GOVERNMENT & HEALTHCARE
• Democrats Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Save the ACA
• Federal Government Funded; Surprise Billing & Comprehensive Drug Pricing Legislation Postponed
• New Enrollment Data Shows Relative Stability in Federal Marketplace After 3 Years of Major Declines

PREDICTIONS FOR 2020
• "Five Healthcare Fights to Watch in 2020" - The Hill
• What Will 2020 Bring for Medicine and Science?

BLOCKBUSTER TRENDS
• One Medical Files for IPO

HOSPITAL NEWS
• LA's St. Vincent Med Center to Close; 3 Other Verity Hospitals Remain Open
• Sutter to Pay $575 Million in Antitrust Settlement
• Quality of Care at Hospitals Acquired During Recent Wave of Dealmaking Got Worse or Stayed the Same: Research

BREAKTHROUGHS & FINDINGS
• Xilis: Cultivating Micro-tumors May Hold Key to More Effective Cancer Treatments
• While Designer Drugs Will Likely Be Super Expensive, Drugmakers Are Also Turning to Data Mining to Avoid Expensive, Lengthy Drug Trials
• AI is Already Making An Impact in Women's Health

On December 17, 2019, CMS and HRSA announced two proposed rules intended to: (1) enforce accountability from Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) for their performance; and (2) promote more organ donations from living donors. These proposed rules were released in accordance with President Trump's Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health, which directs HHS to improve the organ donation allocation process. The executive order may be found here. (Read: King & Spalding Health Headlines article, 12/23/19)

When asked for his comments on this news, ABL Member Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy, the largest organ, eye and tissue recovery organization in the world, said: "The US organ donation system is completing its 10th year of record-setting organ recoveries for transplant (a 10% increase this year alone!) due to rising authorization rates by registered donors and families and ever-greater collaboration with hospital leaders and caregivers who recognize that enabling organ donation is a part of caring for families and their communities. Unfortunately, the White House, influenced by transplant surgeons who do not support long-standing federal law requiring the broadest possible sharing of organs, has dismissed this growth and the US international leadership in donation and transplantation. The changes in OPO metrics and oversight they propose are based on data that is grossly unreliable and will result in unnecessary disruption on the US donation system. Fortunately, there is a far better, more detailed, independently-reported metric of possible donor referrals and Brain Death diagnoses that are currently captured by hospitals that will in fact build on successful collaboration and will increase donation. We are confident that CMS and the Congress will support this collaboration." (Tom Mone, Los Angeles)

Alinea Medical Imaging recently partnered with the Good Human Foundation to participate in their Babes for Boobs event, an annual live bachelor auction that raises money for the Susan G. Komen organization. Attendees and participants were able to tour an Alinea Mobile Mammography Bus, featuring the latest technological advancements in breast cancer screening. (Monish Laxpati, MD, Orange County)

Idean and Bayer iHub have debuted Welly, a digital coach in an app that analyzes a user's health metrics from all their wearables, smart sensors, and smartphones to offer timely, actionable health insights, and recommendations. It allows the user to view their health metrics like sleep, calm, and activity in one place, without switching across various apps. Welly offers two engaging AI personas: a friendly "Coach" who is available 24/7 to answer questions, give advice, and provide timely encouragement; and a "Challenger" who playfully pushes the user to be a healthier version of their current self. (Dirk Schapeler, Silicon Valley)

CareAcademy has partnered and integrated with home care software provider AlayaCare, in order to provide its clients more options for care provider training. Also, CareAcademy's online continuing education for home care aides and CNAs is now approved by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. And, CareAcademy is offering a variety of on-demand webinars - available here, including "What You Need to Know About Buying and Selling Home Care Agencies;" "The Home Care Agency Owner's Guide to Dealing with Grief;" "Home Health Aide Training Program;" and "Medicare Advantage Panel with Home Health Care News & Anne Tumlinson Innovations." (Helen Adeosun, Los Angeles)

On the evening of February 29, Choice in Aging will present its 45th Annual Crab Feed, in Walnut Creek. This year featuring a Roaring '20s theme, the fundraiser will include all-you-can-eat fresh Dungeness crab (or a chicken alternative), music, a bar, live and silent auctions, and more. (Debbie Toth, Bay Area)

Through a collaboration with MDLIVE, Cigna's 14 million customers enrolled in employer-sponsored plans can now schedule appointments online to see behavioral health counselors or psychiatrists when/where they want, securely, by video or phone. This new service is in addition to Cigna's Behavioral Health network of 18,000+ virtual behavioral health providers. Meanwhile, New York Life will acquire Cigna's group life and disability insurance business for $6.3 billion, the corporations have announced, expected to close in the third quarter of 2020. (Chris De Rosa, Orange County)

Covered California reminds Californians that a new state law took effect on January 1, 2020, requiring all Californians to have health insurance or face a penalty. Open enrollment ends on January 31, and there is new financial help available to eligible consumers, including middle-income consumers who previously did not receive any assistance. More information. Meanwhile, as of December 18, CoveredCA announced that there are 230,000+ new plan selections during the current open enrollment period - up approximately 16% over this time last year, with over 1.15 million people renewing their coverage. In addition, 540,000+ people will receive new state subsidies to make coverage more affordable in 2020. Since 2013, California has reduced its uninsured rate by more than any other state in the nation, by expanding Medi-Cal, investing in marketing and outreach, and keeping costs low for consumers. California's individual market consistently ranks among the healthiest in the nation, helping unsubsidized consumers save about $1,550 annually in 2018 on their premiums compared to consumers in the federal marketplace. (Kathy Keeshen, JD, Bay Area)

Jennifer Ty, CEO of Excell Home Care, is quoted in a recent Forbes article - 11 Must-Read Resources to Help Shape Leadership Style, in which members of Forbes Business Council shared which book or resource has been particularly helpful in shaping their management style. Jennifer's recommendation: "The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Beating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization talks about people, the roles they can play, the hats they can wear and the personas they can adapt. Tom Kelley shows how the organization can bring the human components of innovation to your organization's operational work. It's about developing the personas of your team to maximize its influence." (Jennifer Ty, DNP, Orange County)

PIH Health recently announced that Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles has officially joined its integrated healthcare network. This addition brings PIH Health to 7,100 full-time employees, three hospitals totaling 1,130 licensed beds, and 26 outpatient clinics. Good Sam is now a subsidiary of PIH Health, with the same relationship status as PIH Health Hospital - Downey, PIH Health Hospital - Whittier, and PIH Health Physicians. PIH Health will invest resources and capital to provide Good Sam with the ability to remain dedicated to the highest quality healthcare in its current location in downtown L.A. Good Sam will be rebranded as PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital. (Andy Leeka, Los Angeles)

Recent blog posts from Health Coach Institute - available here - include: "What Are the Best Mindfulness Activities?;" "HCI Live Dallas 2019 Recap;" "7 Types of Self-Care & Why You Need Them;" "Self-Care Habits for Busy People;" and "How to Create a Vision Board." (Eric Neuner, Bay Area)

Home Safety Services is calling attention to the Senate Aging Committee's recent report and hearings on falls prevention and proven strategies to protect seniors from injury. "This report presents a broad overview of the impact of falls, including their prevalence, causes, and cost, as well as evidence-based programs that have been shown to effectively reduce and prevent falls," Home Safety Services says. "In addition, it highlights federal and state leadership in falls-prevention, as well as the role of technology and public-private partnerships aimed at reducing fall risk. Finally, the report contains recommendations for governments, private and public organizations, providers, and communities to prevent falls among older adults, and improve fall-related outcomes. (Martin Simenc, Silicon Valley)

Senior Housing News (SHN) has named Rotary Terrace, HumanGood's South San Francisco-based affordable housing community, as the first-place winner of the sixth annual SHN Architecture & Design Awards for affordable housing communities. The awards program recognizes and celebrates companies utilizing cutting-edge design and innovation to improve the lives of seniors. Rotary Terrace was among 100+ communities worldwide vying for the top honors across nine categories. (Tara McGuinness, Bay Area)

Kaiser Permanente is partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Discovery Education to address trauma and stress and promote social and emotional wellness at 25,000 schools nationwide. The Resilience in School Environments (RISE) initiative will provide a comprehensive set of resources, at no cost, for school staff, teachers, and districts to address some of the underlying factors of stress in schools and develop strategies and practices that foster more positive school environments - for students and staff. RISE will be offered through a variety of virtual and in-person resources. (Walt Meyers, Bay Area)

King & Spalding received multiple recognitions from the Financial Times as part of its FT Innovative Lawyers North America Awards 2019, including earning spots on both the Most Innovative Law Firms: Overall list and Most Innovative Law Firms: Legal Expertise list, on which it ranked among the top 10 firms. In addition, the firm received a "Highly Commended" designation in the Managing Complexity and Scale category for its successful defense of a SCANA subsidiary in litigation and investigations, and a "Commended" designation in the Litigation and Disputes category for its win for Galderma in patent litigation. (Marcia Augsburger, JD, Bay Area, & Travis Jackson, JD)

On the evening of March 7, LifeLong Medical Care will present its Annual Gala, in Berkeley. The evening will include a seated three-course dinner, hosted wine, dessert, dancing and more. (Mike Stacey, MD, Bay Area)

LigoLab is listed as a leading vendor in a recent ReportLinker report forecasting the global growth of automated solutions for anatomic pathology laboratories. The report said that growing adoption of automated systems in laboratories will lead to the expansion of the global anatomic pathology track and trace solutions market. The report estimated a CAGR of almost 10% during the forecast period of 2020-2024. Several factors were considered, including the lower cost of barcode systems compared to RFID for tracking samples, the rising demand for timely disease diagnosis, and the high frequency of human error in labs that don't employ automated solutions. (Suren Avunjian, Los Angeles)

MayView Community Health Center, which has provided care for needy patients in Santa Clara County since the 1970s, has reached a deal in which all of its assets, employees, and operations will be transferred to nonprofit Ravenswood Family Health Center by April 2020. Ravenswood is a Federally Qualified Health Center, granting it a line of federal funding to provide health services in underserved areas. To assist in the transition, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a $625,000 contract with MayView for financial support through the end of March. The money will be used as "bridge" funding to allow MayView to continue to provide healthcare services to patients during the "orderly transition of patients and patient care from MayView to Ravenswood," according to a county staff report. (Ken Graham, Silicon Valley)

On March 26-27, Mazzetti's Sextant Foundation and AORN will hold Reimagining the OR: Pre-op, Intra-op, and Phase 1 & 2 Recovery Workshop, in Anaheim. The program, supported by the Facility Guidelines Institute, uses elements of Human-Centered Design (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) and process improvement techniques to reimagine OR spaces. (Walt Vernon, JD, Bay Area)

MedWand has been named an Honoree in two categories of the CES 2020 Innovation Awards - Health & Wellness and Tech for a Better World. This awards program is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products, and Honorees are those that score above the threshold set for a specific category. Awards judges are all highly respected experts in their fields and include consumer technology designers, engineers, and members of the media. (Bob Rose, Orange County)

Nelson Hardiman Partners Harry Nelson and Stacie Neroni were recognized by the Daily Journal as two of 2019's Top Healthcare Lawyers, and the firm was listed to BTI Consulting's Client Service A-Team 2020, noted for its stand-out performance in investing in client relationships and client-facing communication. Meanwhile, Harry recently wrote an article for Forbes - Project Opioid: A Call to Action - in which he discusses ending the opioid crisis via tackling the social crisis within our society. (Harry Nelson, JD, Los Angeles)

RE Pharmacy recently celebrated the grand opening of RE Pharmacy Infusion Center of San Diego, which provides heated leather massage reclining seats, each of which are accompanied by an ARLO Digital Media Center, featuring a 31" interactive tablet screen with streaming educational content and media. Part of this interactive experience includes a virtual human body which the patient can view, rotate, and zoom into, allowing doctors to explain any particular illnesses to the patient in a 3D context. Patients may also surf the web and stream Netflix. Adjacent to the main infusion area is a private suite, available upon request. (Tom Leffler, Orange County)

Upcoming complimentary webinars from Saferide Health include Stand out from the Medicare Advantage crowd with a technology-forward NEMT benefit, on January 22 at 10 a.m. Pacific, and Stop the Grievances! How to put your NEMT broker for Medicaid to the test, on February 12, at 10 a.m. Pacific. The latter will discuss common problems health plans experience with traditional non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) brokers - from a lack of flexible ride scheduling, to high grievance rates, to areas where fraud, waste and abuse can exist. Saferide will review how you can run a pilot program to see how a technology-forward NEMT broker can relieve such headaches. (Robbins Schrader, Los Angeles)

In Great Ways to Cut Down On Your Practice's Billing Expenses, SAVI Group laments that medical practices spend billions of dollars every year in billing and insurance-related costs, much of it unnecessary. SAVI then offers some tips on how practices can avoid these costs while boosting patient satisfaction and collections. And, in Taking Steps to Satisfy Patients and Grow Your Practice, SAVI Group discusses patient-focused service, practical performance and communication, and customizing care to your patient population. (Sumit Mahendru, Orange County)

In Looking to upgrade your EHR? An implementation partner can be the key to success, Wipfli acknowledges that when a healthcare organization makes the decision to implement or upgrade an EHR, doubt starts creeping in. Will the EHR work in the ways they need it to? Will staff actually use it? Does the organization even have the resources to launch a project of this scale? Wipfli reports that many organizations have found success by partnering with a firm that specializes in EHR implementation and adoption. The firm acts as the client advocate liaison, the project manager and the problem solver, helping to maintain the relationship between the healthcare organization and the EHR vendor throughout the implementation. Wipfli provides this e-book, which focuses on this role and what it helps achieve, as well as what a successful EHR implementation involves. (Jeff Johnson & Steve Rousso, Bay Area; Larry Blitz, Silicon Valley; & Tony Taddey, L.A.)