Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The pandemic has catalyzed significant changes in the healthcare industry, particularly on the technology front as patients, payers and providers look for ever-newer ways of delivering, receiving and being reimbursed for care.These have created new opportunities for business leaders committed to delivering innovative solutions, and, of course, entrepreneurs with the best ideas are positioned to most readily obtain funding.

According to Deloitte, venture funding for healthcare tech doubled year-over-year in 2020 and further accelerated during 2021 with record levels of investment through special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), private equity, venture capital and debt financing.

A closer look at five healthcare IT trends to watch:

The healthcare industry has been transitioning to cloud-based tools for some time now, but adoption has generally lagged among smaller/independent groups. Over the last two years, the need to quickly access information and deliver virtual care to patients has further accelerated this move to the cloud, especially among smaller independent groups, and this will continue in 2022.

Before 2020, telemedicine adoption rates were low. While less than 1% of patient appointments were conducted virtually in 2019, telehealth use has increased by a factor of 38 from the beginning of 2020 to February of 2021, according to McKinsey & Company a sea change in care delivery, and at a speed virtually unheard of in the healthcare space. Over the last two years, many have transitioned from experiencing their very first virtual healthcare encounter to expecting this new convenience from any provider they select. In addition to patient sentiment, increased acceptance by insurance companies and a reduction of regulatory hurdles have rapidly increased physician adoption of telemedicine. Look for virtual care to continue to make inroads in the months and years ahead.

Related: What Entrepreneurs Need to Know About the Post-Pandemic Telehealth Industry

Similar to the trajectory of telemedicine, technologies that enable remote monitoring of patient health and chronic care management are quickly gaining broader acceptance, including devices that capture real-time data regarding blood pressure, weight, oxygen levels, activity and other vitals collectively driving efficiencies and better care. New vendors and devices are entering the market daily, and well likely see an expansion of current use cases in 2022. Such trailblazing technologies ones that increasingly secure health insurance reimbursement create a path for other innovations and will continue to multiply exponentially so long as they drive better health outcomes and are reimbursed by commercial and governmental payers.

Today, virtual and augmented reality tools are used primarily for tasks like physician training and enabling complex procedures and surgeries in remote areas. They are also used in behavioral health, as well as in physical and occupational therapy, but theres an emerging opportunity to apply them more broadly. Keep watch regarding how virtual and augmented reality will integrate into telemedicine and other care delivery methods in the new year and beyond. Businesses that can demonstrate proof of concept, while complying with privacy regulations and insurance requirements, will be in a leading position, particularly as the metaverse expands.

Related: How Health Tech Startups Are Solving the Anti-Aging Problem

Machine learning, artificial intelligence and other automation systems are already used widely in some specialties. For example, internal medicine practices commonly use AI embedded with electronic health records to screen test results for outliers, and many practices leverage data-driven clinical decision support. In this year and beyond, providers will take things to the next level use these technologies to provide clinical insights that further improve outcomes and automate mundane tasks. These hold vast potential for streamlining back-office operations like claims reviews, as well as associated tasks like retrieving and delivering data to insurance companies to support claim adjudication. Look for broader use of automation to handle these sorts of tasks from beginning to end, eliminating manual data entry and freeing staff for higher-level work. It will also help medical organizations deal with a tight labor market.

Related: 3 Great Ways to Solve Hiring Challenges

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5 Healthcare IT Trends Entrepreneurs Should Watch in 2022 - Entrepreneur

Southeast Health is among the top 11% of U.S. health systems overusing low-value health services, according to a Johns Hopkins University study published in JAMA last week.

The study analyzed Medicare claims data from 2016-2018 at 676 U.S. health care systems for 17 services previously identified as unnecessary, such as MRIs for patients with mild traumatic brain injuries, spinal fusions for back pain, pap smears for women over age 65, and hysterectomies for benign diseases the low-value service that was used the most.

A health systems usage of these types of services relative to its peers serves as a proxy for whether its hospitals provide unneeded care, according to the study.

Southeast Health placed at No. 12 in the cross sectional study that found those that most overused health care had more beds, fewer primary care physicians, more physician practice groups, were more likely to be investor-owned, and were less likely to include a major teaching hospital.

Southeast Health is owned by the Houston County Health Care Authority, and is a not-for-profit system. The Houston County Health Care Authority also owns the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, which graduated its first class of students in 2017.

Unnecessary procedures, tests, and screenings are linked to lower quality of care and worse patient and worker safety, and drive up healthcare costs. Specifically, researchers stated in the studys introduction that this wasteful care is physically, psychologically, and financially harmful to patients.

Among the top over-users were St. Dominic Health Services of Jackson, Mississippi, Irving, Texas-based USMD Health System, Community Medical Centers of Clovis, California, and Providence, Rhode Island-based Care New England Health System, according to the study. Opelikas East Alabama Medical Center ranked No. 5.

While the study did identity several features of health systems that top those rankings, it determined that In-depth exploration of the drivers of health care overuse is needed at the level of health systems as their incentives may not be aligned with high-value care.

A Southeast Health spokesperson said Wednesday that it has just learned of the study and withheld comment.

We will need time to evaluate the information and to analyze the metrics used to determine the outcomes, Mark Stewart, director of community relations, said in an email.

Excerpt from:

Study: Dothan SE Health among US systems that give unnecessary care - AL.com

Yes, it is! Join us now to find out what happens in your brain when you meditate! 

Where do you stand when it comes to meditation? Have you tried it? Many people don’t know this, but this process of just sitting and breathing mindfully can change the structure of your brain! Wondering how can meditation change the brain? In that case, you came to the right place! 

Different types of meditation have existed for thousands of years now. However, until recently, it was not common to meet plenty of people who practice it in different parts of the world!  Do you know someone who does?

We didn’t really until we went to a self-defense meeting six or seven years ago! Honestly, we were a bit shocked because we expected only to learn Kung Fu, Muay Thai, and other martial arts. But the thing was that, although we did practice those things, the training included yoga, tai chi, mediation, etc., too! 

At first, meditation seemed awkward, you know!  Why would we spend time just sitting and doing nothing, we thought. What the heck is the point of it?  But as we kept on attending these meetings, our perspective started to change!  What made us see things differently? 

Well, we have noticed that all the people who have been practicing meditation for some time have an incredible sense of calmness, compassion, and self-awareness. They appear as if traveling on some kind of cloud of tranquility above the storm of anxiety most of us feel all the time. We noticed that they also have better dating sites. This realization inspired curiosity, so we started to read and research to learn more about meditation. Somewhere along the way, we learned that meditation changes brain structure!  Honestly, in the beginning, it sounded like some kind of science fiction! Okay, meditation can help you relax, but how does it change your brain chemistry? It sounds ridiculous! But it isn’t!  Further investigation showed that mediation changes the brain indeed! Of course, it is not something that happens after a session or two! But a long-term, properly done meditation has physical, tangible effects. Now we know that this is incredible for many of you! So we decided to write an article about what actually happens and how long does it take for meditation to change the brain. If you are the least bit curious, you will enjoy this text!

Meditation Changes Brain Structure 

Before moving on to explaining how to practice meditation to change your brain, let's see what is happening.  It is known that meditation renders a calming effect on the brain.  People who practice meditation regularly are far less anxious or stressed than those who don’t. But what does it mean to claim that meditation can change your brain? Well, as surprising as it may sound to you, various studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can change brain structures.  A study we found in Psychiatry Research showed, based on the scan analysis, that eight weeks mindfulness training program increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus. According to the scientists working on these issues, increases correlate to improved emotional regulations. Decreases, on the other hand, are attributed to increased risks of the development of negative emotions. 

Studies suggest that different kinds of meditation change eight specific areas of the brain, which are related to the regulation of emotions, meta-awareness, memory processing, body awareness, etc. Dr. Kristin Naragon – Gainey, who was in teams that conducted some of the studies, says that there is no denying that regular meditation greatly changes aspects of brain functioning. It not changes the areas of the brain but also the way they communicate with each other.

How Long Does it Take 

Many people told us, “Okay, I got it! But how many hours of meditation to change the brain are necessary?” It is essential to know that a single session of meditation can be enough for you to start feeling better.  Some studies showed that people experience better mood, decreased stress and blood pressure after one session. More long-term effects, such as increased focus, start kicking in after several weeks. But if the question is only related to the ways to change brain meditation, then you should know that you need to practice meditation to change brain waves for about eight consecutive weeks before you see any results. 

Once you decide to start changing brain chemistry meditation, keep in mind that consistency is critical for best results.  You won’t notice any drastic changes if you practice meditation, say once in a month or two!  This is not to say that you have to do it every single day either! But, the research shows that you need to practice 10 – 20 minutes at least three times per week if you want to enjoy all the benefits. 

How to Make Most of Meditation

• For many people, the idea of sitting and doing nothing for thirty minutes seems impossible. But no one told you that you have to meditate that long. Start with short, five minutes sessions, and do them once or two times a week.  Setting a goal to practice meditation every day or for a long time is farfetched for beginners and is likely to fail. 
• Designate a calm and safe space. Technically, you can meditate in the middle of the street if you want! But most people search for a quiet place where they can feel safe and focused. 
• Concentrate on breathing.  If you are starting to practice meditation, you should know that the easiest way is to focus on your breathing.  It is not uncommon for the mind to wander when you are a beginner. Breathing will help you refocus in this case.
• Try guided meditation. Many people find that it is challenging to quiet down their thoughts in the beginning.  In that case, you can try a guided meditation. You can find some YouTube videos, download the app, or join a group. 

Let’s be clear about something! Although meditation changes the brain, it is not a cure for any disorder or disease! But it can be beneficial if you practice it regularly! What does it mean? Well, any meditation, and especially mindfulness, can help you cope better with daily stress you experience at work, anxiety, etc., by helping you focus on here and now and your needs! Have you practiced meditation so far?

About author

My name is Rebecca Shinn. I am a consulting psychologist who occasionally writes articles for blogs. I hope this helps make psychology more accessible. I am fond of running and traveling.

This week, California lawmakers will take up the latest attempt to get all state residents covered under the same health plan an idea referred to as single payer health care thats been sparking debate at the Capitol for the past five years.

Under the new plan, dubbed CalCare, all Californians would be insured by the same entity and would be able to access any doctor, regardless of network. Supporters argue that this will reduce price gouging and give all residents equal access to care.

AB 1400 is sponsored by the California Nurses Association, who first introduced single payer legislation in 2017. At the time, the proposal had an estimated $400 billion price tag and no funding source.

After it failed, an Assembly committee gathered to discuss options for reforming the states health care delivery system. The committee put together recommendations for how to make coverage more affordable and accessible for all Californians, which informed legislation that emerged in the following years.

The new proposal would create a tax to fund the single payer option. The tax would apply to companies earning more than $2 million, businesses with 50 or more employees and individuals making more than roughly $150,000 a year.

Carmen Comsti, lead regulatory policy specialist with the nurses association, says the tax will generate somewhere between $160 and $170 billion annually.

We are talking about ensuring that everybody gets comprehensive benefits without copays or deductibles, Comsti said.

Opponents argue that a single payer system eliminates choices for those who might prefer to stay on a private plan, and that legislators should work instead to make sure everyone is insured and that all coverage is affordable a model often referred to as universal health care.

A coalition that includes the California Association of Health Plans, the California Hospital Association and the California Medical Association issued a release about the new proposal.

Californians need and deserve a stable health care system they can rely on at all times, especially now, wrote coalition spokesperson Ned Wigglesworth. We urge the Legislature to reject this legislation that will risk the health care of the residents of our state when they need it most.

The coalition also voiced concern about the proposed tax structure being an economic burden to California families.

Comsti said the taxes are necessary to reform an unsustainable system.

Were already paying for all the costs of healthcare in California, she said. With single payer health care, we could pay less overall.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was a supporter of single payer health care during his campaign, but more recently has been an advocate for options that build off the current system.

Assembly Health Committee Chair Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) announced Thursday that he will vote to move the proposal forward, citing frustration with high drug prices, insurance company profits, claim denials and other woes of the current, fragmented health care system.

People are angry, Wood told CapRadio. They're frustrated, they're scared to get sick and the system is broken.

Wood said the proposal has a ways to go and that he will put his concerns in writing for the bills author, Ash Kalra (D-San Jose). He said the primary reasons single payer has failed in the past have been cost, and opposition from health plans and other business interests.

He said its important to keep discussing all potential solutions, even if they dont ultimately cross the finish line.

For me, no is not the answer, Wood said. We're going to have to resolve this and we're going to have to make improvements in the system because it's not going to go away.

Wood is also pushing his own bill, AB 1130, which would establish an Office of Health Care Affordability to analyze spending across the health care system and propose ways to cut costs related to plans, hospitals and prescription drugs.

To move forward, AB 1400 must pass the health committee by Jan. 14 and pass the Assembly by Jan. 31.

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

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Single-payer health care is back on the table at the California Capitol - Capital Public Radio News

Jan 11, 2022, 4:11amUpdated 3h ago

By: News 12 Staff

COVID-19-related hospitalizations are up in New Jersey. There are currently 6,075 COVID patients in New Jersey hospitals, according to state data.

Almost 80 of these patients are at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. At the height of the pandemic, there were 250 patients on ventilators. Now there are only five. But it is up from last month, which is not the direction hospital officials were hoping to see things go.

The surge comes as health care workers are running out of steam and patience.

What we saw in November was single-digit patients, says Michele Acito, executive vice president and chief nursing officer. After the holidays, we increased to 94 patients. Very concerning.

The health care workers are taking care of more patients now than they have seen since the early days of the pandemic. Acito says her staff is having a hard time.

Here we go again with our third wave and people are really getting theyre getting tired, exhausted, working harder, working longer and its becoming difficult, she says.

Too difficult for many who are burned out and not worth the risk for others who left the industry. Health care workers are also getting sick with the Omicron variant, leaving fewer of them to take care of more patients.

While you see no sense of urgency in public, we see a tremendous overwhelming in our hospitals, says Debbie White, president of HPAE, the union representing 13,000 New Jersey medical workers.

White says what her members really want are the resources they need to do their jobs. They also want the public to do their part in slowing the spread.

Take those measures. Do the things we did in the beginning masking while indoors, dont hang out in big crowds, stay safe, says White. Do those things we did in the first wave. Thats the only thing that will stop or at least slow the spread.

Health care workers are also asking for patience as they deal with shortages and larger hospital populations.

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Health care workers face fatigue as they deal with more COVID-19 patients - News 12 Bronx

Access East, Inc. recently announced it has been awarded a four-year, $795,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Care Services Outreach program. Access East, in partnership with Vidant Beaufort Hospital, a campus of Vidant Medical Center, along with the Beaufort County Health Department and Agape Community Health Services, have established the Beaufort County Rural Health Outreach Consortium. The consortium partners will implement the Rural Health Access Program with a focus to improve access to care and care coordination in Beaufort County.

The consortium is committed to establishing a stronger health network for all residents of Beaufort County. The goals of the program are to increase access to care, improve self-management of chronic disease, connect residents to needed resources and decrease emergency department usage for non-acute/emergent care by connecting residents to a primary care provider.

Vidant Beaufort Hospital offers a mobile wellness unit the Community Health Improvement Coach that will travel to locations throughout Beaufort County offering free health and wellness screenings. The goal is to provide much needed screenings in rural communities in hopes of catching chronic disease in the earliest stages.

The rural health access program also provides a community health worker and benefits advocate who will be a vital asset to those enrolled in the program serving as a liaison between health/social services and participants to facilitate access to supportive services and primary care providers. Program enrollees will receive health education, case management services, and link program participants to services to address social determinants of health.

Our programs at Access East have strengthened the resources to improve health service delivery for the past 20 years throughout eastern North Carolina, said Shantell Cheek, director of uninsured programs for Access East and director for rural health access program. We are looking forward to seeing the impact this program and its related services will have to improve the health and quality of life for the residents of Beaufort County.

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Grant will help improve access to health care - Washington Daily News - thewashingtondailynews.com

There is a saying in emergency medicine: anyone, anything, anytime. We are the safety net of the health-care system, the first in line and sometimes the last resort.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ive been amazed by the resilience and dedication of my fellow health-care workers. We have had to reassess, reorganize, and recreate our emergency department to handle a new version of a disease we didnt entirely understand, to make resources stretch just a little further. But the omicron wave is the first time Ive felt in danger of being overwhelmed. For the U.S. health-care system, omicron isnt mild.

Throughout the pandemic, we have handled surges, in both the number of patients and severity of illness. But coming on the heels of the delta wave and shared COVID-19 fatigue, this wave threatens to overpower exhausted health-care workers.

READ MORE: One year on the front lines: Philly's essential workers check in

Unlike earlier in the pandemic, I am now a patient as well as a physician. At 39 weeks pregnant, I wonder each day if tomorrow will be worse. Is it as challenging in labor and delivery as it is here in the emergency room? When I deliver this baby, will there be enough nurses, a room for me, and a doctor to catch her? What if, God forbid, something happens and I need to go to the emergency room? Today I am the physician in triage, apologizing to sick patients for the long wait while trying to manage the waiting room. Tomorrow, could I be one of them?

Still, I am hopeful. Learning to manage a new disease has brought with it an unending firehose of new information. Every day new helpful data emerges, new papers are published, new announcements are made. Knowing everything I possibly can about this disease is the first step toward being able to manage it and fight back. There have been dazzling scientific advancements with new vaccines and new medications, and frequently changing guidance around their use, but one of the early lessons has stood the test of time: basic infection prevention tools do work.

Masks, personal protective equipment, clean ventilated air, access to testing, and quarantine and isolation protocols are the cornerstones of strategy to control any infectious disease. If I am seeing a patient who I think may have COVID-19, I follow our safety protocols. I wear an N95 mask, eye protection, a gown, and gloves. This protection has yet to fail me.

Isolation of those known to be ill is another tried and true tactic in infection control. Previously, these patients were isolated in certain areas of the ER. This meant when I wasnt in their rooms, I could take off my mask, breathe, have a sip of water, and change into a surgical mask for a while. I could trust our safety protocols.

But when I go to work now, almost everything has changed. The hospital is full, so patients who are sick with COVID-19 or with any other ailment are waiting longer in the emergency room. Luckily, fewer COVID-19 patients are severely ill compared with previous waves, but many still are, and they arrive in an unending stream.

So now my N95 never comes off, not even to take a sip of water. Now, texts are coming in about new infections not just in patients but in my colleagues, too. We are the front line, and we want to provide every patient with timely, compassionate, and thorough care. Watching people in need of care wait for hours breaks us in a thousand tiny ways. We want to be there for our patients. We want to have the space, the time, and the resources, to protect not only them but also ourselves.

READ MORE: COVID-19 surge has overwhelmed some Pa. hospitals and now their workers are getting sick, too

And, more than anything, Ive wanted to protect this baby. Ive carried her through this surge, and as I come into the hospital to deliver her, I look forward to her life on the other side of this incredibly challenging period. I remain hopeful for better days ahead.

Efrat R. Kean is an emergency medicine physician at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She has most recently been leading Jefferson Healths COVID-19 Rapid Response Teams as part of Pennsylvanias Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams.

Editors note: Dr. Kean delivered a healthy baby girl just prior to the publication of this piece.

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Philly ER doctor: Omicron wave threatens to overpower exhausted health-care workers | Expert Opinion - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 by Seth Smalley

Nearly 20percent of inmates booked into Travis County jails in September 2021 needed mental health treatment, but a month after their incarceration, only a third of them were receiving the needed treatment.

That was the conclusion reached byDr. Steve Strakowski, associate vice president for regional mental health at Dell Medical School, who examined the planning process for clinical and legal care for individuals who interact with the countys criminal justice and mental health systems.

Weve struggled for years to try and figure out how to keep people whose main problem is either undiagnosed or poorly treated mental health issues out of our jails,Commissioner Brigid Shea told Strakowski at a discussion last Tuesday. We havent been successful. Weve tried all kinds of different approaches so I appreciate you stepping up.

Strakowski found that the systems that usually handle these kinds of patients are currently overwhelmed. In November, 74 people were on the waitlist for the Austin State Hospital and the average wait for admission was 92 days.

Throughout this time, there have been ongoing efforts locally to try to resolve this challenge of managing people who are ending up in jail or the criminal justice system, who need mental health care, some of whom almost certainly would have been better managed outside the criminal justice system, Strakowski said. Unfortunately we just havent been able to get these efforts aligned in order to create some significant forward movement. And so thats really what were proposing to try to organize and do today.

The expected timeline for project planning is six to eight months. Committees are being established, and the vision, mission and core principles of the project will be ready before the end of February. Strakowski expects the working group to present its findings and recommendations to commissioners by August.

County Judge Andy Brown said, Im excited about the possibility that the steering committee can help shape our common vision, so that we can really thoughtfully invest in people and services in this community and build the mental and behavioral health system that we really need to prevent people from entering our jail system.

We do have a lot of resources, a lot of people interested in this field, Commissioner Margaret Gmez added. We need something like this to kind of bring everything together, not under anybody else but together so we can touch every part of the community with these services.

Editors Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of theAustin Monitor.

Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Austin Monitors work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

There are so many important stories we don't get to write. As a nonprofit journalism source, every contributed dollar helps us provide you more coverage. Do your part by donating to the nonprofit that funds the Monitor.

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County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration - Austin Monitor

The electronic health record is the foundational piece of health information technology for most hospitals and health systems.

Chief information officers and other health IT leaders depend on the data from their deployed record systems, and most keep EHR optimization top of mind each budget season.

Population health management platforms are another essential technology, and depend on finely-tuned EHRs to work optimally.

More CIOs are investing in population health systems in conjunction with their clinical teams to help keep patients healthy while managing the quality and cost imperatives of value-based care.

Despite the various pronouncements over the years of a new "post-EHR" era, ongoing operation of electronic health records and pop health tools still demand significant spending. But how much investment? And where should those dollars be allocated?

For the fifth installment in Healthcare IT News' feature series, "Health IT Investment: The Next Five Years," we asked eight health IT leaders to discuss their spending plans as they look toward the near-term future of EHRs and pop health.

This ongoing series offers in-depth interviews with CIOs and other technology leaders to learn about the priorities they set with their investments in six categories: AI and machine learning; interoperability; telehealth, connected health and remote patient monitoring; cybersecurity; electronic health records and population health; and precision medicine and emerging technology.

Click here to access all the features currently available.

The eight health IT leaders we spoke with for this installment are:

The massive Providence will complete its journey to an all-Epic EHR environment this quarter.

"EHR is only step one of 10," Moore said. "So how do we optimize that environment? How do we simplify the experience for caregivers? How do we get better insights from patients? How do we use the standard EHR? The EHR helps us act as a single health system versus a collection of 51 hospitals. And so we will evolve there.

B.J. Moore, Providence

"And then for population health, we've got these foundational items in place, so population health will continue to be a focus," he continued. "I don't own population health, only the foundational pieces that my team provides to support that initiative. But I know we're increasing the investment in population health work."

"We are just beginning to dip our toe in the water of population health as it hasn't been a priority with our population or payers thus far," said Mistretta of Virginia Hospital Center. "Most of our primary care practices already are designated PCMH with key players, but the real push now is to coordinate care from the practice to the hospital and back to the practice.

"We recently hired a population health coordinator who will have primary responsibilities to monitor and place high-risk patients with social services and coordinate follow-up care as appropriate," he added.

Mike Mistretta, Virginia Hospital Center

From the EHR perspective, the organization will continue to build out social determinants of health and implement focused disease registries for those it wishes to prioritize.

"We also are starting to really dive into health maintenance campaigns and starting to examine the development of specific disease registries," Mistretta said. "We still have a lot of work to do to put this information once gathered into an operational workflow so it becomes meaningful.

"Selling this type of care again hasn't been hard once we define a business case, but it remains to be seen how deep we will be able to dive into pop health without a well-structured case," he continued. "We do see this as a growth opportunity as we expand our ambulatory services in the coming years that can possibly double our practice volumes in the next five years with the right business case. Right now it is still a little early to tell exactly where this is going to go in our market."

Among the various training, mentorship and fellowship programs Regenstrief Institute takes part in and leads, the institute and the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health are home to the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Research Training Program in public and population health informatics, funded by the National Library of Medicine.

"The specific Regenstrief-FSPH program is known as the Indiana Training Program in Public and Population Health Informatics," said Grannis of Regenstrief Institute. "The highly regarded program prepares graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work in a broad spectrum of entities in the healthcare industry and academia, as well as for local, state and federal public health departments.

Dr. Shaun Grannis, Regenstrief Institute

"These trainees fill a need for informaticians who can design, validate and implement solutions for organizations key to the maintenance and improvement of human health," he added.

The information that exists in EHRs can be hugely helpful with population health.

"We are invested in making it accessible and useful to clinicians and to administrators who make decisions critical to provision of the best care possible," he said. "For example, our Health Dart application gathers relevant data and displays it for the provider to aid in decision making and free up more time to be spent with patients.

"Regenstrief also is working to train the next generation of doctors in the use of EHRs," he added. "Medical students get very little hands-on experience with the technology, yet it is a large part of everyday workflow. The Regenstrief Teaching EMR allows students to obtain realistic experience with health IT. The program is in use at 12 schools around the country, and we hope to expand that reach."

In past years, Penn Medicine has made significant investments in the design, build and deployment of its integrated electronic health record for the inpatient, ambulatory and home care environments.

"This investment already has enabled population health efforts and positioned the organization to further advance its value-based care initiatives," said Restuccia of Penn Medicine. "Going forward, we will look to further enhance these capabilities and use our advanced data analytics platform to identify and address areas of clinical opportunity."

Michael Restuccia, Penn Medicine

Kramer of OhioHealth believes their AI, interoperability, virtual health, digital outreach and analytics all are part of their EHR/population health strategy.

"Of the 17 models that are part of our AI program, four of them will contribute to identifying patients at risk," he explained. "These have become foundational tools for payers. They will become foundational for health systems working to identify risk and clinical care opportunities.

Dr. J. Michael Kramer, OhioHealth

"Examples that we are working on include risk of ED or hospitalization, risk of readmission, no-show, and identification of complex chronic conditions for care," he added.

South Shore Health has made significant investments in electronic health records and population health platforms.

"Like most organizations, we need to ensure that we have seamless solutions that work well together," said Babachicos of South Shore Health. "We also need to ensure these tools offer great patient engagement alternatives and that they can be customized to suit our needs while providing interoperability with the major electronic health record system.

Cara Babachicos, South Shore Health

"The key question over the next few years will be how to leverage the population health systems to understand our patients and use these systems as a mechanism to proactively reach out to the patients in new ways appropriate for the support of their care," she added.

Hocks at Sanford Health says they are focused on keeping people healthy, well and out of the hospital by providing patients with innovative services to improve their health and manage chronic conditions.

"We have partnerships with technology vendors to help our providers coordinate care across clinics and medical facilities and to connect our patients with community resources and social services that support health and well-being outside of the hospital and clinic settings," he said.

Matt Hocks, Sanford Health

"Technology advances in both hardware and software are in many respects the backbone to providing high-quality care to patients in rural communities," he continued. "For example, because of the digital infrastructure we have in place, Sanford providers can deliver behavioral health services to people living in remote areas who otherwise would need to travel up to three hours one way just to see a specialist."

Sanford Health also is exploring new technology that would allow clinicians to use two-way texting to routinely check-in with patients with chronic conditions. This would be available to all patients, regardless of their ability to own or use a smartphone.

A proactive, coordinated approach to managing population health is a critical element of Ascension's strategic plan, which accelerates its work to deliver improved health outcomes for the individuals and communities it serves.

"Our clinical, technology and experience teams have been working together to lay the foundation for a holistic, system-wide solution for population health, and we will continue to make significant investments in this area," said Desai of Ascension.

"Among other things, we moved our data to the cloud to make it easier to access and collate to give us insights into our patients' care needs," he continued. "We are implementing a care coordination platform to enable performance analytics to help identify groups and needs within defined populations, allowing for program creation as well as expertly coordinate and manage the care of these defined populations."

The organization also is reimagining its interoperability strategy to ensure it both understands where patients have been and what happens across the continuum.

"Our customer relationship management system will serve as our engagement engine, integrating with both the care coordination platform and the electronic health record systems to both notify clinicians of care gaps and nudge patients with outreach," he said.

"We are strengthening our analytics capabilities in stratification and risk assessment of our population, payer quality and risk adjustment to better understand the medical trends and continuity of care to better optimize the care delivery for the population," he concluded.

Twitter:@SiwickiHealthITEmail the writer:bsiwicki@himss.orgHealthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

Excerpt from:

CIOs plan big investments in EHR optimization and pop health IT - Healthcare IT News

RALPH WILSON/Sun-GazetteHundreds of luminarias, above, lit the front lawn of UPMC Williamsport as part of the Lights of Hope celebration on Friday. The event was a collaboration of UPMC Williamsport, Lycoming County United Way and Sojourner Truth Ministries to celebrate the hope of the new year.

Luminarias glowing at dusk across the snow-swept front lawn of UPMC Williamsport sent a message of hope as the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new year.

The 1000 lights are also a means of giving thanks to the many health-care workers who have responded in time of need across the community.

I witness hope coming to fruition, Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter told the few who braved unforgiving cold and brisk winds to gather for the Lights of Hope Celebration late Friday afternoon.

The mayor extended condolences to those who have lost family members and friends to COVID-19, while thanking the health-care providers who have put in long hours to care for patients in the midst of the pandemic.

Again, I want to say thank you, he said.

Ron Reynolds, president, UPMC Muncy and Lock Haven Hospitals, said the resolve, resiliency and sacrifices of health-care staff are indeed signs of hope.

UPMC personnel, he noted, are prepared and adaptable while working in state-of-the-art facilities.

He vowed a commitment to discipline and vigilance by UPMC will continue.

Ron Frick, president of the Lycoming County United Way, borrowing a quote from George Washington Carver, said, Where there is no vision, there is no hope.

The United Way has been recognizing health-care workers at UPMC with various events.

In late December, UPMC employees were able to pick up free coffee at several local restaurants.

Frick noted the support UPMC has given to United Way over the years.

The health of the community is essential, he said. Think of the value of our community.

Fighting for the health of everyone who lives here is a core mission of the United Way, according to Frick.

Angelique Labadie-Cihanowyz, executive director of Sojourner Truth Ministries, gave a prayer of thanks to all UPMC staff.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Originally posted here:

United Way, UPMC, community partners thank health-care workers - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Boys Basketball

Rex Sunderland, Davis (Sr.)

Defending 6A state champions Davis hasnt let up this season as it sits at a perfect 13-0 and the steady play of experienced guard Rex Sunderland has been one of the big reasons why.

So far this season hes averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.5 steals. The only category he doesnt lead Davis is in rebound.

He leads 6A in steals and ranks sixth in steals.

Last week in Davis 54-48 region-opening victory over Layton he was red shot shooting as he scored a career-high 30 points.

Rex is our playmaker on both offense and defense. He leads the team in steals and scoring. He has developed into an amazing defensive player. He is also amazing off the dribble offensively. He breaks the defense down off the dribble and distributes the ball to make the correct basketball play. He is all this and remains an incredible teammate, said Davis coach Chad Sims.

Tina Njike, Skyline (Jr.)

A first team all-stater last year, junior Tina Njike has picked up right where she left off this season.

Njike ranks in the top 10 in 5A in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounds (11.6 rpg) and blocks (2.1 bpg). Shes recorded a double-double in six games so far this season.

Last week in Skylines first two region games of the year, she recorded 13 points in a 58-47 win over Brighton and then three nights later scored 19 points as the Eagles rolled past Park City 74-35.

Tina is an unbelievable athlete who works as hard or harder than anyone in the gym. She brings a vocal presence and a great attitude. She wants to get better, but more importantly, she wants her teammates to get better too because she understands that a team will always beat an individual. I have been the luckiest coach in the state, getting to work with her and learn from her, I wish her the best this year and next. She is a force to be reckoned with, said Skyline coach Sam White.

Tobler Dotson, Cedar (Sr.)

Tobler Dotson has enjoyed a great senior season so far, but the best could still be to come.

Heading into the final month of the season, Dotson owns a top three 4A time in six different individual events and the best and a 4A-best time in three.

Tobler trains with unrelinquished determination, refusing to put in any less than his best. He has created a hardworking and uplifting culture at Cedar High School, said Cedar City assist coach Garrett Dotson.

Dotson owns the best time in 4A in the 200 individual medley (2:01.20), 100 butterfly (54.40) and 100 breaststroke (1:00.18). At state last year he finished second in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. The swimmer who edged him in both of those races is swimming in another classification as Dotson will head into the state tournament as a swimmer to beat in several events.

Dotsons 100 breaststroke time this season ranks in the top 10 in the entire state.

Kaylee Coats, Green Canyon (Sr.)

Kaylee Coats is tearing up the pool in 4A this year and will be one of the swimmers to beat when the state tournament rolls around next month.

Tobler owns the top time in 4A in four events this season and the second best time in a fifth event. Her 4A-best events are 200 individual medley (2:16.75), 50 freestyle (25.46), 100 freestyle (55.49) and 500 freestyle (5:32.88). She is the defending state champion in the 500 freestyle, and was the runner-up a year ago in the 200 freestyle.

Kaylee is an awesome swimmer because she works hard, has a great attitude, is a great teammate and always exhibits great sportsmanship. She is always complimenting and encouraging her competition which is rare. Kaylee is always eager to learn and never backs down from a challenge, said Green Canyon coach John Kane.

Coats 200 IM time ranks in the top 10 in the entire state this season.

Dillon Dick, Uintah (Sr.)

A state runner-up last year, Dillon Dick is having a great senior season as he looks to get over the last individual hurdle thats eluding him.

Last week at the Tournament of Champions at Uintah High School, Dick dominated the field at 150 pounds as he rolled to the individual title improving his overall record this season to 26-3.

Dillon has always been a talented wrestler but this year he has really focused on improving areas of his wrestling that are not as strong. It has been impressive how much he has improved this year as a senior and his hard work and focus have been phenomenal, said Uintah coach Phillip Keddy.

Dick has been invited to participate in the Utah All-Star Duals at UVU this week for the second straight season.

Grace Holman, Juab (Jr.)

In her first year competing at the high school level, Juab junior Grace Holman is proving herself to be a very good wrestler.

Last week at the Tournament of Champions at Uintah High School, Holman pinned all three of her opponents to finish first at the 120-pound bracket. She also finished first this season at the Days of Thunder Tournament at Desert Hills High School and the Paul Williamson Memorial tournament in Parowan.

This week shes been invitation to participate in the Utah All-Star Duals at UVU.

Visit link:

Steward Health Care Week 22 high school star athletes of the week - Deseret News

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Health care workers braved the cold Monday, Jan. 10 to test people for COVID-19 as testing begins to taper off in some areas.

Despite those single-digit temps, health care workers stood outside all day Monday to make sure everyone who needed a test got one.

"We have a tent that we can come in, a warming tent, and the cars move through pretty quickly through here, so it's not too bad," Certified Nursing Assistant Louise Noelle said.

While testing still remains high, Nick Tomaro with the Milwaukee Health Department said it is beginning to taper off. Since last Thursday, testing at the three city of Milwaukee sites has dropped off 25 percent.

"We have obviously tried everything we can for staff. Parkas, hot hands, gloves, we have heated areas inside our building. Can't say enough about the staff, they're working really, really hard," Tomaro said. "I think it has to do with the holidays to a certain extent. I think there's a lot of factors for people coming in for testing around the holidays -- trying to be safe, getting together with family, some people traveling."

Summit Clinical Labs in New Berlin is also seeing a drop-off on testing, but staffing has become an issue.

"We are down, about 15 percent of our workforce is sick. We're just like any other workplace. We're having the same issues as everyone else, so it is kind of crazy having the added demand with rest of the workforce," co-owner Faisal Ahmed-Yahia said.

He said Monday saw shorter lines than last week. He expects to test about 200 fewer people.

"I think it was just a perfect storm of omicron and then the holidays, and now the holidays are starting to taper off, people that have had exposures and what not," Ahmed said.

If you do get tested at one of the city of Milwaukee testing sites, the city said it is quicker to pre-register before you go.

Excerpt from:

Health care workers brave bitter cold temperatures at testing sites in Milwaukee - WDJT

ALBANY Manhattan Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, the longtime chair of the Assembly's Health Committee, is retiring at the end of 2022. Before then, Gottfried is hopeful to pass landmark legislation he sponsors to create a single-payer health care system in New York.

I think we are within striking distance this year, Gottfried said. We have a majority of both houses as co-sponsors, a new governor. We are actively talking with people in the labor movement, public sector unions, that have had concerns and that Im optimistic well be able to resolve.

The New York Health Act would be a seismic shift for businesses in New York and isnt the only sweeping idea set to be pursued in the upcoming session by Democrats holding large majorities in both the Assembly and state Senate. Heres some top agenda items on legislative committees important to businesses.

Health

Public sector unions have expressed concern that if adopted, Gottfrieds single-payer bill might be less generous than members current plans. Gottfried has worked to add language to his bill explicitly allaying those concerns, which he hopes will lead public sector unions not just to withdraw opposition, but to support the New York Health Act.

The Assembly and Senate leadership at this point seems to be concerned about the position of the public sector unions, and that certainly is understandable, Gottfried said. As for the new governor, I dont know whether she has begun to think about this issue.

The sweeping government program would be funded by a progressive, graduated tax on income and Hochul recently said shes opposed to new tax hikes on the wealthy.

The liberal Working Families Party, which is influential in Democratic primaries, is pushing candidates seeking endorsements in 2022 to support Gottfrieds bill, which could help push the bill forward.

Gottfrieds other priorities include boosting pay for home health care workers to address significant shortages; allow people to qualify for health insurance under New Yorks Essential Health program regardless of immigration status and if they meet income thresholds; and lifting the Medicaid cap imposed a decade ago by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

The chair of the Senate Health Committee, Bronx Democratic state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, likewise identified the single-payer bill as top priority, though perhaps a longer-term goal.

For the session that begins next month, Rivera's priorities include the Essential Plan bill for undocumented immigrants, a package to protect patients from medical debt, and establishing Overdose Prevention Centers to help fight the opioid crisis.

Labor

Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos, chair of the Senate Labor Committee, is pursuing several sweeping ideas that would significantly impact business.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramos was interested in the concept of pegging the minimum wage to inflation. With inflation on the rise over the past year, Ramos says struggling families need paychecks that are adequate to meet rising food, housing and other costs.

We need to index the minimum wage more than ever, in order for wages to be able to be kept up with the cost of living in New York, Ramos said.

Under the bill, which is backed by the AFL-CIO, the minimum wage could be adjusted annually on the basis of increases in the consumer price index for all urban consumers on a national and seasonally adjusted basis.

Ramos is pursuing another bill that would compel businesses in New York to disclose the compensation or range of compensation to applicants and employees upon issuing an employment opportunity.

Secrecy is the biggest enemy of equal pay in any workplace and people should know that theyre getting paid equally for comparable work, Ramos said.

The Assembly's labor chair, Latoya Joyner, is carrying both those bills in that chamber. A third bill on Ramos' priority list, which passed the Legislature previously but was vetoed by Cuomo, would crack down on wage theft by allowing workers to take their employers to court and place an "employee's lien" on their assets. Ramos said its not yet clear where Hochul stands on the idea.

Consumer Protection

Long Island state Sen. Kevin Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Consumer Protection, is making a data privacy bill, the New York Privacy Act, a top priority.

Our data is now worth more than a barrel of oil or gold, Thomas said. The federal government cant even agree if the sun is rising tomorrow, so I have no confidence theyll do anything about this. When the federal government is not acting, we have to step up.

California has a similar law, though Thomas said there are flaws that he plans to correct in New York, which would have the strictest regulations in the country. He has been engaging major tech companies, but some have been resistant. According to Thomas, Facebook said it would have to shut down operations in New York if the bill passed.

Thomas countered that Facebook is complying with tough privacy laws in other countries already, as well as other states.

Theyre complying around the world, they can comply in New York as well, Thomas said.

Other priorities for Thomas this session include a bill to prohibit universities from withholding student transcripts if they havent paid their full tuition, and protecting the legal rights of cosigners of student loans.

Economic Development

This story appears in the Times Union's new quarterly magazine devoted to the major trends driving the Capital Region's economy.

Long Island state Sen. Anna Kaplan, chair of the Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business committee, is prioritizing a bill creating small business tax-deferred savings accounts. The bill would allow small businesses to save up to $5,000 annually and draw on funds tax free if theyre used for future capital investments or expenditures resulting in the creation or retention of full-time jobs.

She also wants to establish a small business regulatory nexus within each state agency regulating them, which would function as a one-stop shop for regulatory information, feedback, and assistance on the websites of state agencies; it would allow small businesses to get help, and play an active role in the regulatory process.

An impending bill supported by Hochul, and set to be carried by Kaplan, would expand eligibility for the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program to businesses started just prior to or during the pandemic.

Assemblyman Harry Bronson, chair of the Assembly's Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry committee, is focused on ensuring an equitable and inclusive economic recovery, including how the state spends funds to stimulate job creation.

Bronson, who represents a Rochester district, said economic development programs passed by the Legislature need more focus on creating opportunities for true career development and up-skilling those that are unemployed and underemployed. He supports additional funding for apprenticeships and skills training, and making wrap-around support programs and services such as childcare and transportation a budget priority.

See the rest here:

Could this be the year for single-payer health care in New York? - Times Union

Getting good mental health care has long been a challenge in New Orleans, writes contributor Domonique Tolliver in this week's Gambit. Stigmas around seeking help still linger, the number of doctors available to provide care hasn't kept pace with demand, and for many people, the cost of health care is just out of reach. Add to that: For Black New Orleanians, the process of finding help can be even tougher when there are few people in the mental health industry who are Black and can understand their experience with empathy.

In this week's Gambit, Tolliver spoke with young New Orleanians about the challenges to seeking mental health help during a time when it seems like the disasters just won't stop. Flip through the digital edition below to read more.

Cant see the e-edition above? Click here.

Also in this week's Gambit: New Orleans writer Jami Attenberg releases her new memoir; Blake Pontchartrain commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Mardi Gras Fountain; Political Editor Clancy DuBos celebrates City Council's decision to rename Robert E. Lee Boulevard for Allen Toussaint; a new Le Chat Noir is now open on St. Charles Avenue; a tribute concert at Snug Harbor will celebrate Danny Barker's birthday plus news and more.

If pandemic restrictions make it harder to pick up a Gambit in your usual spot, we have you covered. Our e-edition is available to download at bestofneworleans.com/current and read at your leisure.

If you enjoy this weeks issue, please share this digital edition on social media.

And as always, New Orleans, thank you for your support.

The Gambit staff

Getting good mental health care has long been a challenge in New Orleans.

See the original post here:

Read the latest Gambit: Getting mental health care in the age of disaster - NOLA.com

HONOLULU (KHON2) The state has reported more COVID cases in the first 10-days of January than the past three months combined.

And about 1,500 healthcare workers are out sick, as COVID hospitalizations reach above 300.

Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You

On Monday, January 10, Queens Health Systems declared an internal state of emergency at Queens West, where the rate of hospital admissions outpaced the number of beds available.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, Queens West was at 112% capacity, and 96 providers were out due to COVID exposure.

The hospital said higher-risk patients may be transferred to Queens Punchbowl.

More than 10% of the healthcare workforce has had to quarantine because theyve also got omicron, explained Lt. Governor Josh Green. So what it means is, we have ambulances go past one hospital to another where theres more space, and usually its for a very temporary short period of time, like an eight-hour shift or a 12-hour shift, until were able to catch up with all the admissions because there are nurses and doctors and other, you know, social workers and so on that are out.

Hospitalizations typically rise three to four weeks after infection rates climb.

The state has been doubling COVID infections weekly.

On Friday, January 7, there were 247 people in the hospital who had COVID-19, by Monday, January 10, there were 311, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Thats a fairly material jumped over the last few days, said Hilton Raethel, Healthcare Association of Hawaii president and CEO. The good news is that our ICU numbers are not going up at a very high rate.

He said 11-12% of COVID hospitalizations involve an ICU stay, compared to delta where 20 to 30 percent of people hospitalized with COVID ended up in the ICU.

Raethel said he expects hospital numbers to climb through the month.

We fully expect given the infection rate and the positivity rate in the state that we will get close to or perhaps even exceed the hospitalization rate that we had during the Delta surge, he said.

The surge comes as staff fall sick, or come into close contact with omicron. Raethel estimated between 1,400 and 1,500 healthcare workers across the state were currently out due to covid.

About 30 nurses were out at Hilo Medical Center and the hospital is currently full.

Today, we have 12 holds in the emergency department, theyre waiting for beds upstairs, explained Elena Cabatu, Hilo Medical Center director of marketing.

Raethel said there are about 100 patients statewide in emergency rooms waiting for beds.

Which is a high number much higher than what we would normally have, he said.

He said it also stems from a staffing issue at nursing homes and long-term care facilities as well.

The hospitals are having trouble discharging patients to nursing homes because the nursing homes dont have sufficient staff to staff all their beds, Raethel explained. Its not a bed issue, its a staffing issue. So until we can figure out how to get more staff into our long-term care facilities, this will continue to be a problem.

For now, experts believe omicron will peak in late January.

Find more COVID-19 news: cases, vaccinations on our Coronavirus News page

A CDC forecast shows a similar timeframe with the surge peaking in about two weeks.

More here:

COVID hospitalizations hit 300, as many healthcare workers call in sick - KHON2

Justice Dept. sues Texas over redistricting maps

The Department of Justice has sued Texas over new redistricting maps, saying the plans discriminate against voters in the state's booming Latino and Black populations (Dec. 6)

AP

Latinos, who will represent more than one-quarter of all people in the U.S.by 2050, are often concentrated in areas that lack services ranging from adequate housing to health care, according to a recentreport.

Those disparities were among the many highlighted in "The Economic State of Latinos in America: The American Dream Deferred,'' a report by McKinsey & Company that detailed the obstacles slowing or hindering the economic advancement of the 60 million Latinos who live in the U.S.

The challenges the Latino community faces in making upward economic gains are only deepened by living in these deserts,'' saysBernardo Sichel, partner at McKinsey and one of the report's authors. "These deserts have an impact on a range of outcomes, such as health and nutrition, options for services, productivity and budget. All these factors are impacted by the limited choices, necessity to travel for resources, and higher prices on consumer goods.

Latino familiestypically spend71% of their income on groceries and other consumer items and servicesbut often struggle to find or access options.

"Latinos tend to disproportionately live in segregated and poor areas where they are cut off from opportunities and services and consumer items that most Americans take for granted,'' Rogelio Senz, a professor in the department of demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in an email."Latinos ... disproportionately also do not have easy access to parks, libraries, book stores, high quality schools that are well funded, (and) banks.''

Senzwas not connected with the McKinsey study.

Here's whatthe McKinsey report found:

Among Latinos, 42%, or roughly 21.2 million, lived in a census tract that lacked affordable housing in 2019. Nearly 9 in 10 of the Latino residents in such communities lived in five states: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

Latinos were 3.1 times more likely than their non-Latino white counterparts to live in those housing deserts, which the report defined as low-income communities where the amount of affordable and available housingper 100 "extremely low income" householdsfell below the national level.

Job growth slows: 'Hiring is being held back': Economy added just 199K jobs in December as worker shortages persisted and omicron began spreading in U.S.

Stocks slip: Wall Street sees slide after a mixed jobs report and slumping tech stocks

Accessing health care services is a challenge for many Latinos in the U.S.:42%, or 21.4 million, live in neighborhoods that don't have enough medical providers to match the number of residentsor lack such services overall.

Latinos were 2.5 times more likely to live in a health care desert than their white peers, and those areas were often urban communities in Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas,according to the report.

Among Latinos in the U.S.,15% live inlower-income areas where supermarkets are hard to find. That's compared with 11% of non-Latino whites who live in lower-income urban neighborhoods where the closest grocery store is more than a mile away, or in rural areas where a large number of residents have to travel at least 10 miles to find a supermarket.

"Latinos tend to live in food deserts where they do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables,'' saysSenz, theUniversity of Texas at San Antonio professor. "There are more likely to be convenience stores, liquor storesand other stores. ... Because they are a captured market, the prices of those unhealthy foods are also more expensive than in neighborhoods that are better off economically."

Roughly 34.5 million Latinos livein areas where a higher-than-average number of residents do not have a bank account. Among households that are underbanked or have no accounts at all, 14% are Latino compared with 3% of white households.

Latinos, as well as Black Americans,are disproportionately represented among the unbanked and underbanked who are often deterred from opening accounts by high fees and adistrust of financial institutions. But not being banked can cost both money and time as consumers rack up check-cashing fees and have to find transportation to get money orders or pay bills in person.

Nearly half of Latinoslive in communities that have limited access to broadband, which can make it difficult to complete tasks ranging from paying bills to remote learning.

Broadband deserts are defined in the report as census tracts where there is less than 80% coverage for every 1,000 homes.

Nearly 3 in 4 Latinos in the U.S. live in counties where there is a below-average number of supercenters or membership retail clubs that allow shoppers to buy clothing, appliances and other products.

"Earning a fair wage is one thing,'' the report said. "But what if you're unable to spend it on needed goods and services?"

Read more:

Latinos in U.S. often live in 'deserts' where adequate housing, groceries are hard to find - USA TODAY

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The biggest healthcare industry conference of the year opened Monday with a wave of announcements and partnerships, but no blockbuster biotech acquisitions.

That could be a disappointment to investors, who had been hoping for a busy 2022 for biotech M&A. The sector performed miserably last year and into early January.

The first morning of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is often a stage for big pharmaceutical companies to unveil major deals. On the first day of 2019s conference, for example, Eli Lilly (ticker: LLY) announced the $8 billion acquisition of Loxo Oncology.

Nothing like that has happened yet on Monday morning. With the Biotech sell off accelerating in the first week of January, the lack of any M&A at JPM is unwelcome news for anyone long the space, Jefferies healthcare equity strategist Will Sevush wrote in a note to investors early Monday.

While investors hoping for a big biotech acquisition may be disappointed, there has been plenty of healthcare news announced to coincide with the start of the conference. Here are some highlights so far.

Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com

Go here to read the rest:

J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Starts With Lots of Deals, No Blockbuster M&A - Barron's

A podcast from JAMS featuring neutrals Christopher Keele, Esq., and Adrienne Publicover, Esq., on disputes within health care systems and how parties can best navigate and mitigate these disputes

In this podcast, JAMS neutrals Christopher Keele, Esq., and Adrienne Publicover, Esq., discuss common types of disputes within health systems and the impact that the pandemic continues to have on disputes. They delve into specific areas where disputes tend to arise, particularly physician employment agreements and whistleblower claims. Their conversation explores the themes that underpin common conflicts within health care systems, including tension between business and clinician interests as well as between health care providers and their respective investors. They also share their thoughts on how the financial pressure brought on by the pandemic has impacted hospital systems and what parties should be thinking about now to get ahead of those disputes.

[00:00:00] Moderator: Welcome to this podcast from JAMS. Today, we're focusing on internal disputes within health care systems. Since the start of the pandemic, we've seen new disputes arise and old ones take on new significance. To walk us through how parties can best navigate and mitigate these disputes, we have two JAMS neutrals with significant health care experience.

Adrienne Publicover in San Francisco and Chris Keele in San Jose, California. So, thank you both for joining us. Chris, can you just first clarify, what do we mean when we talk about health systems? What are they and who are the major players within a system?

[00:00:39] Chris Keele: Health systems, first, there are various definitions and concepts of health systems. Health care think tanks provide some guidance on this and have defined health systems of at least one hospital plus one group of physicians or other professional providers.

I take a more simple and broad view of health systems and simply view it as a business or organization that delivers health care services. The organization has some form of common ownership or other contractual connection. But very simply, it's a business that provides health care.

Major players within health systems include two groups. One is the professional or clinical providers, including physicians, nurses, other clinicians and with that, we have to recognize that patients, the consumer of the health care service, are a major player within health systems. The second sort of core group of a health system is the business and financial management of the business, including employees, officers, directors, various departments, such as HR, finance, legal contracting, and billing and collection, which is sometimes termed as revenue cycle management.

[00:02:06] Moderator: Adrienne, what are some of the most common disputes that arise in a health system?

[00:02:09] Adrienne Publicover: Within the arbitration space, we see a lot of what is commonly referred to as provider payer dispute. It generally involves a hospital or a hospital system suing a health plan for recovery of alleged either nonpayment or underpayment on a group of claims.

Those cases we've had for a while. I think the thing that's changed this past year and a half has been that a lot of the arbitrations now are proceeding virtually over Zoom, even for the foreseeable future. I think that the parties and the council involved in those cases have been really pleased with the virtual model in terms of trying to resolve those disputes.

Then, in the mediation space, we see a lot of employment cases and it's generally hospital employees or physicians. Those can be contractual disputes, wrongful termination, harassment, whistleblower claims.

[00:03:13] Chris Keele: I think Adrienne hit it on the head when she said employment is a big area of disputes. Employment and staffing are a big area. I also think that physician and provider compensation is a big area.

[00:03:28] Moderator: What about new disputes arising since the beginning of the pandemic, like vaccine mandates, for example?

[00:03:34] Adrienne Publicover: So, I haven't seen any lawsuits about vaccine mandates, per se. I think that the issues with the pandemic have created an additional stress on the health care systems, which has the potential to pervade every area of dispute possible and the ADR that comes out of that.

[00:03:59] Moderator: Chris, what kind of effect do you think that the pandemic has had on some of these internal disputes?

[00:04:04] Chris Keele: We can't overstate the significance that the pandemic has had on changes in the health care industry and health care systems. I think we're seeing staffing shortages, obviously, which again implicate employment issues. Vaccine mandates, gosh, what a political football and uncertain area. But I think we're going to see disputes arise internally between employees on the one hand or the groups that represent employees and management on the other hand, concerning vaccine mandates.

Even though, courts have recently struck down the Biden administration requirement for vaccines, I think that we're going to see further court action in that area. Also, we have to recognize that private businesses can still require vaccination and if they do, and I think health care systems will take that step seriously, then we're going to see increased disputes over the mandates.

I also think that with the uptick in private equity investment in, especially in, physician or provider groups, plus an increased activity in mergers and acquisitions and other health care combinations that will also give rise to disputes between the function of the clinician or the professional care on the one hand and the business management on the other.

So, I think that's going to be an area where internal disagreement and non-alignment will increase. The other area that I think we're seeing or will see in terms of internal disputes is with the increased use of telehealth and telemedicine, I think there will be disputes internally over the delivery of health care services using that technology and who controls what internally. I also think it will implicate provider or physician compensation issues.

[00:06:06] Moderator: Can you talk a little bit more about physician employment agreements and the host of potential conflicts they present?

[00:06:12] Chris Keele: Physician employment agreements are an interesting animal, if you will, because physicians are the heart and soul of health systems and the product or service that health systems provide.

There are regulatory restrictions on how physicians and other professional providers can be compensated or what concerns they need to be sensitive to in providing health care. So, for instance, the stark law in a kickback statute, prohibit referrals and sort of a referral based upon personal and financial relationships.

So how do physicians get compensated? They get compensated by basically three things. One is the quantity of care that's provided. Two is the quality of care provided. Three is the type of care provided or the specialty services. It's a complex model to compensate physicians under services, agreements, or employment agreements that take into account various factors in all three of those areas. It constantly changes with the dynamic part of health care.

So, for instance, when the pandemic started in 2020, the volume of patients, the number of patients decreased. With that, there should have been a decrease in physician compensation, but health systems decided that with that they would lose the quality care that the patients needed because physicians would either try to find a different place to provide services or quit altogether.

So, they adjusted the model and had to incorporate that into the compensation system, enhance into the employment agreement process. Specialty groups pose a different problem because they usually operate in mass within a health system and can add a unique value to the systems practice. So, it's like negotiating an agreement with, on a constant basis, a valued system or valued component of the clinical system within the entire organization.

So, physician compensation, physician agreements, add a complexity that is at the heart of the health system. If there is some tension between the business side of things and the clinical side of things, that can portend possible jeopardy to critical parts of the practice and critical parts of the system.

[00:09:20] Moderator: Adrienne, health care whistleblower claims can raise the blood pressure of a lot of folks inside health systems. Have you seen an uptake of those and what kind of issues they give rise to?

[00:09:32] Adrienne Publicover: Yes, there has definitely been an uptick and I think that these types of actions have the potential to strain what is already a taxed system. They are expensive to litigate. They are disruptive to the business practices of the hospital system.

One of the ancillary issues that comes up in these cases is insurance coverage. There are a lot of reasons why the health care systems would want to explore ADR for these types of claims and to ensure that they're engaging neutrals that have that experience on the insurance coverage aspect of it as well.

[00:10:12] Moderator: Chris, can you talk a little bit about the common themes that underlie these conflicts within health systems?

[00:10:18] Chris Keele: There is tension on a micro level between business and management interests on the one hand and clinician professional quality of care interests on the other. The magic of health care systems is how do those interests join and align to one, make money, which is the business interest and continue to allow a smooth productive operation from an organizational standpoint and give quality care on a timely basis, regardless of what that care is.

It could be acute care, or it could be long-term care. It could be medications, it could be emergency care, but it's that merging in a smooth and productive way that's the magic.

What happens is there is always some stakeholder on the business side that will push back against the professional clinician on the other side saying, Oh, no, that's not efficient or, Oh no, you're undermining our ability to recover and recoup reimbursement from health plans and payers, et cetera.

Then on the clinician side, they're going, Oh wait, you're interfering with our ability -- you're impeding our ability to deliver quality care because you only have your business interests in mind. So that's on the micro level. The macro level is when you start getting private equity, SPACs and major investors involved who want immediate quick gains from their investment in health care systems.

But that then undermines the long-term goal of the provider side of building a sound quality practice to provide high quality health care. So, there's that macro tension. So, when I refer to this tension, that's what I'm referring to and we see it. Adrienne, when you referred to the disputes between providers on the one hand and plans and payors on the other concerning either unpaid or underpaid reimbursements, there's a tension there because business management wants one thing (i.e., just settle the darn thing and get as much as you can).

The provider side however goes, Well, wait, it's because of some uncertain term or some disagreement over a term in these contracts, these services agreements, that's giving rise to these disputes. Why can't we resolve that so that we don't keep having to fight each other and really resolve this at the foundational level?

But business management goes and contracting, and revenue cycle folks go, Yeah, just get rid of it. We need to just resolve this and move forward.

[00:13:25] Adrienne Publicover: I would say just from an ADR perspective, I think Chris has keen insights into the internal workings of this. But I think from an ADR perspective, just following up on what Chris just said about the plan versus the hospital, when these cases come into arbitration, sometimes they deal with issues of medical necessity and where I think that the hospital system is in the situation where they feel the plan is second guessing the services that were provided.

Then the other part of those disputes has to deal with exactly what Chris talked about, which are the contract interpretation disputes. When you have arguable ambiguities, how are those ambiguities resolved? Then what does that ultimately mean for the hospital system in terms of the payments?

[00:14:30] Moderator: The hospital systems have been under financial pressure during this pandemic. What kind of impact do you think that's had on dispute resolution?

[00:14:38] Adrienne Publicover: I think it's had a huge impact and twofold. I think we're seeing fewer cases in the arbitration sphere settle, because number one, exactly what you just mentioned. The hospitals have been under incredible financial strain as a result of the pandemic. Number two, with virtual ADR, I think it's easier to, and more efficient and more economical, to actually arbitrate these cases in the new virtual world.

[00:15:11] Moderator: I suppose another question. Chris, just knowing we have these disputes, what can parties do to get ahead of them? To minimize and mitigate them in the future? If they're seeing disputes of the same kind repeat over and over?

[00:15:25] Chris Keele: The thing that systems can do to mitigate the disputes isn't so much how do they minimize the disputes the disputes are going to arise, and this is really a function of their business organization collaborating with the professional or clinical side of things with the guidance of legal compliance, finance, et cetera. So, the disputes will be there. It's what can we do as neutrals to help that?

I think the thing that we can do is to step in when the health systems acknowledge and recognize that there's a problem, that there is a dispute or disagreement, or not necessarily a conflict, but that the interests or objectives are not entirely aligned when they can acknowledge that call on a neutral to come in, to step in and develop with their collaboration, a structure and process to resolve those disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible. I wanted to recommend to our listeners a recent article actually just published in JAMS ADR Insights on December 8th, authored by Richard Burke, who is a JAMS vice president and an executive director of the JAMS Institute. Where Rich sets out sort of in not great detail as Adrienne I've talked about and not the same focus, but what a mediator or arbitrator can do to help structure a process to tackle these disputes.

[00:17:13] Moderator: Adrienne, do you agree that structuring disputes is where neutrals can really have an impact?

[00:17:17] Adrienne Publicover: I think that is absolutely one impact they can have. I think that neutrals can also be used to help strengthen relationships between the hospital systems and the payors. Certainly, through the mediation process, I've been involved in contract negotiations and helping parties see the limitations with their contracts, the ambiguities in the contracts and see where contracts can be improved.

So, I think that the neutrals can play several different roles.

[00:17:49] Moderator: So looking forward, what do you expect to see in this space?

[00:17:52] Adrienne Publicover: Virtual ADR has created a paradigm for the plans and the payers to more efficiently and economically resolve their disputes, which might mean less settlements and more arbitrations.

But I do notice that, even for years to come, no one seems to be in a rush to return to a live arbitration setting. Maybe there'll be hybrid, but virtual will definitely at least play a part in the resolution of some of those disputes.

[00:18:27] Chris Keele: I think that in 2022, we are going to see hopefully the pandemic subside and life, including health care, begin to level out for lack of a better term.

Having said that, I think we're going to see the same issues that we've identified before, internally, employment and staffing. Those issues are going to remain. I think we're going to see health systems suffer the consequences of staffing shortages. I think vaccine mandates are going to continue to be an urgent and pervasive topic internally.

I think that, again, telehealth, telemedicine and the provision of health care services through that mode is here to stay and we're going to see systems deal with the issues that arise out of increased use of telemedicine, including data breach issues and data security issues, who controls and who is responsible, for what part of telemedicine internally, including delivery of health care services, as opposed to maintaining and implementing the technology behind telehealth. I think it's also going to continue to affect the issue of provider compensation.

[00:19:57] Moderator: We'll definitely keep our eye out. I want to thank you, Chris and Adrienne. Thank you so much for a great conversation. I really appreciate it.

[00:20:04] Chris Keele: Its been a pleasure. Thank you.

[00:20:06] Adrienne Publicover: Thank you very much.

[00:20:08] Moderator: You've been listening to a podcast from JAMS, the world's largest private alternative dispute resolution provider. Our guests have been Adrienne Publicover and Chris Keele.

For more information about JAMS solutions for health systems, please visit http://www.jamsadr.com/healthsystems. Thank you for listening to this podcast from JAMS.

View post:

[PODCAST] The Pandemic and Beyond: Navigating Disputes Within Health Care Systems - JD Supra

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, on duty at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont. Nick Ehli/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, on duty at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont.

Before Mary Venus was offered a nursing job at a hospital in Billings, Mont., she'd never heard of Billings or visited the United States. A native of the Philippines, she researched her prospective move via the internet, set aside her angst about the cold Montana winters and took the job, sight unseen.

Venus has been in Billings since mid-November, working in a surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic, Montana's largest hospital in its most populous city. She and her husband moved into an apartment, bought a car and are settling in. They recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Maybe, she mused, this could be a "forever home."

"I am hoping to stay here," Venus says. "So far, so good. It's not easy, though. For me, it's like living on another planet."

Administrators at Billings Clinic hope she stays, too. The hospital has contracts with two dozen nurses from the Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, all set to arrive in Montana by summer. More nurses from far-off places are likely.

Billings Clinic is just one of scores of hospitals across the U.S. looking abroad to ease a shortage of nurses worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. The national demand is so great that it has created a backlog of health care professionals awaiting clearance to work in the U.S. More than 5,000 international nurses are awaiting final visa approval, the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment reported in September.

"We are seeing an absolute boom in requests for international nurses," says Lesley Hamilton-Powers, a board member of AAIHR and a vice president for Avant Healthcare Professionals in Florida.

Avant recruits nurses from other countries and then works to place them in U.S. hospitals, including Billings Clinic. Before the pandemic, Avant would typically have orders from hospitals for 800 nurses. It currently has more than 4,000 such requests, Hamilton-Powers said.

"And that's just us, a single organization," adds Hamilton-Powers. "Hospitals all over the country are stretched and looking for alternatives to fill nursing vacancies."

Foreign-born workers make up about a sixth of the U.S. nursing workforce, and the need is increasing, nursing associations and staffing agencies report, as nurses increasingly leave the profession. Nursing schools have seen an increase in enrollment since the pandemic, but that staffing pipeline has done little to offset today's demand.

In fact, the American Nurses Association in September urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare the shortage of nurses a national crisis.

CGFNS International, which certifies the credentials of foreign-born health care workers to work in America, is the only such organization authorized by the federal government. Its president, Franklin Shaffer, says more hospitals are looking abroad to fill their staffing voids.

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, and Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, talk during their shift at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont. Nick Ehli/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, and Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, talk during their shift at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont.

"We have a huge demand, a huge shortage," he says.

Billings Clinic would hire 120 more nurses today if it could, hospital officials say. The staffing shortage was significant before the pandemic. The added demands and stress of COVID-19 have made it untenable.

Greg Titensor, a registered nurse and the vice president of operations at Billings Clinic, notes that three of the hospital's most experienced nurses, all in the intensive care unit with at least 20 years of experience, recently announced their retirements.

"They are getting tired, and they are leaving," Titensor says.

Last fall's surge of COVID-19 cases resulted in Montana having the highest rate in the nation for a time, and Billings Clinic's ICU was bursting with patients. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte sent the National Guard to Billings Clinic and other Montana hospitals; the federal government sent pharmacists and a naval medical team.

While the surge in Montana has subsided, active case numbers in Yellowstone County home to the hospital remain the state's highest. The Billings Clinic ICU still overflows, mostly with COVID-19 patients, and signs still warn visitors that "aggressive behavior will not be tolerated," a reminder of the threat of violence and abuse health care workers endure as the pandemic grinds on.

Like most hospitals, Billings Clinic has sought to abate its staffing shortage with traveling nurses contract workers who typically go where the pandemic demands. The clinic has paid up to $200 an hour for their services, and, at last fall's peak, had as many as 200 traveling nurses as part of its workforce.

The scarcity of nurses nationally has driven those steep payments, prompting members of Congress to ask the Biden administration to investigate reported gouging by unscrupulous staffing agencies.

Whatever the cause, satisfying the hospital's personnel shortage with traveling nurses is not sustainable, says Priscilla Needham, Billings Clinic's chief financial officer. Medicare, she notes, doesn't pay the hospital more if it needs to hire more expensive nurses, nor does it pay enough when a COVID patient needs to stay in the hospital longer than a typical COVID patient.

From July to October, the hospital's nursing costs increased by $6 million, Needham says. Money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CARES Act has helped, but she anticipated November and December would further drive up costs.

Dozens of agencies place international nurses in U.S. hospitals. The firm that Billings Clinic chose, Avant, first puts the nurses through instruction in Florida in hopes of easing their transition to the U.S., says Brian Hudson, a company senior vice president.

Venus, with nine years of experience as a nurse, says her stateside training included clearing cultural hurdles like how to do her taxes and obtain car insurance.

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, checks on a patient inside the in-patient surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont. Nick Ehli/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, checks on a patient inside the in-patient surgical recovery unit at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont.

"Nursing is the same all over the world," Venus says, "but the culture is very different."

Shaffer, of CGFNS International, says foreign-born nurses are interested in the U.S. for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to advance their education and careers, earn more money or perhaps get married. For some, says Avant's Hudson, the idea of living "the American dream" predominates.

The hitch so far has been getting the nurses into the country fast enough. After jobs are offered and accepted, foreign-born nurses require a final interview to obtain a visa from the State Department, and there is a backlog for those interviews. Powers explains that, because of the pandemic, many of the U.S. embassies where those interviews take place remain closed or are operating for fewer hours than usual.

While the backlog has receded in recent weeks, Powers describes the delays as challenging. The nurses waiting in their home countries, she stresses, have passed all their necessary exams to work in the U.S.

"It's been very frustrating to have nurses poised to arrive, and we just can't bring them in," Powers says.

Once they arrive, the international nurses in Billings will remain employees of Avant, although after three years the clinic can offer them permanent positions. Clinic administrators stressed that the nurses are paid the same as its local nurses with equivalent experience. On top of that, the hospital pays a fee to Avant.

More than 90% of Avant's international nurses choose to stay in their new communities, Hudson says, but Billings Clinic hopes to better that mark.

Welcoming them to the city will be critical, says Sara Agostinelli, the clinic's director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She has even offered winter driving lessons.

The added diversity will benefit the city, Agostinelli says. Some nurses will bring their spouses; some will bring their children.

"We will help encourage what Billings looks like and who Billings is," she says.

Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, grabs supplies from a closet in the intensive care unit at Billings Clinic. Nick Ehli/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, grabs supplies from a closet in the intensive care unit at Billings Clinic.

Pae Junthanam, a nurse from Thailand, says he was initially worried about coming to Billings after learning that Montana's population is nearly 90% white and less than 1% Asian. The chance to advance his career, however, outweighed the concerns of moving. He also hopes his partner of 10 years will soon be able to join him.

Since his arrival in November, Junthanam says, his neighbors have greeted him warmly, and one shop owner, after learning he was a nurse newly arrived from Thailand, thanked him for his service.

"I am far from home, but I feel like this is like another home for me," he says.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues.

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US hospitals recruit foreign nurses to ease health care worker shortage : Shots - Health News - NPR

Jim Cramer

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

(This article was sent first to members of the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer. To get the real-time updates in your inbox, subscribe here.)

After you receive this email, we will be buying 50 shares ofDanaher (DHR) at roughly $295.79. Following the trade, the Charitable Trust will own 300 shares of Danaher. This buy will increase DHR's weight in the portfolio from about 1.78% to roughly 2.13%.

Markets are kicking off the trading week on a sharply lower note, with many technology and other high-multiple stocks extending their recent declines. Once again, the rise in the 10-Year Treasury yield is causing investors to rotate out of high-multiple and riskier names and into lower-multiple and cyclically oriented areas like financials and energy. Separately, many names in retail are taking it on the chin after Lululemon (LULU) provided a weaker-than-expected revenue and earnings guidance for its holiday quarter.

With that in mind, we want scan for high-quality stocks that are caught up in the broader action despite no deterioration in the underlying fundamentals, with multiples that may have contracted but are approaching levels at which support can come in (think something that has dropped to a more attractive price-to-earnings multiple, not a 20x price-to-sales stock that has contracted to 15x sales). Again, the focus this year is on companies that "do stuff and make things," not "story stocks" with hopes of turning a profit at some undetermined point in the future.

Danaher fits this profile perfectly, as it's a multi-industry growth company with real earnings, headed by a management team with a proven track record of delivering operations improvements across the portfolio. Moreover, the company's revenue is 75% recurring in nature, which adds an additional layer of support to the stock's valuation. Remember, investors tend to reward durable, recurring revenues with higher relative multiples.

As for valuation, with shares now falling to just below 29x forward earnings estimates, we believe support will start to come in. This is because, although Danaher's multiple is above market, the stock hashistorically traded in the mid-to-upper 20s multiple region. Combine that with a the recent move that has brought shares to just over 10% below all-time highs, and we believe buyers will be circling at or near current levels and indeed, they appear to have swooped in at the open to take advantage of the opening sell-off.

We thereforewant to use this opportunity to further build our position and reduce our overall cost basis, despite shares being up at the time of this alert and our preference to buy stocks are down.

The CNBC Investing Club is now the official home to my Charitable Trust. It's the place where you can see every move we make for the portfolio and get my market insight before anyone else. The Charitable Trust and my writings are no longer affiliated with Action Alerts Plus in any way.

As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. See here for the investing disclaimer.

(Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long DHR.)

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We're buying more of this high-quality health-care stock amid the market sell-off - CNBC