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Independent. Informative. Intelligent.

Health Care

Dueling approaches to drug pricing

One of the Biden Administration’s last actions was announcing that Medicare, the nation’s largest healthcare insurer, will negotiate the prices of 15 more drugs. The matter has major significance for North Carolina’s huge pharmaceutical industry, which produces some of the key drugs on the list. Among the drugs on the...

By Ray Gronberg

January 22, 2025

Johns Hopkins doc joining State Health Plan board

State Treasurer Brad Briner appointed a John Hopkins University health-insurance expert to the board of the State Health Plan. The new appointee, Dr. Brian Miller, replaces Winston-Salem internal medicine Dr. Pete Robie as one of the treasurer’s two appointees to the board that oversees the insurance program for state-paid employees,...

By Ray Gronberg

January 7, 2025

Sen. Burgin, unchained

Burgin’s comments at Thursday’s confab also touched on potential legislative issues. For starters, he told participants to expect legislators to introduce a bill in the upcoming long session that addresses the use of cell phones by students in K-12 schools. He said he’s heard from principals who report that over...

By Ray Gronberg

January 3, 2025

Auditors say nursing home inspections also lag

Yesterday’s Tribune noted state auditor criticism of the Division of Employment Security’s handling of unemployment claims, saying it was too slow in processing many of them in 2023. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders and her staff say the division’s been doing better this year, but remain hampered by having a...

By Welcome

December 20, 2024

Medical Society 404s Thompson statement

N.C. Medical Society officials posted and then un-posted a statement about the shooting death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson that drew Twitter criticism from a former staffer for state Senate leader Phil Berger. Attributed to Medical Society CEO Chip Baggett, the statement said the group believes “violence is never a...

By Ray Gronberg

December 9, 2024

Folwell going out with something to say

The completion of the Cone/Risant merger occurred on the same day as outgoing State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s valedictory monthly “Ask Me Anything” news conference. As might be expected, his comments included a blast at what he terms the state’s “health care cartel.” The trends there are “all going in the...

By Ray Gronberg

December 4, 2024

Cone Risant Health merger completed

After receiving state and federal approvals, Cone Health of Greensboro said it completed its merger into Risant Health, ending 71 years of local ownership of the Gate City’s largest hospital operation. Risant has committed a minimum of $1.4 billion in capital to Cone Health over the next five years, and...

By Ray Gronberg

December 4, 2024

Nursing DNR rules

Back in August, we reported that the state’s nursing and medical boards were jointly considering a rules change, requested by Duke Health and Atrium Health, to allow some nurses more latitude to deal with end-of-life situations. The proposal would give registered nurses and licensed practical nurses authority to issue do-not-resuscitate...

By Ray Gronberg

November 26, 2024

Health care labor shortages

North Carolina’s healthcare labor force has been on multiple radars this week, for everyone from hospital chiefs to business leaders to the UNC System’s overlords. Thursday saw key executives from UNC Health, Duke Health and WakeMed tell a Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce audience that recruiting and retention remain major...

By Ray Gronberg

November 18, 2024

Folwell and Blue Cross, not bygones

With seven weeks left in State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s term, he’s not leaving without taking a parting shot at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. He recently wrote Blue Cross President and CEO Tunde Sotunde to demand that the insurer pay more than $2 million in legal fees...

By Welcome

November 13, 2024

On the move: Josh Dobson

Former Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson today will start work as the new president and CEO of the N.C. Healthcare Association. The 43-year-old replaces Stephen Lawler, who’s retiring after seven years on the job as the leading voice for the state’s hospitals. Association officials say the hiring was the result of...

By Ray Gronberg

November 12, 2024

Health care systems growth

North Carolina’s certificate of need law could be living on borrowed time, in the fervent hopes of some doctors and conservative groups, but for now it’s still in place and still something the healthcare sector has to reckon with. The state Department of Health and Human Services received 20 applications...

By Ray Gronberg

October 30, 2024

Child-care challenges

North Carolina continues to leave money on the table by failing to get its child-care house in order, a new report from the N.C. Department of Commerce argues. Issued on Oct. 23, the “Empowering Work” report notes that the labor-force participation rate of “prime-age” parents of young children declined in...

By Ray Gronberg

October 29, 2024

Blue Cross settlement

A multi-billion dollar anti-trust lawsuit involving Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is in the process of being settled. The deal will require the country’s 33 Blues, and the nationwide Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, to pay $2.8 billion into an escrow account for eventual distribution to the...

By Ray Gronberg

October 24, 2024

Fixing the State Health Plan

Fixing the State Health Plan isn’t going to be easy, and it’s going to take the General Assembly’s help, this election’s candidates for state treasurer say. Given the size of the plan’s prospective deficits, “there’s no way to make enough changes in the short run to not have to ask...

By Ray Gronberg

October 22, 2024

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