise-including-bronx-girl-city-worker-de-blasio-says/
Kala Pharma’s KPI-121 successful in dry eye study; shares up
Kala Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALA) is up 13% premarket on light volume in reaction to its announcement of positive top line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial, STRIDE 3, evaluating lead candidate KPI-121 in patients with dry eye disease.
The study met the primary endpoint showing
statistically significant improvements in ocular discomfort severity in
both the overall intent-to-treat (ITT) population and in a predefined
subgroup of ITT patients with more severe ocular discomfort. Significant
results were also achieved for total corneal staining at day 15 in the
ITT population.
It plans to refile its U.S. marketing application next quarter based on these data. It received a CRL in August 2019 citing the need to conduct an additional clinical trial.
The company plans to commercialize KPI-121 under
the brand name EYSUVIS (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension)
0.25% with a specialty sales force of 125 reps (from 100).
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3549637-kala-pharmas-kpiminus-121-successful-in-dry-eye-study-shares-up-13-premarketFDA OKs new use of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ofev
Under Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy status, the FDA approves privately
held Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ofev (nintedanib) oral capsules for the
treatment of patients with chronic fibrosing (scarring) interstitial
lung diseases (ILD) with a progressive phenotype (trait).
Data from a pivotal study in a range of these
patients showed that treatment with the kinase inhibitor slowed the rate
of pulmonary function loss by 57% compared to placebo.
The FDA first approved Ofev in October 2014 for
ideopathic pulmonary fibrosis followed by a second nod in September 2019
for ILD associated with systemic sclerosis or scleroderma.
ILD-related tickers: Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY -5.3%), United Therapeutics (UTHR -5.5%), aTyr Pharma (LIFE -10.2%), Bellerophon Therapeutics (BLPH -12.8%)
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3549868-fda-oks-new-use-of-boehringer-ingelheims-ofevWhite House invites Wall Street executives for coronavirus meeting
The Trump administration has invited top Wall Street executives to
meet at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus, a
person familiar with the plan said on Monday as stocks dropped amid
concerns over the growing outbreak.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because plans were still being finalized, could not say which company executives had been invited or whether any had agreed to attend because invitations were still being extended for the meeting, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-wallst/white-house-invites-wall-street-executives-for-coronavirus-meeting-source-idUSKBN20W2O0?il=0
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because plans were still being finalized, could not say which company executives had been invited or whether any had agreed to attend because invitations were still being extended for the meeting, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-wallst/white-house-invites-wall-street-executives-for-coronavirus-meeting-source-idUSKBN20W2O0?il=0
Covid-19 spread could last into 2021 but impact could be blunted – CDC official
A top federal health official said Monday that the evolving coronavirus outbreak
could persist in the United States into next year, while stressing that
public health interventions could still reduce the spread of the virus
and cases of illness and death.
“As the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the U.S. will at some point, either this year or next, get exposed to this virus,” Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on a call with reporters. “And there’s a good chance many will become sick.”
Messonnier noted, however, that officials do not expect most people to suffer severe cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. She pointed to data from China, where the outbreak began and thousands of cases have been reviewed, that showed that some 80% of cases were mild and only a few percent were critical.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever and cough. In more
serious cases, it can cause pneumonia. There have been more than 500
confirmed cases in the United States, and more than 20 deaths.
Messonnier, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, used the press briefing Monday to urge Americans who face higher risks of developing more severe disease, including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, to take precautions and prepare. Such steps include avoiding crowds and contact with people who are sick, and frequent hand washing.
She also said that high-risk Americans should stock up on their medications and groceries, and that family members of those high-risk people should create a plan should they get sick and they can no longer help their relatives.
“You may need to identify backups,” Messonnier said.
She added: “I understand these recommendations may not be popular and that they may be difficult for some people.”
Messonnier’s suggestion that the virus could last into next year fits with the predictions of some experts that the virus will circulate for a long time, given how difficult contagious respiratory illnesses are to halt. Some experts have said they see the virus becoming endemic, that is, spreading permanently in the human population like some viruses that cause colds and the flu.
The concern with the novel coronavirus, however, is that no one had any existing immunity to it, so initial exposure is more likely to lead to more severe illnesses for some patients. The most vulnerable include seniors, those whose immune systems are suppressed, and those who are already dealing with other health conditions.
Messonnier noted that most communities in the United States are not experiencing community spread of the virus and said that people need to make decisions based on where they live and their own needs. She also advised that people who are not at high risk for severe illness, particularly those not living in places like communities in Washington state and California where the virus is known to be spreading, to act prudently. Masks, for example, should really be saved for health care workers.
“This is a time for people to prepare for what they might need to do, but not a time for people to clear out the shelves,” she said when asked about people buying household and cleaning supplies in bulk.
If people think they have been exposed to the virus, they should stay at home and alert a health provider if they become ill, particularly if they are in a high-risk group, Messonnier said.
She said that her parents, who are in their 80s, do not live in an area where the disease is known to be actively spreading, “but I’ve asked them to stick close to home.”
During the briefing, Messonnier explained that more public health response efforts, which are largely led by state and local officials, will increasingly move from containment to mitigation, but she described that transition not like an on-off switch but like a dimmer. Containment efforts, which included isolating individual cases and following their contacts to see if they develop disease, could continue even as officials implemented the broader mitigation efforts that are designed to address wider community spread.
“We can really mitigate the impact of this disease,” she said.
Wrangling the spread of the virus will require individuals to act as well, she said. People need to listen to health authorities, and protect themselves, their families, and their communities. Reducing the spread of the disease will also reduce the burden the health care system could face.
“There are personal responsibilities that we’re asking everyone in the United States to take,” she said.
“As the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the U.S. will at some point, either this year or next, get exposed to this virus,” Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on a call with reporters. “And there’s a good chance many will become sick.”
Messonnier noted, however, that officials do not expect most people to suffer severe cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. She pointed to data from China, where the outbreak began and thousands of cases have been reviewed, that showed that some 80% of cases were mild and only a few percent were critical.
Messonnier, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, used the press briefing Monday to urge Americans who face higher risks of developing more severe disease, including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, to take precautions and prepare. Such steps include avoiding crowds and contact with people who are sick, and frequent hand washing.
She also said that high-risk Americans should stock up on their medications and groceries, and that family members of those high-risk people should create a plan should they get sick and they can no longer help their relatives.
“You may need to identify backups,” Messonnier said.
She added: “I understand these recommendations may not be popular and that they may be difficult for some people.”
Messonnier’s suggestion that the virus could last into next year fits with the predictions of some experts that the virus will circulate for a long time, given how difficult contagious respiratory illnesses are to halt. Some experts have said they see the virus becoming endemic, that is, spreading permanently in the human population like some viruses that cause colds and the flu.
The concern with the novel coronavirus, however, is that no one had any existing immunity to it, so initial exposure is more likely to lead to more severe illnesses for some patients. The most vulnerable include seniors, those whose immune systems are suppressed, and those who are already dealing with other health conditions.
Messonnier noted that most communities in the United States are not experiencing community spread of the virus and said that people need to make decisions based on where they live and their own needs. She also advised that people who are not at high risk for severe illness, particularly those not living in places like communities in Washington state and California where the virus is known to be spreading, to act prudently. Masks, for example, should really be saved for health care workers.
“This is a time for people to prepare for what they might need to do, but not a time for people to clear out the shelves,” she said when asked about people buying household and cleaning supplies in bulk.
If people think they have been exposed to the virus, they should stay at home and alert a health provider if they become ill, particularly if they are in a high-risk group, Messonnier said.
She said that her parents, who are in their 80s, do not live in an area where the disease is known to be actively spreading, “but I’ve asked them to stick close to home.”
During the briefing, Messonnier explained that more public health response efforts, which are largely led by state and local officials, will increasingly move from containment to mitigation, but she described that transition not like an on-off switch but like a dimmer. Containment efforts, which included isolating individual cases and following their contacts to see if they develop disease, could continue even as officials implemented the broader mitigation efforts that are designed to address wider community spread.
“We can really mitigate the impact of this disease,” she said.
Wrangling the spread of the virus will require individuals to act as well, she said. People need to listen to health authorities, and protect themselves, their families, and their communities. Reducing the spread of the disease will also reduce the burden the health care system could face.
“There are personal responsibilities that we’re asking everyone in the United States to take,” she said.
Coronavirus spread could last into next year, but impact could be blunted, CDC official says
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