2023 NOBEL PRIZE: MEDICINE Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman PHYSICS Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

MEDICINE: By Staff Reporters

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Dr. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman MD PhD just received the Nobel Prize in medicine. Their study of mRNA led to the development of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Oiginally from Hungary, Kariko joined the University of Pennsylvania as a research assistant professor in 1989 to study mRNA. Her grant proposals were constantly rejected, while the rest of the scientific community was slow to catch on to her groundbreaking research. She was never paid more than $60,000 a year. And it was only through a chance encounter at the photocopier that she began to work with Weissman, currently the director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation.

The two made the discovery of a lifetime in 2005—that mRNA can be manipulated and injected into the body to activate an immune response. The major academic journals Science and Nature rejected their paper, which received little fanfare even after being published in a less prestigious journal.

So, in 2013, Karikó left Penn for a job at BioNTech where she still works today. And, of course, their breakthrough came in handy during the global pandemic.

Thanks largely to Karikó and Weissman, mRNA vaccine technology, Moderna and BioNTech are working on mRNA vaccines for RSV, HIV, Zika, malaria, shingles, flu, and cancer.

RSV Tests: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2023/09/25/rsv-vaccine-cdc-oks-pfizer-maternal-shots/

DNA: Testing: https://wordpress.com/post/medicalexecutivepost.com/395273

DANGER: DNA Self-Testing: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2021/04/25/the-potential-dangers-of-testing-your-own-dna/

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PHYSICS: By Staff Reporters

And, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics yesterday for their work on how electrons move around the atom during the tiniest fractions of seconds, a field that could one day lead to better electronics or disease diagnoses.

The award went to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier for their study of the tiny part of each atom that races around the center and that is fundamental to virtually everything: chemistry, physics, our bodies and our gadgets.

The movements of electrons inside atoms and molecules are so rapid that they are measured in attoseconds – an almost incomprehensibly short unit of time. “An attosecond is to one second as one second is to the age of the universe,” the committee explained.

“They were able to, in a sense, provide an illumination tool that allows us to watch the assembly of molecules: how things come together to make a molecule,” Bob Rosner, president of the American Physical Society and a professor at the University of Chicago, told CNN.

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What is GAAP?

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

HOW IT WORKS

By Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA CMP®

http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

CMP logo

SPONSOR: http://www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

As a new physician investor, it’s important to know the distinctions between like measurements because the market allows firms to advertise their numbers in ways not otherwise regulated. Often companies will publicize their numbers using either GAAP or non-GAAP measures. GAAP, or generally accepted accounting principles, outlines rules and conventions for reporting financial information. It is a means to standardize financial statements and ensure consistency in reporting.

When a company publicizes its earnings and includes non-GAAP figures, it means it wants to provide investors with an arguably more accurate depiction of the company’s health (for instance, by removing one-time items to smooth out earnings). However, the further a company deviates from GAAP standards, the more room is allocated for some creative accounting and manipulation.

When looking at a company that is publishing non-GAAP numbers, new physician investors should be wary of these pro forma statements, because they may differ greatly from what GAAP deems acceptable.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

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The Core GAAP Principles

GAAP is set forth in 10 primary principles, as follows:

  1. Principle of consistency: This principle ensures that consistent standards are followed in financial reporting from period to period.
  2. Principle of permanent methods: Closely related to the previous principle is that of consistent procedures and practices being applied in accounting and financial reporting to allow comparison.
  3. Principle of non-compensation: This principle states that all aspects of an organization’s performance, whether positive or negative, are to be reported. In other words, it should not compensate (offset) a debt with an asset.
  4. Principle of prudence: All reporting of financial data is to be factual, reasonable, and not speculative.
  5. Principle of regularity: This principle means that all accountants are to consistently abide by the GAAP.
  6. Principle of sincerity: Accountants should perform and report with basic honesty and accuracy.
  7. Principle of good faith: Similar to the previous principle, this principle asserts that anyone involved in financial reporting is expected to be acting honestly and in good faith.
  8. Principle of materiality: All financial reporting should clearly disclose the organization’s genuine financial position.
  9. Principle of continuity: This principle states that all asset valuations in financial reporting are based on the assumption that the business or other entity will continue to operate going forward.
  10. Principle of periodicity: This principle refers to entities abiding by commonly accepted financial reporting periods, such as quarterly or annually.

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HOSPITALS: https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Management-Strategies-Healthcare-Organizations/dp/1466558733/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1380743521&sr=8-3&keywords=david+marcinko

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MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS: Part C Plans Down AS Cigna Pays Up?

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Hospitals are Dropping Medicare Advantage [Part C] Plans – Left and Right

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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Hospitals Say Bye-Bye?

Medicare Advantage provides health coverage to more than half of the nation’s seniors, but a growing number of hospitals and health systems nationwide are pushing back and dropping the private plans altogether. Among the most commonly cited reasons are excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers. Some systems have noted that most MA carriers have faced allegations of billing fraud from the federal government and are being probed by lawmakers over their high denial rates.

“It’s become a game of delay, deny and not pay,” Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health, told Becker’s. “Providers are going to have to get out of full-risk capitation because it just doesn’t work — we’re the bottom of the food chain, and the food chain is not being fed.” Van Gorder said the health system is facing a loss of $75 million this year on the MA contracts, which will end December 31st for patients covered by UnitedHealthcare, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Centene’s Health Net and a few more smaller carriers.

Source: Becker’s Hospital Review [9/27/23]

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Cigna to Pay $172M Over Alleged Medicare Advantage Fraud

The Cigna Group will pay $172.3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting incorrect Medicare Advantage patient data to CMS to receive higher payments from the agency. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleged Sept. 30 that Cigna also falsely certified that the submitted data was accurate, failed to withdraw the “untruthful” data, and did not repay CMS.

Cigna will use $135.3 million from the settlement to resolve the allegations from the Justice Department. The remaining $37 million will resolve allegations related to unsupported diagnoses for Medicare Advantage enrollees that received in-home services from Cigna. As part of the settlement, Cigna has entered into a five-year accountability and auditing agreement with HHS’ Office of Inspector General, which will require company executives and board members to certify Cigna’s compliance moving forward. The payer must also conduct annual risk assessments and submit to independent risk adjustment audits.

Source: Jakob Emerson, Becker’s Payer Issues [10/2/23]

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What is EBITDA? It is Not GAAP

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

SPONSOR: http://www.MARCINKOASSOCIATES.com

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization

A company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization is an accounting measure calculated using a company’s earnings, before interest expenses, taxes, depreciation, and amortization are subtracted, as a proxy for a company’s current operating profitability. Though often shown on an income statement, it is not considered part of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles by the SEC.

Citation: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

EBITDA Formula | Calculator (Examples with Excel Template)

READ: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/ebitda.asp

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HOSPITALS: Price Discrepancies Exposed!

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Health Capital Consultants, LLC

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On September 18, 2023, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study comparing online hospital pricing and pricing given over the telephone for shoppable hospital services. Hospitals in the U.S. are required to post pricing online for specified services, but it was unknown whether or not hospitals quoted the same prices to telephone callers as they posted online.

This Health Capital Topics article will discuss the topic of price discrepancy and the difficulties with cost comparison. (Read more…) 

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