Britain’s National Health Service does many things that would be unthinkable in the U.S., but this one may take the cake: It’s banning fax machines.
The big picture: NHS’ leadership has banned the purchase of new fax machines at NHS facilities, and wants to phase them out entirely by the spring of 2020, according to The Guardian. The country’s Royal College of Surgeons says there are about 8,000 fax machines still in use within the British health care system, a number it called “absurd.” Faxes still account for as much as 75% of all medical communication in the U.S., Vox reported earlier this year.
Last year, we knew the multi-state lawsuit against generic drug manufacturers — alleging anticompetitive behavior like price-fixing and squashing generic competitors — involved at least a dozen companies and 15 drugs.
That has since exploded to include at least 16 companies and 300 drugs, the Washington Post reports. “This is most likely the largest cartel in the history of the United States,” Joseph Nielsen, Connecticut’s assistant attorney general, told the Post. The companies say the lawsuit has no merit.
Americans pay more than other countries do for prescription drugs,and see quicker drug approvals — but not necessarily better health outcomes, according to several studies.
Why it matters: As Washington debates the administration’s new Medicare drug pricing proposal,the pharmaceutical industry says high U.S. drug prices are justified because we have better access to new drugs. But if the difference isn't meaningful, or if people can't afford these new drugs, it raises the question of why we pay so much more.
Gilead Sciences has named Daniel O'Day, the chief of Roche's pharmaceuticals unit, as its new CEO, effective March 1.
Why it matters: Gilead is one of the largest and most profitable drug manufacturers on the planet, known for its hepatitis C and HIV medicines. O'Day will lead a company that has had falling sales of its hepatitis drugs and is investing more in new, expensive gene therapies.
HHS recently called on states to repeal laws that require providers to ask for permission before they can build new facilities. Now, Modern Healthcare's Susannah Luthi reports that the department might try to force states' hand using the leverage of Affordable Care Act waivers.
What they're saying: "If you think the markets work better (than regulation), and you want to allow competition, and if competition improves the market, find a way to measure that and use waiver authority to go that direction," the American Enterprise Institute's Thomas Miller told Modern Healthcare.
The United States spends more on hospitals per capita than any other of the 36 countries that are in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Why it matters: It's not just prescription drug prices, although the difference between what Americans pay and what other countries pay for drugs has dominated headlines. If the U.S. is ever going to lower the gap in health spending between us and other wealthy countries, it will have to address all parts of the health care system.
