TGIF

As Congress returns to Capitol Hill next Monday, Federal News Network muses on the state of the Administration's proposed shifting of OPM's services to the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration. It's worth a read.

Forbes opines, with supporting evidence, that "The day of solo practitioners is coming to an end . In its place will be gaggles of gastroenterologists and flocks of physicians. Mega practices are becoming the norm in American medical care."

The Journal of the American Medical Association posits as follows:

Question  What are the prices of top-selling brand-name prescription drugs in the United States, and how have these prices changed in recent years? 

Findings  In this economic evaluation of 49 common top-selling brand-name drugs, 78% of the drugs that have been available since 2012 have seen an increase in insurer and out-of-pocket costs by more than 50%, and 44% have more than doubled in price. 

Meaning  Prices of brand-name drugs in the United States are likely to continue to increase, which warrants greater price transparency.

Amen to that.

Health Payer Intelligence reports that UnitedHealth Group is joining other health plans in offering its health plan members access to the smart phone app TalkSpace.

Through the Talkspace, individuals pay a subscription fee for unlimited messaging with one of the company’s 5,000 contracted healthcare professionals. To date, the telepsychology company has tailored services specifically to teenagers and couples.

UnitedHealth isn’t the only payer working with the telebehavioral company, which provides services to employers as part of commercial agreements with Aetna, New Directions Behavioral Health, and Magellan Health. All told, five million lives have access to these telemental services.