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The ideas and innovators shaping health care | | | | |  | | By Ruth Reader, Erin Schumaker and Ben Leonard | | | | | 
Harvey Karp thinks the Pentagon could use his high-tech crib. | Tamara Leigh Photography | Parents are paying $1,700 for the Snoo, a robotic bassinet that the FDA says keeps babies on their backs. That, public health officials agree, is the best sleeping position to reduce the chance of sudden infant death syndrome. Harvey Karp, founder of Snoo-maker Happiest Baby, sat down with Ruth to talk about what the FDA authorization means and what’s next for the smart bassinet maker. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Does the Snoo prevent SIDS? What we have shown is that we keep babies on the back safely. So the FDA said, 'Listen, we got it. You have demonstrated that to us.' But to prove that the Snoo reduces SIDS, you have to study hundreds of thousands of babies in a randomized controlled trial. Are you planning to provide more evidence of health benefits? We’re looking to gather the evidence base that will allow insurance companies and Medicaid providers to see the benefit of this to improve outcomes, reduce cost and reduce the human costs. Virginia is curently considering a half-a-million-dollar study appropriation to study 300 Snoos in a highly at-risk Medicaid population looking at reduction of postpartum depression. The Snoo is too expensive for most people. Will that change? We started with this incredible Rolls Royce or Tiffany’s baby bed and now anyone can rent it for the cost of a Starbucks. And we’re on the path of getting it covered, just like the breast pump is now covered by insurance. Where does the Snoo go next? We’re going directly to companies and saying, 'You should use this as a benefit for your employees.' We’re close to getting Snoo eligible for reimbursement by health savings accounts and flexible spending plans. And we’re just submitting language for the National Defense Authorization Act this year. They’ve already done a demonstration project showing the benefit of doulas to military families and Snoo is like a supplemental benefit to a doula.
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Washington, D.C. | Ben Leonard | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Rules barring people from getting transplants whose liver disease stems from alcohol abuse are outdated and costing lives, some doctors believe. Candidates for liver transplants typically must abstain from alcohol for at least six months, the theory being that people who can’t stop drinking are less likely to have successful transplants. But John Messinger of Harvard Medical School says new data calls that reasoning into question. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Megan Messerly talks with Alfred Ng, who discusses Washington state's new data privacy protections related to health information and the impact this might have on companies sharing or collecting consumer health data, as well as the possible far-reaching influence it could have on other states.
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Reducing the butts is key to lowering cancer death rates. | AP Photo/Paul Sancya | President Joe Biden’s cancer moonshot has set what sounds like an audacious goal: reducing the cancer death rate by 50 percent over 25 years. A new assessment by National Cancer Institute researchers says it’s within the realm of possibility. Current mortality trends point to an overall age-adjusted decrease of 44 percent by 2047. The researchers say to reach the moonshot goal, progress must be maintained or accelerated against lung, colorectal and breast cancers. At the same time, scientists and public health officials need to find new strategies to drive down prostate, liver and pancreatic cancer death rates. The researchers’ recommendations: — Reduce cigarette smoking and tobacco use, which are linked to lung and liver cancers, among others — Increase colonoscopies to prevent and detect colorectal cancer — Boost uptake of hormone therapy to prevent and treat breast cancer — Improve detection and treatment for hepatitis B and C infections, which are linked to liver cancer “Continued innovation is also really important,” Neal Freedman, study co-author and senior investigator in the NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, said in a statement. “If there are new blockbuster drugs for common cancers, for example, or really great new screening tests, or a combination of those things, that would do a lot toward reducing cancer mortality.” Big picture: Reducing the cancer death rate isn’t the moonshot’s only goal. Other aims include speeding progress against childhood cancers, reducing toxic environmental exposure and supporting caregivers and survivors.
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ChatGPT could revolutionize the doctor's note. | Hristo Rusev/Getty Images | ChatGPT could be coming to your doctor’s office sooner than you might expect. Consulting firm Accenture says that half of health care organizations plan to use the artificial intelligence program for learning purposes, and more than half will sketch out pilot cases this year. The sector is ripe for AI, the consultancy’s data suggests: Up to 40 percent of work could be aided by language-based AI. Some early-use cases could revolve around documentation, such as employing AI to make providers’ notes more understandable for patients, Rich Birhanzel, Accenture senior managing director and global health lead, told Ben. It could also listen to visits and summarize them, he said. “Our number one challenge in the world in health care is clinical capacity,” Birhanzel said. “This has the potential to … allow clinicians to spend more time with their care teams and patients.” The technology is nearly there, he added, but adopting and making it fit into workflows will take some effort. Still, oversight will be needed, he said, and regulators, tech companies and health care organizations are still grappling with proper guardrails. Evidence is growing that chatbots can give decent health advice for many sorts of questions, though they’ve stumbled on more nuanced queries. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
