In the fourth installment of McDermottsHPE Europe Summer Webinar Series 2020: Whats the Impact of Recent Regulation and Government Measures on Investments in Healthcare and Life Sciences in Europe?moderator and McDermott partner Dr. Stephan Rau and industry experts Karthic Jayaraman of TPG Capital, Max Mller of Bayer, Ben Faircloth of L.E.K. Consulting and Dr. Ulrich Wandschneider, former CEO of Asklepios AG, currently at Trilantic Capital Partners and Supervisory Board member of BioNTech SE, the Nasdaq-listed developer of COVID vaccine, headquartered in Germany, discussed the impact that COVID-19 and the government measures to address it have had on investments in healthcare and life sciences in Europe.

I think its about as interesting a time as any in my last 20 years investing, said Jayaraman. People are beginning to focus a lot more on innovation, the speed of innovation and how innovation is brought to market. I think the question is, How can we continue to reward innovation, both by simplifying the process by which its made possible and how we value it?

New developments in digital health have become more and more attractive as people have had faster access to care and governments have understood that some of their regulations needed to be adjusted, added Mller.

Jayaraman agreed. There has been an acceleration of the provision of care through telehealth services and any kind of remote administration of care. Its probably been an acceleration of two-plus years collapsed into months. I also think were going to see some vigorous conversations about supply chain disruption in the political arena, and also corporate boardrooms, as we think about where we want to place our supply chains moving forward. And currently there is great interest in R&D. If you have a COVID vaccine, everybody is running to invest in it. But we need to find a way to sustain that in other areas as well, predicted Faircloth, Regulators, I think, will want to try to embed some of the lessons learned around accelerating the clinical trial process and taking some of the cost out, which will be to the advantage of e-clinical players that have technology that addresses the clinical trial process. Weve seen a significant slowdown in trial activity for trials not obviously linked to COVID-related therapeutics and potential vaccines, because trials sites such as DP clinics, hospital sites and academic sites have been inaccessible or closed. What youve seen as a result of these access problems is a move by regulators toward being more positive about technologies that encourage virtual interaction. Though it is still rather vague, there is a gradually emerging concept of virtual clinical trials.

Structurally, when it comes to investing right now, you look at it missing pieces, the gaps: physician capacity, ICU capacity, PPE, etc., Jayaraman suggested. How do we invest to make sure we have the necessary structural investments made so that we can actually respond to a pandemic if it happens again?

Beyond investment in new technologies, Faircloth also predicted an uptick in incremental M&A for some provider businesses. We see some of the older owner-manager practitioners coming out of this first element of the pandemic and perhaps deciding that now is a good time to bring forward retirement plans by a year or two. So we think there will probably be some incremental M&A opportunities for some of the stronger platforms in the more fragmented provision markets across Europe, he said.

We have to separate out some of the temporary effects of what were going through and isolate them when making any investment decisions right now, Jayaraman cautioned. And that plays itself out in a number of different ways, whether there is a level of support for provider businesses, whether businesses have more private exposure, like dentistry in the UK or outpatient centers in Germany, which are being more adversely impacted you have to isolate whats temporary and take that out of the equation, or at least you need to have an understanding and an expectation as to what that recovery will look like, whether its likely to be U-shaped, V-shaped, etc.

From the overall view, I must say that since this industry in general is also part of the solution, we will come out sooner than other industries and wont have to contend with issues and problems like those faced by the automotive or retail sectors, for example, predicted Wandschneider. We will have scenarios through which we can get out of the current economic situation. Since nobody was prepared, its very impressive how science, how business, how governments are working together to find ways out of the situation.

Its important to take measures to reduce national egoisms and be prepared to help each other more, stressed Rau. I see some tendencies there, but I dont know whether they would hold up under the types of pressures that we had some months ago.

Mller emphasized, Once we have overcome this particular crisis, we cannot fall back into old habits. It is our responsibility as industry to make sure that the lessons learned will remain in focus. But Im cautiously optimistic that the new role of science and the new way of looking at medicine and pharmaceuticals as a whole will give this sector the value it has lost over the last years, during which we talked only about cost.

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Govt Investments in Healthcare and Life Sciences in Europe - The National Law Review

Titled Prevalence of unprofessional social media content among young vascular surgeons, it appears in the August 2020 edition of the Journal of Vascular Surgery (and online in December). Six of the seven listed authors have ties to Boston Medical Center, including Dr. Alik Farber, chief of vascular and endovascular surgery at Boston Medical Center.

The clinical research study drew so much scrutiny that by Friday afternoon its authors had apologized and in an extraordinary move called for a retraction of their own work, according to a statement from BMC.

A spokesman said the paper was ill-conceived, poorly executed, and reinforces biases about professionalism and gender and doesnt represent the values of the hospital.

This paper highlights that we have so much more work to do to eliminate gender bias among our medical community, our training programs, and especially in the care we provide to our patients and the communities we serve, the statement said.

In their paper, the authors wrote that they set out to evaluate the extent of unprofessional social media content among recent vascular surgery fellows and residents by sifting through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter profiles using incognito accounts.

The study concluded that one-half of recent and soon-to-be graduating vascular surgery trainees had an identifiable social media account, with nearly one-quarter of these containing either clearly unprofessional or potentially unprofessional content.

It described potentially unprofessional content as holding or drinking alcohol in photos; posting controversial political and religious comments or controversial social topics; and sharing images in inappropriate attire such as underwear, provocative Halloween costumes, and provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear.

Young surgeons should be aware of the permanent public exposure of unprofessional content that can be accessed by peers, patients, and current [and] future employers, the authors wrote. They argue it could also be harmful to the institutions they work for or affect a patients hospital choice.

But a growing chorus of people who identified themselves as working in the medical field both men and women came out against the papers methodology and conclusions Friday, calling it misogynistic, demanding it be retracted, and spawning the hashtag #MedBikini.

Among the numerous pictures shared Friday were physicians, doctors, and nurses clad in two-piece bikinis and swimsuits, sitting in inflatable tubes in the pool or standing on the beach. Others were sipping or holding alcoholic beverages. Some did both.

My body is my temple, and treating it as such sets a good example for my patients. Drinking a cocktail while on a well-deserved vacation is not unprofessional, one reply to the study said.

While many of the posts led to people sharing photos of themselves in bathing suits or out for drinks combined with pithy responses others rebuffed the idea that health care professionals should tamp down on sharing personal opinions about certain major public health issues, like gun control and abortion, which the study called controversial social comments.

This paper is a perfect example of unconscious bias. By labeling things such as provocative Halloween costumes,' bikinis and opinions on abortion and gun control unprofessional, who do you think they are primarily targeting? one person wrote.

Another doctor called the article ridiculous.

I support #MedBikini, but more importantly I would also ask [the authors] to justify the suggestion that physicians shouldnt speak out about abortion and gun control, the person wrote.

Farber did not immediately return a request for comment. The Globe also reached out to the Journal of Vascular Surgery but did not receive a response.

But at least two of the studys authors, including Dr. Jeff Siracuse, a vascular surgeon at BMC, apologized for the papers content on social media Friday.

Siracuse, in a series of tweets, said the intent was to empower surgeons to be aware and then personally decide what may be easily available for our patients and colleagues to see about us online.

This was clearly not the result, Siracuse said in a thread. We realize that the definition of professionalism is rapidly changing in medicine and that we need to support our trainees and surgeons as our society changes without the appearance of judgment.

Siracuse also admitted that the design had the potential for significant gender bias, particularly with male authors assessing the appropriateness of womens as well as mens clothing, but that the so-called inappropriate attire category that particularly rocked the medical world looked at both women and men in swimsuits.

However, we were wrong not to have considered the inherent gender bias and have certainly learned from this experience, he said. We will do better in the future and teach others from our experience.

Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.

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#MedBikini: Heres why health care professionals are posting photos of themselves in bathing suits - The Boston Globe

This week, I met with doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville who have been on the front line of saving lives during this coronavirus pandemic. They were tired and stressed, but their work makes me grateful for their services and sacrifice. Today Id like to talk about the need to find more people such as those to enter the field. I am hopeful that the sight of their heroic service will inspire others to choose a career in health care.

The numbers of those in the health care profession nationally and in Arkansas have been declining for years. This worldwide health crisis has highlighted the shortfall and the urgent need to correct it. There never has been a greater need for young people to enter the health care profession.

The reasons for the decline are many, but the result is that as health care professionals retire, there arent enough people to replace them. Americans are living longer, which means the number of people in need of medical care is growing as the number of providers shrinks. In the rural areas of Arkansas, the situation is even more challenging.

As the coronavirus has billowed across our nation like a toxic fog, the illness has illustrated the complicated nature of our health care system. We have seen how various medical specialties intersect, and that each is essential: Medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine. Paramedics. Emergency room doctors and registered nurses. Respiratory therapists and licensed practical nurses. Home health caregivers. Researchers. Medical technicians. That is a very short list of the many important jobs in the health care field.

A health care career offers many benefits. You can find a job almost anywhere you want to live, and the jobs pay well.

But there is more to it than the personal benefit. Health care is a higher calling, much like any other public service. Those who choose that path often are called upon to put the good of others before personal comfort and convenience, as thousands have done during the pandemic. The hours are long, the work can be difficult. But there are the bright moments when someone saves a life or a homebound patient rewards a health aide with a smile of gratitude.

Arkansas is growing and in need of more people who are willing to commit to that level of service. Our state needs young professionals with fresh perspectives to help us figure out new and better ways to deliver health care. We need tech-savvy professionals who elevate our health care system, which benefits all Arkansans: A tech-savvy health care system attracts high-quality business and industry and enhances Arkansass general quality of life.

COVID-19 has changed everything about our lives. We have no idea how long we will be fighting the current battle, but the health care professionals who are guiding us through this time inspire confidence and hope. My hope is that their inspiration will attract a new generation of professionals to accept the call.

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Governor addresses the 'higher calling of health care' - ktlo.com

Would you pull into a gas station and fill your tank if you couldnt know the price of gas? What if the attendant said he didnt know the price either, but recommended you go ahead and fill up, and his company would send you a bill later? Of course not. No consumer would tolerate this behavior in any industry, but in health care its the norm.

In these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, when concerns about needing health care and worries of how to pay for it are top of mind, the need for health care price transparency has never been more urgent. Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King have a chance to make health care price transparency happen for us and for all Americans. The U.S. Senate recently introduced The Health Care PRICE Transparency Act (SB 4106), which would require all hospitals to reveal their cash prices and secret, negotiated rates with insurers in an easy-to-read online format by Jan. 1. This is information that 90% of Americans want, but that hospitals and insurance companies have been aggressively fighting because they dont want to kill their golden goose.

We need them to not only support this bill, but also to join with lawmakers in the effort to include the bill into the next COVID-19 stimulus package and make it the law.

As more Mainers go without insurance or choose high-deductible health plans, they need the ability to shop for health care based on price and quality. Without price transparency, they will continue to be targets for surprise, after-the-fact medical bills in amounts far greater than is reasonable. Knowing how often this happens, many consumers delay seeking necessary medical attention, hoping their problem will just go away. This can lead to patients not getting care until they are in critical condition or worse. The fear of facing bankruptcy due to outrageous medical bills often motivates consumers to roll the dice. However, if they could know the price of health care ahead of time they could compare prices and be in control of their health care dollars, not blindsided by bills they could not see coming.

Besides helping patients find health care at the lowest cost, complete price transparency in health care would also spur competition, which would drive down prices, spur innovation and lead to better quality and access.

Those fighting the price transparency law claim that health care is too complex to respond to the same free market principles that govern every other market. Notably, these are the same players who profit most from the opaque status quo.

Dont buy their argument. Todays technology can synthesize huge amounts of data and put exact real-time prices for airline tickets and automobiles at our fingertips in seconds. The same can happen with health care prices. Thats why a law that would require every hospital, medical office and clinic to post their prices cash and secret, negotiated rates in a way that is easy to search and accessible is so needed.

As a Direct Primary Care physician in greater Portland, my staff and I strive to find transparent pricing for our price-conscious patients. It isnt easy. We know that the price for the same blood test can cost anywhere from $3 to $60, depending on where you go, but most patients dont find out until its too late.

Price transparency would fix that, which is why we need to make SB 4106 law. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable to Americans, not to the powerful health care lobby, which is paying lawmakers handsomely to vote otherwise. Health care price transparency is not a red or blue issue. Its a widely bipartisan issue. This law would bring tremendous financial empowerment to American households and would cost taxpayers nothing.

Please urge Sens. Collins and King to vote for the price transparency bill and to move to include it in the next COVID-19 stimulus package. It is what Americans want, need and deserve.

Michael A. Ciampi, M.D., is a family physician in South Portland, and a member of the Association of Independent Doctors.

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Forum: Patients need to see health care prices to shop for better value - Press Herald

Kara Odom Walker Published 5:00 a.m. ET July 26, 2020

As we continue to confront the worst public health crisis in our lifetime, health systems are prioritizing emergency care while other essential care hangs in the balance. In many ways, Delaware has been preparing for this moment. During the pandemic, health centers across our state have continued to ensure women have access to birth control, no exceptions. Delaware spent years investing in a new womens health infrastructure, and now we are seeing those efforts pay off.

Ten years ago, Delaware had the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies in the U.S. 57% of pregnancies were unintended. A decade later, Delaware has transformed its health care system and reshaped contraceptive access across the state. By integrating reproductive care into primary care, were empowering Delawareans to become pregnant only if and when they want to.

From 2014 to 2017, unplanned births dropped 25% in Delaware, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the same time, Delaware saw a 37% decline in the abortion rate, the most significant drop of any state in the country and more than four times the national decline.

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This remarkable progress is linked to our comprehensive effort to increase access to birth control for all Delawareans. The state of Delaware under Governors Jack Markell and John Carney partnered with the nonprofit Upstream USA and our Division of Public Health and the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance to work with thousands of providers across the state. Rather than limiting or banning contraceptives or abortions, we ensured access and care for all patients, one health center at a time.

The status quo was not working. Patients were not regularly asked about their pregnancy intentions or reproductive life goals when they went to see a doctor. Doctors were not always providing adequate counseling on the full range of birth control methods. And when women decided they wanted an IUD or implant considered the most effective forms of birth control they often had to schedule unnecessary additional appointments. This is a huge burden that could require taking time off work or arranging child care. In fact, one study found that about half of women who requested an IUD did not attend the follow-up appointment to place it.

During my time as Cabinet Secretary, Ive heard many stories about how our work with Upstream and providers across our state has changed the lives of women and their families. Brittanys is one of those stories. During college, she didnt have a lot of extra money for an IUD and told herself, I guess Ill have to get better at taking the pill. After checking with her health care provider, she learned that Delaware had a program to cover the cost of the IUD and she made an appointment. Today as a nurse, she has big career goals. My IUD lets me plan my life, she says.

Her story illustrates the importance of integrating reproductive and primary care and making all forms of contraception available in a single visit at low or no cost. And thats exactly what we did in Delaware. Notably, this did not involve building something new, but instead working within our existing infrastructure to provide training and technical assistance to medical providers both in our hospital systems and in private practices. This may not sound momentous, but training staff at every level at practices of all sizes from doctors and nurses to receptionists is crucial and worth the time and investment.

When you put all of these pieces together, it translates to patients receiving best-in-class care in one visit and thats a game-changer. Just as important, we implemented a sustainable model, changing the foundation of how health centers operate so that they can continue to provide this patient-centered care going forward. And surveys indicate that over 99% of patients either made their own decisions about contraceptive methods or shared decision-making with their provider.

Its important to note that this work doesnt happen in isolation, nor is it a singular solution. Delawares commitment to improving outcomes for women and families does not start and end with contraceptive access. Delaware, like the rest of the country, must prioritize improving maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women, people of color, transgender individuals, and those with lower incomes. As health care providers, we all must address our own biases, particularly when it comes to ensuring patient autonomy. That is why a key component of our training is ensuring that all staff in the health care setting can recognize bias and avoid coercive practices.

Karen Odom Walker(Photo: Special to the USA TODAY NETWORK)

Over the course of five years, we created systemic change throughout Delawares health care system. We made sure that family planning and reproductive health are a regular part of conversations between patients and their providers. We made sure that no matter what, women have access to all forms of birth control in a single visit. By investing in more equitable health care, we have laid a foundation of care that has proven resilient and accessible during the COVID-19 crisis.

As I prepare to leave my position as cabinet secretary at the end of July, I know this critical work will be in good hands going forward. Gov. John Carney has nominated DHSS Deputy Secretary Molly Magarik as the new cabinet secretary, and her appointment was confirmed by the Delaware Senate. Our incoming DHSS Secretary knows the importance of our partnership with Upstream and health care providers across the state. And she understands the difference it is making in the lives of Delaware women and their families.

During a pandemic, it is clear to me as a family physician that we cannot afford to put off essential health care. In an age of uncertainty for reproductive health care, Delawares common-sense solution has made birth control access a reality for tens of thousands of women. We encourage other states and communities to do the same.

Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a practicing family physician, is the Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Services. She will be leaving her position at the end of July to begin a new position with Nemours in Washington.

Read or Share this story: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/2020/07/26/delaware-transformed-its-health-care-system-women-heres-how/5503932002/

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Delaware transformed its health care system for women here's how | Opinion - The News Journal

Posted: Jul 25, 2020 / 09:30 AM CDT / Updated: Jul 25, 2020 / 09:30 AM CDT

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson held his daily COVID-19 briefing from the University of Arkansas-Cossatot Friday, holding up De Queen and Sevier County as examples to the rest of the state of a success story in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. (Source: KTAL/KMSS Staff)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (News release) This week Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson talks about the future of health care and what can be done to help aid its growth.

Read the full address below:

This week, I met with doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville who have been on the front line of saving lives during thiscoronavirus pandemic. They were tired and stressed, but their work makes me grateful for their services and sacrifice. Today Id like to talk about the need to find more people such as those to enter the field. I am hopeful that the sight of their heroic service will inspire others to choose a career in health care.

The numbers of those in the health care profession nationally and in Arkansas have been declining for years. This worldwide health crisis has highlighted the shortfall and the urgent need to correct it. There never has been a greater need for young people to enter the health care profession.

The reasons for the decline are many, but the result is that as health care professionals retire, there arent enough people to replace them. Americans are living longer, which means the number of people in need of medical care is growing as the number of providers shrinks. In the rural areas of Arkansas, the situation is even more challenging.

As the coronavirus has billowed across our nation like a toxic fog, the illness has illustrated the complicated nature of our health care system. We have seen how various medical specialties intersect, and that each is essential: Medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine. Paramedics. Emergency room doctors and registered nurses. Respiratory therapists and licensed practical nurses. Home health caregivers. Researchers. Medical technicians. That is a very short list of the many important jobs in the health care field.

A health care career offers many benefits. You can find a job almost anywhere you want to live, and the jobs pay well.

But there is more to it than the personal benefit. Health care is a higher calling, much like any other public service. Those who choose that path often are called upon to put the good of others before personal comfort and convenience, as thousands have done during the pandemic. The hours are long, the work can be difficult. But there are the bright moments when someone saves a life or a homebound patient rewards a health aide with a smile of gratitude.Arkansas is growing and in need of more people who are willing to commit to that level of service. Our state needs young professionals with fresh perspectives to help us figure out new and better ways to deliver health care. We need tech-savvy professionals who elevate our health care system, which benefits all Arkansans: A tech-savvy health care system attracts high-quality business and industry and enhances Arkansass general quality of life.

COVID-19 has changed everything about our lives. We have no idea how long we will be fighting the current battle, but the health care professionals who are guiding us through this time inspire confidence and hope. My hope is that their inspiration will attract a new generation of professionals to accept the call.

More here:

Governor Hutchinsons Weekly Address: For the higher calling of health care - KARK

I dont personally know Dr. Jami Chisdak, but I am disappointed that she supports Daines in a TV ad and says Bullock would be responsible for closing hospitals and would work to establish government care at cost of $30 trillion.

Actually, when running for president he said he would improve ACA (Affordable Care Act) at the margins along with a public option. We all know that, working with the Republican Legislature, Bullock got Medicaid for over 90,000 Montanans. There are roughly 160 towns in Montana under 1,000 people, over 70% elderly.

In 2018 nine counties were without a physician, and their hospitals and nursing homes are dependent on Medicare-Medicaid for survival.

Daines spouts caring for pre-existing conditions (133 million people), yet has voted to dismantle ACAnot perfect but covers 20 million citizens and includes pre-existing conditions -- and offers no good alternative. He is tied to Trumps hip all the way (Trump, besides failing the nation on the coronavirus pandemic, wants to destroy a womans right to make decisions about her own body).

Comprehensive insurance programs are not affordable for most American families. A system like EU countries would be less costly than current American medical care.

To see what else is happening in Gallatin County subscribe to the online paper.

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Bullock best choice to sort our health care issues - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

SOUTH PORTLAND Would you pull into a gas station and fill your tank if you couldnt know the price of gas? What if the attendant said he didnt know the price either but recommended you go ahead and fill up, and his company would send you a bill later? Of course not. No consumer would tolerate this behavior in any industry, but in health care its the norm.

In these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, when concerns about needing health care and worries of how to pay for it are top of mind, the need for health care price transparency has never been more urgent.

Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King have a chance to make health care price transparency happen for us and for all Americans. The U.S. Senate recently introduced the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act (S.4106), which would require all hospitals to reveal their cash prices and secret, negotiated rates with insurers in an easy-to-read online format by Jan. 1. This is information that 90 percent of Americans want, but that hospitals and insurance companies have been aggressively fighting because they dont want to kill their golden goose.

We need them to not only support this bill, but also to join with lawmakers in the effort to include the bill in the next COVID-19 stimulus package and make it the law.

As more Mainers go without insurance or choose high-deductible health plans, they need the ability to shop for health care based on price and quality. Without price transparency, they will continue to be targets for surprise, after-the-fact medical bills in amounts far greater than is reasonable. Knowing how often this happens, many consumers delay seeking necessary medical attention, hoping their problem will just go away. This can lead to patients not getting care until they are in critical condition, or worse. The fear of facing bankruptcy because of outrageous medical bills often motivates consumers to roll the dice. However, if they could know the price of health care ahead of time, they could compare prices, and be in control of their health care dollars, not blindsided by bills they could not see coming.

Besides helping patients find health care at the lowest cost, complete price transparency in health care would also spur competition, which would drive down prices, spur innovation and lead to better quality and access.

Those fighting the price transparency law claim that health care is too complex to respond to the same free-market principles that govern every other market. Notably, these are the same players who profit most from the opaque status quo.

Dont buy their argument. Todays technology can synthesize huge amounts of data and put exact real-time prices for airline tickets and automobiles at our fingertips in seconds. The same can happen with health care prices. Thats why a law that would require every hospital, medical office and clinic to post their prices cash and secret, negotiated rates in a way that is easy to search and accessible is so needed.

As a direct primary care physician in the Portland area, I strive with my staff to find transparent pricing for our price-conscious patients. It isnt easy. We know that the price for the same blood test can cost anywhere from $3 to $60, depending on where you go, but most patients dont find out until its too late.

Price transparency would fix that, which is why we need to make S.4106 law. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable to Americans, not to the powerful health care lobby, who are paying lawmakers handsomely to vote otherwise. Health care price transparency is not a red or a blue issue. Its a widely bipartisan issue. This law would bring tremendous financial empowerment to American households, and would cost taxpayers nothing.

Please urge Sens. Collins and King to vote for the price transparency bill and to move to include it in the next COVID-19 stimulus package. It is what Americans want, need and deserve.

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Maine Voices: Patients need to see health care prices to shop for better value - Press Herald

A business refusal to serve people based on their race, political beliefs, religion and gender affiliation is considered strictly off limits even illegal but what about the denial of service to medical professionals and first responders who have had recent contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19?

Dayle Morningstar Laird was shocked to learn she would not be given her scheduled pedicure Wednesday afternoon at Spaaah Shop & Day Spa in Durango after she answered the spas questionnaire saying she had recent contacts with people who have tested positive for the pathogen.

Morningstar Laird, a paramedic based in Pagosa Springs with the Upper San Juan Basin Health District, fairly frequently transports COVID-19 patients from Pagosa Springs to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango.

Antoinette Whidden, co-owner of the Spaaah Shop, said denial of service to people who have had recent contact with people testing positive for COVID-19 was and remains the proper procedure for her employees to follow. She said her employees denial of service to Morningstar Laird or anyone with recent contact with COVID-19-positive patients is common sense.

As you can understand, for a spa, where our services are up close and personal, you cant take chances. ... I cant expose my employees. Its just common sense, she said. If we were to expose our employees, then we would be required to shut down. It doesnt matter if theyre a paramedic, or if theyre a school teacher, or if theyre a housewife or whatever they are it doesnt matter. If they answer yes to that question, then it is our job, its our responsibility to make sure that our customers in the back as well as our employees are not exposed. I mean, it sucks. I would love to be able to give them a service. But, you know, in this day and age, you just cant. Youve got to be careful.

Claire Ninde, director of communications with San Juan Basin Public Health, said the state requires personal service businesses to screen customers for COVID-19 symptoms when receiving a high-contact service like a massage, haircut or spa treatment, but they dont have to screen for past exposures.

Businesses must follow required state guidance to protect their employees and customers according to their industry standards. SJBPH has not added to these requirements or provided other detailed recommendations, aside from the self-certification requirement for establishments in La Plata County, Ninde said in an email to The Durango Herald.

Guidelines for personal service providers to follow while operating in a COVID-19 environment are spelled out on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environments website, she said.

EMTs and other health care providers use elevated protective strategies and equipment when interacting with potential or confirmed COVID-19 patients, and SJBPH does not consider them exposed or close contacts as long as these procedures are followed, Ninde said.

SJBPH, she said, realizes complex challenges faced by businesses and customers as they navigate new situations posed by COVID-19.

We acknowledge that most businesses are doing their best to protect the health of both their employees and customers. This includes self-certification using our online infection-control checklist and continually practicing things like physical distancing, face covering and elevated sanitization, she said. We also know that most customers and even patrons are acting in a responsible way by monitoring their own symptoms, wearing face coverings and following businesses requirements.

SJBPHs recommendation to personal service businesses like the Spaaah Shop, Ninde said, would be that they follow state guidance which is specifically: conduct symptoms check for all customers of services with close personal contact and decline to provide services to anyone who has symptoms.

Morningstar Laird said paramedics with Upper San Juan Basin Health are required to wear personal protective equipment from head to toe. After transport she said, paramedics clean like crazy, are required to shower and the ambulance is flooded with ultraviolet light to disinfect the vehicle all procedures she believes any reasonable person would take into account before denying service to a paramedic.

The precautions we take at work are very, very extreme, so Im not worried about giving it to other people, she said. But I filled out the form correctly, and before I even filled out the rest of the questionnaire, she said, You have been in contact. And I said, Well, yes, Im a paramedic. And she started yelling at me and told me that I had to get out.

Wade Whidden, co-owner of the Spaaah Shop, said if the business is responsible for a confirmed case of COVID-19 it will be required to close for 14 days, and the business is put in a tough place because it looks bad if the spa is overly cautious by turning away clients or if it is identified as a business responsible for a COVID-19 transmission.

What would you suggest we do? he said. Do you think we want to turn people away that have exposure to COVID? Our business is down 50% from last year. The last thing we want to do is turn anybody away for a service. But we cannot put our employees at risk. We cant put our back staff at risk. I know its a tough situation. I know its brutal to have to turn anybody away.

Charles Spence, an attorney and a partner in the Durango firm Maynes, Bradford, Shipps and Sheftel, said litigation for small businesses based on COVID-19 incidents is such a recent development, it is too early to say whether the Whiddens are acting too excessively in their denial of service to Morningstar Laird.

Several class-action lawsuits have been filed, but they have yet to be adjudicated, he said.

The liability exposure is somewhat unclear at this point, he said. I dont think weve seen the true fallout from all of that yet. And its going to be pretty dire in some cases. Theyre trying to protect themselves from these possible claims. It gets difficult, and I dont know if theres a clear answer right now.

parmijo@durangoherald.com

Link:

Fearful of virus, business denies health care worker pedicure in Durango - Pine River Times

VCU Health will occupy the building at 332 North Henry St. Located near campus, the new clinic will be equipped with patient rooms and imaging technology and will be accessible to anyone, not just the university community. Services at the North Henry St. location will be available once renovations are complete. (WYDaily/Erin Zagursky, W&M News)

William & Mary recently announced a long-term, strategic partnership with VCU Health to significantly increase its capacity to provide access to health care on campus starting this fall. Included in the agreement is management of an extensive, university-wide COVID-19 testing program for students, faculty and staff.

The partnership will also expand the universitys health care in several unique categories for students, including general care support, mental health services and comprehensive orthopedic and sports medical coverage.

This agreement greatly expands our services and allows William & Mary to closely align with a leading university health center, said W&M President Katherine A. Rowe. Our partnership with VCU Health will support immediate needs during the pandemic while also providing the W&M community long-term access to a broad network of exceptional medical and mental health services. This is a terrific example of the kind of innovative collaboration that is essential to the success of a world-class university.

William & Mary and VCU Health are in the process of finalizing a 10-year contract with two five-year renewal options. The contract was awarded following a competitive bidding process conducted by a university selection committee with representatives from student affairs, athletics, human resources, and university operations.

The alliance with a third-party health care provider is the first of its kind at W&M. This is also the first partnership with another university for VCU Health, which boasts a vast network of providers that offer a wide range of health care services.

I am proud of this unique partnership that brings VCU Healths comprehensive services to the William & Mary community and residents of Williamsburg, said Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System. I look forward to serving the William & Mary and Williamsburg communities in a more robust way. Especially in these unusual times, we are better together.

VCU Health will provide enhanced support services in conjunction with the on-campus Student Health Center and for the Counseling Center, including mental health services to the student population and medical options for staff and faculty.

Additionally, it will administer sports medicine and orthopedic care to the universitys athletics department, as well as club sports, intramural sports and other related areas of the Universitys Health and Wellness division.

The new partnership takes William & Marys health care to a new level, said Kelly Crace, W&Ms associate vice president for health & wellness. It blends W&Ms existing resources with those of a top-notch university health organization in VCU Health, he added.

This is a very unique hybrid where we are developing a collaborative partnership to really enhance the breadth and depth of our resources for the health and safety and wellness of our community, said Crace.

VCU Health will also manage the universitys COVID-19 testing program that expects all students to be tested before returning to campus. VCUHS will continue prevalence testing among students and employees throughout the semester in order to track positivity results and modify operations, if warranted. During the semester, William & Mary will provide dedicated housing for quarantine and isolation for residential students who require it. In addition, employees will also have access to optional testing, partially subsidized by the university, if desired. Finally, all students and employees will be able to sign up for exit testing as they leave campus in November, as an additional precaution for their home communities.

We are finalizing the details on a long-term arrangement that will provide VCU Health with quality clinical space in close proximity to the campus, William & Mary contracts manager Bill Vega said.

As part of this partnership, VCU Health will occupy the building at 332 North Henry St. The facility is owned by the W&M Real Estate Foundation and leased by the university. The university will extend a long-term sublease to VCU Health as part of this arrangement. Located near campus, the new clinic will be equipped with patient rooms and imaging technology and will be accessible to anyone, not just the university community, Vega said. Services at the North Henry St. location will be available once renovations are complete.

It will be available to the Williamsburg community as an outpatient center, Vega said. So it will not only serve William & Mary, but it helps the community as well.

Until that facility is available, VCU Health will have temporary sites available on campus to support COVID testing.

The William & Mary-VCU Health partnership comes at a time where health care needs are heightened because of COVID-19.

Were going to be good thought partners on how to best respond to the continued health and safety guidelines for those in our campus community and the greater Williamsburg area, so VCU Health is going to partner with us in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of those who are managing the virus, Crace said.

VCU Health is also going to be a really important part of us recognizing that during this time of pandemic conditions and during this time of social unrest, theres increased anxiety and theres a lot of chronic uncertainty that really causes a level of mental strain and emotional strain among our community members. Our behavioral health partnership with them is going to really help us tend to the mental health needs of our community that are going to be more amplified this year than they have been in the past.

Crace said VCU aligns completely with William & Marys mission to provide integrative wellness, which includes many dimensions emotional/mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.

Having a collaborative partner to help us manage the demand that we have is really exciting, Crace said. VCU Health really understands our mission of integrative wellness, and they really want to be a part of that vision with us.

Nathan Warters is a communications specialist at William & Mary.

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William & Mary partners with VCU Health to expand university health care - WYDaily

This article was originally published here

Cancer Med. 2020 Jul 25. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3333. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the accessibility and quality of cancer-related care for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, there is limited insight into cancer incidence and the utilization of cancer care at the ID population level to inform targeted cancer control strategies. Therefore, we aimed to examine differences in the utilization of cancer-related care between people with and without ID, identified through diagnostic codes on health insurance claims.

METHODS: In a population-based cohort study, Dutch individuals of all ages who received residential care through the Chronic Care Act due to an ID (n = 65 183) and an age and sex-matched sample of persons without ID (1:2 ratio), who were cancer-free at enrollment in 2013 were followed through 2015. Incidence rates (IRs) of newly started cancer care and IR ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs were used to compare groups. Separate analyses were performed per cancer type.

RESULTS: Individuals with ID received less cancer-related care than individuals without (IRR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.62-0.66). Differences increased with age and were larger for females than for males. Utilization of care for cancers within the national screening program (female breast, cervical, and colon cancer) was lower for people with ID compared to people without ID.

CONCLUSION: Cancer may be underdiagnosed and/or undertreated in people with ID, or cancer is truly less prevalent in this population. In particular, the differences detected between males and females with ID, and the potential underutilization of national screening programs, require urgent follow-up investigations.

PMID:32710528 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.3333

See the rest here:

Disparities in cancer-related healthcare among people with intellectual disabilities: A population-based cohort study with health insurance claims...

Editors note: Emergency room physician Dr. Russell Hill is on the front lines locally of the fight against COVID-19. In the following column, he shares his thoughts about the decision to reopen schools this fall.

Back to school usually signals relief for parents, but dismay for teens and younger children. Traditionally, it marks the end of lazy summer days and the beginning of a more scheduled lifestyle. But not this year. This year, it is a time of significant uncertainty for parents and children, healthcare providers and policymakers, school administrators and teachers.

Like other activities and events, COVID-19 has upended seemingly simple and accepted practices, stirred more debates, and created quandaries for parents, physicians, and policymakers about whether reopening schools is the right thing to do.

Whats to be done? When adults need to work to provide for their families, they may have few options for either school or caregivers or worry that any option could put their children at risk. COVID-19, once thought to strike mostly those over 65 or persons with compromised health conditions, now seems to sicken young adults and children as well. And even if they are not ill themselves, asymptomatic children can be carriers who infect other unsuspecting parents, grandparents, or neighbors.

Parents, schools and communities are faced with seemingly impossible choices. Hastily constructed school distance learning plans were implemented in the spring with hopes that summer and fall COVID-19 infections would be controlled. Are their plans better today? Areas in the state and the country that appeared unscathed previously now face critical health threats. Have some locations become what infectious disease experts are calling superspreaders? Are schools likely to become superspreaders if reopened? The answer is we dont know. There is so much about this virus that we simply dont know at this point.

Given what is unknown about COVID-19 and its transmission and treatment, whats a reasonable course of action for schools and parents in East Tennessee to keep children safe and still meet educational goals?

First of all, as a physician, it remains unclear how staggered starts, small groups, and separation will limit transmission. For instance, recently a rural Missouri summer camp that took all of the expected precautions masks, social distancing, temperature checks still had 82 young campers become infected with COVID-19 after only a few days and the entire camp was soon closed.

Second, can we expect elementary school children to practice social distancing at all times, wear a mask at all times, and wash their hands each time they touch their face while at school? As a father of four children ages 4 to 10, this seems unlikely. Despite stressing these health habits, my kids forget. It only takes a few forgetful children for the virus to spread. Thankfully, children are the least likely to be affected severely by this infection. However, they may serve as a vector by increasing the risk to parents, grandparents, and neighbors.

The bigger questions of how this affects teachers and administrators at schools remain unanswered as well. The Centers for Disease Control has established some broad guidelines that advise schools not to reopen when infection rates in an area are in a red zone. Currently, Hawkins, Greene, Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties are all in the red zone.

While some European countries have successfully implemented rules when sending children back to school, it is too soon to say how effective these rules actually are in preventing the spread of COVID-19. In Korea, despite strict social isolation policies, required masks, and available hand sanitizer, infection rates have recently surged and consequently delayed school reopenings.

A group of doctors, healthcare workers, and teachers in Tennessee recently formed a coalition called ProtectMy Care and cautioned against reopening schools too soon. Dr. Amy Gordon Bono, a primary care physician, spoke on behalf of the group at a July 22 press conference and offered this perspective: We should not rush to reopen our schools without a cautious and comprehensive community plan to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. More than half of Tennessee counties have an unacceptable rate of coronavirus transmission. Our state is now experiencing the worst we have experienced under the coronavirus crisis. ... To reopen schools is insane and irresponsible.

National and local leaders fearing economic losses should evaluate carefully their priorities. Public health guidelines should protect the innocent and most vulnerable, including our children, their teachers, and their caregivers. In medicine, our primary goal is to save lives and prevent or end illness. While it could be argued that at times doctors do this to a fault, it is the historic, prevailing public opinion. Lets not jettison it too soon or too quickly. While we would all like to get back to normal as soon as possible, reopening schools too soon is both bad medicine and risky public health policy.

See the original post here:

A physician's thoughts on reopening school | Health Care | timesnews.net - Kingsport Times News

The results of the most recent survey showed that 46% of patients have experienced a decline in their financial security and ability to pay for their care, and nearly 25% worry that they may lose their insurance as a result of the pandemic.

BY Len Lichtenfeld, M.D.

Increased awareness, practicing precautions such as social distancing, keeping our hands clean and wearing masks represent a few of the measures many of us are taking to stay well. Yet, even as we follow these new rules for preserving our health, were finding that other crucial protections have been compromised. We have seen a dramatic decline during the pandemic in hospital and outpatient visits for screening and nonurgent cancer care. The delay of these procedures has led experts to raise concerns that an increase in deaths from cancer may be part of our future. Potentially adding to that trend will be the loss of health insurance that has accompanied job termination for many during the pandemic. The reality is that, without insurance, cancer care is not affordable.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network recently completed surveysasking patients with cancer about the experiences and concerns they are confronting. The results of the most recent survey showed that 46% of patients have experienced a decline in their financial security and ability to pay for their care, and nearly 25% worry that they may lose their insurance as a result of the pandemic. Mental health is also affected: Because of the combined medical and financial stress, nearly half the respondents have perceived a major or moderate effect on their mental well-being.

These are not minor considerations. The reality is that most of us dont have an effective safety net when it comes to paying medical bills. One day you are employed and have health insurance, and the next you are unemployed and worried about whether you can afford food and rent, let alone an insurance extension from your employer if one is available. And lets not forget that even with insurance, cancer care is expensive, far beyond the means of many of us.

The pandemic has taught us a lot. It has shown us the weaknesses in our system at many levels. We need solutions that will protect us in times of need. Options could include reopening insurance exchanges or providing help with paying premiums. Inevitably, some will argue that the time has come for us to rethink how we as a nation pay for health care.

No matter the solutions, I suspect we can all agree on one thing: No one should have to forgo cancer care, particularly during an infectious pandemic and an economic disaster, because they cant afford it. If we can solve that dilemma, then perhaps something good will come out of a moment in time that has been so frightening for so many of us.

Read more:

Losing Health Insurance Due to Job Interruption During Pandemic Could Jeopardize Cancer Care for Many Patients - Curetoday.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth and there is a general consensus, including from White House leaders, that virtual care is here to stay.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration has opened up access to telehealth with sweepingbuttemporarychanges to reimbursement policies.

"Rather than just wholesale transformation, we have experienced an acceleration around transformations that were already underway," saidRyan Smith, chief information officer, Intermountain Healthcare, during a virtual event hosted by media company Protocol.

"With telehealth expansion we havetransitionedfrom it being adisruptive technology and care delivery model to overnightbeing almost a normal part of healthcare delivery," he said.

It's expected that an upcoming Medicare payment rule will include proposals outlining how the Trump administration plans to permanently expand reimbursement for telehealth services. Legislators also have taken steps topermanently open up access to telehealth services for Medicare patients.

It's understood that there are some healthcare visits that must be done in person and virtual care will not completely replace in-office care. What remains up in the air is where telehealth volume will land going forward.

So what will the future of virtual care look like in a post-pandemic healthcare industry? During several onlineevents in the past week, healthcare leaders weighed in onwhat's next for the industry's digital revolution.

RELATED:HHS official: 'Cat out of the bag' on telehealth but unclear what changes will stick

"Havingintegration between virtual care and in-office care makes each much more effective," said Kimber Lockhart, chief technology officer at tech-enabled primary care groupOne Medicalduring the event hosted by Protocol.

"I think well start seeing the connection between what was largely disparate provider groups providing either virtual care or in-office care and well start to see more blended models, where, depending on the needs of patients, care can move between virtual and in-person channels seamlessly," she said.

Mario Schlosser, co-founder and CEO ofhealthinsurance company Oscar Health, said patients seeking care for behavioral health issues as well as chronic conditions largely shifted to virtual services during the pandemic.

"What that shows you is that there is a big chunk of healthcare that you can virtualize and members want to see it virtualized," he said during an Axios virtual event.

"We need tomake sure that this shift to digital doesnt create more utilization, but shifts utilization that should not have otherwise happened," Schlosser said."I think there will be a blended approach and for as much care as possible it will be virtual first and then carefully orchestrated through the rest of the system for those things that need to happen in person," he said.

"From the time you arrive to the facility to conducting the encounter to being discharged, there is so much physical touch involved everywhere. I think that entire touchless experience is a highly valuable asset to work on to enable that consumer experience to make it safer. We have technology to do that today. Unlocking that touchless experience is a huge opportunity and were working to enable that," saidBharat Sutariya, Cerner's chief medical officer of population health, during the Protocol event.

Intermountain's Smith said the health system is thinking through how to redesign spaces for ambulatory care to leverage touchless technologies to minimize the number of people in waiting rooms.

RELATED:More than 300 organizations, physician groups push Congress to take action on telehealth policies

One Medical wants to use technology to direct patients to the right venue of care, whether it's virtual or in-person.

"We're working on using machine learningand other strategies to understand what patients needs are and route them to the right place to get care," Lockhart said.

In the next five years, healthcare will move from a transactional experience to a continuous experience where patients have an ongoing dialogue with providers, Cerner's Sutariya said.

"The technology around us, ambient technology and the Internet of Things, using that to positively impact lifestyle,create healthy behavior and take care of chronically ill, that will pick up significant momentum. We have the advantage of Big Data, machine learning and artificial intelligenceto help us with that and get it right," he said.

During the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established payments for telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits.

Schlosser, for one, does not believe that payment parity is sustainable once the emergency period is over.

"I think this is going to be the battle to come.There is a huge opportunity to bending the cost curve in this shift toward digital and virtual, without a question. If we dont use that window then a big opportunity of bending the cost curve goes away," he said during theAxios event.

RELATED:Patients want to keep using virtual care after COVID-19 pandemic ends, survey finds

He added, "That will either mean that telemedicine will get reimbursed lower than in-person care, which would, unchecked, bankrupt a bunch of providers. Or it could mean that in the shift toward digital you also have a similar shift towards at-risk care delivery. So, providers who have been at-risk during the pandemic, their business has held up pretty well."

At the same time, health systems and hospitals have made significant investments in telehealth infrastructure during the pandemic and these organizations want to ensure a return on that investment, said Tom Leary, vice president of government affairsat the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) .

CMS and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will take a hard look at how the expansion of telehealth has impacted healthcare costs, industry leaders said.

"Clearly CMS doesnt want to increase their spend. They are going to dig intoto see what the current rate is going forward and the impact on outcomes and healthcare spend," saidDomenic Segalla, principal, healthcare advisory services at accounting firm Withum during a recent virtual event hosted by HIMSS.

RELATED:Tech experts: Widespread adoption of telemedicine, remote monitoring 'here to stay'

With the shift to virtual care, larger health care systems are concerned about what to do with their large brick-and-mortar footprints,Segalla said.

"Something weve been hearing from CFOs is we went through outpatient expansion and now with many of these E/Mlevel visits and the potential expansion of services that can be done virtually, what do we want to do with this large footprint or large amount of real estate that we have?," he said.

"With the shift towards virtual care, if we didnt pause to think about the role of physical space in our strategy that would be a mistake," One Medical's Lockhart said.

"As we are evaluating how we expand, we dobelieve in-person care is incredibly important and isnt going away. There are many things for which in-person care is the only way to provide the examination or care that a patientneeds," she said."On the other hand, we have discovered there are some things for which virtual care may in fact be better. There are some conversations that are best had in a situation where patients are in a comfortable setting, such as behavioral health conversations."

Telehealth is now poised to take a bigger share of the healthcare market, according to McKinsey and Company. Up to $250 billion, or 20%of all Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial outpatient, office, and home health spend could be done virtually, according to the company's analysis.

"I think we absolutely see telehealth staying," Intermountain's Smith said. "Will it continue at the current rate that it is? Alot of that depends on the continued relaxing of reimbursements and it's also going to be highly dependent on the stage of the individual health systems maturity, especially at it relates to value-based care."

The expansion of virtual care dovetails with trends around consumerization and transparency in healthcare, he noted.

"Everything is accelerated. Those organizations that havent evolved their models will be in peril. Certain provider organizations will fail. Were going to be back to broader mergers and expansions again by virtue of those not able to make that shift from fee-for-service to fee-for-value," he said.

Link:

Here is how execs from Oscar Health, Intermountain and Cerner say the telehealth boom will change healthcare - FierceHealthcare

CHICAGO (CBS) A COVID-19 test forced one woman into quarantine for weeks, and she lost her job.

But then she learned she never had the virus. The test was wrong.

CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reported Wednesday night on false COVID-19 test results and what went wrong. The health care worker, who did not want to be identified, wanted to tell her story to warn others about what happened to her.

So I had never been around any form of disease that hasnt had a cure before, said the woman. I have been in the medical field for quite some time.

She worked as a medical receptionist, wore a mask and gloves, and took all the precautions. Then one day, she started to cough and was concerned.

Like scores of other health care workers, she decided to play it safe and get tested for COVID-19.

She went for a free test at the Friend Health Center near 58th Street and Western Avenue in Chicago. Her samples were then shipped to a lab at Lurie Childrens Hospital.

Two days later, she got the result.

My primary physician called me. He told me I was positive, she said. I was in shock.

She called her family and her employer, and her worries intensified. Images she has seen while working, and all over the news, started to replay repeatedly in her head.

I thought of the ventilator, and I started to get my affairs in order, she said. I thought about the patients in the hospital how they cant see their loved ones. And I felt I would be one of them, and God knows Im praying for them.

She did what she was supposed to do and quarantined, which meant she also stopped going to work.

I was scared and I stayed in the house, she said, and I followed the instructions. You have to stay in quarantine for 14 days.

Then after 14 days of isolation, she sought her doctors approval to return to work. She missed a few more days of work waiting to get cleared.

And then she lost her job.

Then came another bombshell.

She got a letter from the lab at Lurie Childrens Hospital. It said she was never really COVID-19 positive it was all a big mistake.

The woman read part of the letter: We have learned that you received a false positive result. You did not have COVID-19.

The CBS 2 Investigators were told by a hospital official that they noticed an unusual pattern developing. So they retested the samples in question and found there was an equipment problem.

That is when they learned people who were told they were positive for COVID-19 were really negative.

I was devastated, said the health care worker about the impact of this bad test.

She says the hospital representative who called her would not tell her exactly how many others also spent weeks in quarantine for no reason.

Lurie Childrens also would not release to CBS 2 the number of false test results, only saying it was several.

We are sorry for the inconvenience, the health care worker said as she expressed her frustration that it took a month to get the accurate result. Thats all, thats all like a pat on the hand, Were sorry.'

A representative of Lurie Childrens Hospital told the CBS 2 Investigators they reported the false findings to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Our CBS 2 Investigators reached out to the IDPH to find out how many false positives they have received from all labs statewide. The IDPH has not yet responded.

Here is the original post:

Health Care Worker Tests Positive For COVID-19, Quarantines, And Loses Job Only To Find Out Test Was Wrong - CBS Chicago

Opinion | LetterDaines recently expressed his support for a lawsuit currently before the Supreme Court that seeks to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act

By Lynn Stanley // Jul 24, 2020

Sen. Steve Daines has often been critical of federal judges who legislate from the bench, in his words, but apparently legislating from the bench is perfectly acceptable as long as it suits his ideological goals.

Daines recently expressed his support for a lawsuit currently before the Supreme Court that seeks to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act. If the lawsuit were to succeed, Montanas Medicaid expansion (which Daines has voted to undermine) and protections for 152,000 Montanans with a pre-existing condition could be lost.

Of all the lawsuits Daines could be on board with in the middle of a global pandemic, he chooses the one that would rip health care coverage from the most vulnerable of our neighbors when they need it most. He didnt get his wish to repeal the Affordable Care Act in Congress, so now he wants the Supreme Court to do his work for him.

Im hopeful the Supreme Court will choose to protect the thousands of Montanans with pre-existing conditions and that are covered under the Medicaid expansion signed into law by Gov. Steve Bullock. But in the meantime, we should focus on choosing a new senator one who will work harder to expand access to affordable health care than he does to sabotage it.

Lynn StanleyKalispell

Excerpt from:

Choose Candidate Who Supports Access to Affordable Health Care - Flathead Beacon

The family of Carol and Raymond Bedard would like to express their gratitude to the following health care heroes: Dunns Corners Fire Department, Charlestown & Westerly Ambulance, Westerly Hospital, HopeHealth Hospice and Palliative Care RI and especially the Westerly Health Center and Buckler-Johnston Funeral Home.

The year 2020 started with the anticipation of our Dads 85th birthday party on Jan 11. Our Dad (and Mom) were excited and surprised by the many friends and family members who attended. Looking back, it was such a bittersweet moment but we were able to capture the joy from that day in pictures.

Unfortunately, 2020 then took a quick turn. We lost both of our parents in a span of eight weeks from pneumonia just before COVID-19 testing started to be available. It was during this time that we saw a lot of the health care heroes mentioned above. They were so kind, understanding and compassionate for all that we were going through with both of our parents, in and out of ambulances, in and out of the hospital and rehab centers and then hospice.

Westerly Health Center was so caring, not only to our mother but to us also. They understood we never had time to grieve for our Dad prior to our Mom quickly getting sick, they did everything possible to allow us to be with her up until the end (pre-COVID). We will never forget their kindness and compassion.

Our parents were married almost 64 years. We always knew they would join each other quickly once the first one passed, but we never thought it would be that quick. With what is going on in the world, we are glad they are in heaven together and able to enjoy to walking and breathing freely on their own and enjoying the ever-after.

Lisa J. Bedard

Westerly

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Letter: Thanks to health care heroes for their compassion - The Westerly Sun

Twilio (NYSE:TWLO) stock has given shareholders an incredible ride, returning over 750% in the last three years. Its communication platform for generating text, voice, video, and email via software is now used by over 190,000 customers in 180 countries.

Data from the last three years through July 23, 2020. TWLO data by YCharts

It may not be a household name, but you've probably experienced Twilio's capabilities. If you've received a computer-generated text message saying your prescription is ready or an automated phone call reminder that your medical appointment is upcoming, these messages were likely created by its platform's tools.

Recently the company has reached a key milestone that allows it to more fully serve the needs of the healthcare industry, and it's driving fast to capture new business. Let's check out what the company is up to on the healthcare front and what it means for investors.

After 18 months of development efforts, Twilio achieved HIPAA compliance on a set of its tools in February. HIPAA is short for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, passed in 1996, that protects personal healthcare information (PHI) and provides a standard for PHI transmitted or stored in electronic form. This milestone enables Twilio's network to handle PHI under a business associate agreement (BAA), which will allow healthcare entities to use its products and network for many new use cases.

This is not just a localized capability, but crosses a broad base of its products, including voice, text, video, and call center building blocks. This is a valuable service for healthcare entities, and a number of new customers have already jumped on board.

As the coronavirus started to spread, many healthcare providers looked to telehealth technology to perform non-critical or even COVID-19-related visits. The demand for these services skyrocketed in a short period of time, and Twilio's easy-to-implement and cloud-scalable tools were ready.

In the past few months, three large healthcare software platforms added Twilio's video capabilities to enhance their services. Epic, one of the largest healthcare record companies, implemented video to interact with patients, and allow virtual updates of clinical records. ZocDoc's medical appointment service was enhanced to allow the scheduled appointment to happen virtually over video chat. Doximity added video capability to its dialer service for its 100,000 physician customers to allow them to see the patient when calling.

Healthcare customers are using Twilio to power virtual doctor visits. Image source: Getty Images.

But it's not just video services that healthcare-related customers are using. New York City contracted with the company to help get their coronavirus contact tracing capabilities in place. The solution includes contact center software, voice communications, and text messaging capabilities. CipherHealth added COVID-19 interactive voice and text screening questions for its patients. Over 500 hospitals and healthcare systems using CipherHealth's platform have been issuing more than 430,000 outbound screenings per week.

This budding opportunity caused the company to add a key executive to its ranks.

In February, the company hired Susan Lucas Collins as its global head of healthcare services. Collins has been in healthcare-related roles her entire 33-year career and spent five years at Salesforce leading healthcare marketing efforts.

Andrew Zilli, vice president of investor relations, spoke about this role in a recent interview:

And so bringing somebody like Susan in who knows the healthcare world really, really well can really meaningfully up-level our ability to play a significant role there. And so it's kind of the first time that we've hired somebody in a role like that to really own a vertical, but I think it shows the importance of healthcare and what we think we can do with that.

Collins contributed to the recent customer wins and will be a great resource for the company to enhance its presence in this important industry.

Healthcare isn't a material part of Twilio's business yet, so these deals aren't going to cause the stock to move. But there have been some promising trends with this customer set. Since February, it's seen a doubling of healthcare customers' usage and a more than doubling of the number of healthcare customers utilizing the video services. Since its revenue is primarily usage-based, this is an encouraging development for investors. But the really exciting part is how these tools play a key role in helping this industry meet the challenge of reducing costs while also improving outcomes and increasing patient satisfaction. This capability could make the recent trend the start of something much bigger.

It may be a while until these new HIPAA-compliant capabilities make a meaningful difference in the company's topline, but shareholders should be comforted that this innovative tech company is continuing to expand its market opportunity.

See the rest here:

Twilio Moves Into Healthcare: What It Means for the Stock - The Motley Fool

Published: 7/25/2020 5:51:30 AM

When it comes to health care access, I used to think of Massachusetts as progressive. We pioneered health care reform in 2006, are home to some of the nations top health care and public health organizations, and pride ourselves on our commonwealths work on health equity. Yet we remain embarrassingly behind when it comes to abortion access.

Medically unnecessary restrictions here in Massachusetts force young people to go to court or leave the state for access to care. That burden disproportionately harms young people of color the result of the racist policy that created barriers to care. Thats why the ROE Act, proactive legislation to improve access to care and remove these barriers, must pass before July 31.

On June 29, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a medically unnecessary, politically motivated abortion restriction in Louisiana. I used to think that I didnt need to worry about things like that in my state and if I needed an abortion, I would be able to get one. Now I know thats not always true. If youre like I was and think our access is safe here know that far too many people in Massachusetts already dont have access to abortion because state law still enforces unjust, racist restrictions to abortion.

So while abortion may be safe and legal here, its not fully accessible and it never has been. Abortion is health care and until abortion is truly accessible to all, I cant consider our state to be progressive when it comes to health care access.

Sophie Howard

Turners Falls

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The Recorder - 'Abortion is health care' - The Recorder

It didnt take long for COVID-19 to highlight some glaring issues in health information technology. Like most businesses globally, healthcare organizations were largely unprepared.

We werent adequately prepared to move workforces home; quickly shift to virtual care, and appropriately communicate with patients, families, care teams, and so many others who help deliver the services we provide. We did the best we could, though. We quickly cobbled together solutions and together made them work.

Less-than-ideal workarounds are nothing new to the health IT world. Healthcares mission is to help peopleand increasingly, to help lower costs for those we serve. Low healthcare margins dictate comparatively smaller technology budgets. So although most healthcare organizations have EHRs, we are still trying to solve big problems like unified communication and consumer engagement without the comprehensive solutions we really need. Many times, we lack the true collaboration necessary to solve our urgent challenges.

The truth is, great solutions are coming to healthcare at an astounding pace. Its hard to keep track of all the new technologies and companies. Even if they have not always lived up to their promises, health IT advances over the past two decades have been amazing.

Ever since the adoption of President Barack Obamas HITECH Act initiatives as part of the stimulus package during the Great Recession, health IT implementation and use have improved considerably. A sort of map guiding the implementation journey has been developed. Although COVID-19 created an abrupt detour, it also seems to have accelerated the pace of health IT, especially in the areas of telehealth, artificial intelligence and patient experience.

New health IT solutions may not always be perfect, but they are well on the way to being darn good. Something we healthcare professionals can do is to extend ourselves and to get our hands dirty helping the vendors of these tech solutions get to the finish line. Healthcare is a team sport, and we all need to play together to get the win.

As leaders in health organizations nationwide, we are the best source of feedback. Many times, our real-world experience can help refine health IT products to achieve the value that our organizationsand those we servedeserve.

There are many ways to bring your voice and ideas to vendors across the industry. I suggest a few to get started:

To be nimble and prepared for whatever new challenges come our way, we will need to collaborate with our vendor partners like never before. Our input can help us get better solutions and lower our overall technology costs. The result will be better partnerships, improved care outcomes, greater pricing transparency and options, and enhanced security and integration. We need these things now more than ever.

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It's time to 'refresh' the healthcare provider-vendor relationship to ensure ongoing innovation - ModernHealthcare.com