Maverick's Update

A fan of the Foo Fighters, who attended their sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden this past Sunday night (Father’s Day), quoted lead singer Dave Grohl in a tweet: “If we can keep our [colorful expletives deleted despite the recent Supreme Court decision allowing even high school cheerleaders to use the f-bomb] together we can do this more often.” It was a reference to the large, all-vaccinated audience, who were required to show either their vaccination card or New York State’s Excelsior Pass, to rock out (maskless) with 15,000 other fans. The Wall Street Journal reported that “[s]everal fans said the vaccination requirement made them feel more comfortable buying tickets and enjoying themselves freely.” A Captain Obvious moment, but it counts as news these days.

Less obvious news includes:

1. CMS released additional FAQs on its interoperability rule, focusing on the rule’s payer-to-payer API and public reporting of digital contact information requirements.

2. A new article describes which health information the HIPAA privacy rule protects and doesn’t protect. It will help you play true or false (that’s a boring version of Truth or Dare) with your friends at your next dinner party.

3. Four federal agencies are not waiting for Congress to pass drug pricing legislation. This joint announcement invites suggestions (hurry, you have less than 30 days) on which data should be collected about pharmacy benefits and prescription drug costs so health plans can negotiate fairer rates and lower out-of-pocket costs for regular people.

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