• District of Columbia: According to a new study published in Science Advances, there were likely over 150,000 deaths from COVID-19 that went uncounted during the first two years of the pandemic. For the study, researchers used machine learning models to estimate the COVID-19 deaths that occurred between March 2020 and December 2021. According to the model, there were an estimated 995,787 COVID-19 deaths in the first two years of the pandemic, almost 20% higher than the official U.S. tally of 840,251 deaths. Many of the unrecognized COVID-19 deaths were likely to be among older individuals, non-white people, lower-income people, and those living in certain South and Southwestern states. "The U.S. death investigation system reported COVID-19 deaths in a systematically inequitable way that hid the true extent of pandemic mortality and inequities," the researchers wrote. "… The communities affected by the undercounting of COVID-19 deaths could be interpreted as a pattern of structural racism, classism, and ableism in the death investigation system that warrants further research and policy attention." (Rudd, MedPage Today, 3/18; Associated Press/STAT, 3/18)
• Maryland: FDA has approved a higher dose of Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy. The newly approved dosage contains 7.2 mg of semaglutide and is recommended for people who have already taken a lower dose for at least four weeks. Previously, the highest approved dose of Wegovy was 2.4 mg. In a clinical trial, participants who took the higher dose of Wegovy lost an average of 20.7% of their body weight compared to 15% for those who took the lower dose. "We are excited to bring Wegovy HD injection to adults with obesity who are looking for powerful weight loss, as no other weight loss medicine has been studied to show superiority to Wegovy HD," said Jamey Millar, Novo's EVP of U.S. operations. "In addition to significant weight loss, Wegovy is the only GLP-1 for adults with obesity that is proven to reduce the risk of events such as stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death in those who also have known heart disease." (Fields, The Hill, 3/19)
• Tennessee: Community Health Systems (CHS) is planning to divest nine hospitals across several states, including Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania, for over $1.2 billion as it continues to reshape its portfolio. In February, CHS completed its sale of Commonwealth Health, a three-hospital system based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Tenor Health Foundation. CHS has also signed a definitive agreement to sell four hospitals in Arkansas to Freeman Health System. CHS is also planning to sell its 80% ownership in two joint ventures that own and operate Tennova Healthcare for $600 million. According to Becker's Hospital Review, CHS has sold roughly 35% of its hospital portfolio in the last few years and currently owns or leases 65 hospitals and over 900 care sites in 13 states. "Many of the hospitals we've divested didn't fit into our network-of-care strategy," said CHS CEO Kevin Hammons. "Refocusing has allowed us to hone in on our core markets, where we have the full continuum of care and can truly leverage our scale." (Condon, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/23)

Post-pandemic, COVID-19 is still present year-round, causing major impacts on both patients and health systems. Growing research links severe COVID-19 to worsening and new chronic conditions. In this on-demand webinar, we explore how certain mindset shifts are necessary in today’s COVID-19 landscape, including the continued need for guideline-informed provider workflows, the importance of timely treatment, and the impact of proactive care on broader cost and quality outcomes.