There have been many memorable “where were you?” events since the 21st century began. But few can match the COVID-19 pandemic, at least from a healthcare perspective.
The effect on healthcare (and healthcare executives) has been particularly profound since our industry is in the center of everything. From the search for personal protective equipment (PPE) to setting up secure wings and field hospitals to instantly redeploying nurses from other floors to the emergency department (ED),
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Improving the Patient Experience by Optimizing Telehealth Through COVID-19 and Beyond
We are facing a global healthcare crisis unlike any in our recent history. Within the span of a few short weeks, we saw our lives and practices drastically change. COVID-19 has fundamentally altered how medical care is delivered today and possibly for many years to come. We as clinicians need to rise to the challenge to provide the best possible care in this time of change and uncertainty. This includes adjusting the way we communicate with patients, adapting to the evolving landscape of
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M&A Analysis: 3 Benefits of Siemens Healthineers’ $16.4B Acquisition of Varian Medical
What You Should Know:
- Siemens Healthineers and Varian Medical announce a $16.4B deal in an all-cash transaction on 2nd August 2020.
- Deal expected to close in 1H 2021.
- Varian Medical will maintain its brand name and operate “independently”
- Siemens AG will drop holding in Siemens Healthineers from 85% to 72% as part of the transaction.
News of the deal between Siemens Healthineers and Varian Medical will have caught many industry onlookers off guard on Sunday evening.
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Analysis: July Health IT M&A Activity; Public Company Performance
– Healthcare Growth Partners’ (HGP) summary of Health IT/digital health mergers & acquisition (M&A) activity, and public company performance during the month of July 2020.
While a pandemic ravages the country, technology valuations are soaring. The Nasdaq hit an all-time high during the month of July, sailing through the 10,000 mark to post YTD gains of nearly 20%, representing a 56% increase off the low water mark on March 23. More notably, the Nasdaq has outperformed
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Why Now Is The Time to Reimagine Healthcare Through Technology
It wasn’t that long ago that people went to the bank on a Friday to cash their paper paychecks. Maybe they’d put some in checking and take some out in cash. They’d go to the grocery store over the weekend and maybe write one of those checks. Everyone always had to have a pen with them.
It wasn’t that long ago that people would call the ticket agent and discuss flight options for vacation. They’d send a paper ticket in the mail. When it was time to go, people would carry that ticket with them
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Patient Payment Strategies to Accelerate Cash Flow Amid COVID-19
In the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken societies, economies, and human wellbeing to the core. While protecting public health and welfare are top priorities for hospitals, the harsh reality is that it takes cash to keep the doors open and serve patients effectively. Revenue is down significantly as a result of canceled elective surgeries, while the costs of medical supplies and in-demand personal protective equipment for workers have skyrocketed. Hospitals’ operating challenges
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How Times of Crisis Spur Needed Change in Healthcare Delivery
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change healthcare operations in the world, foundational systems are being adapted to meet these new demands. Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances to see the cracks in a system. COVID-19 has exposed areas with more room for improvement in the healthcare system, such as optimizing operational efficiency. Organizations and individuals have changed their interactions, processes, ways of working, treatment plans, and even foundational technology. As the
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Super-Spreading of COVID-19 Co-Infections Reveals a Deadly Diagnostics Gap
Secondary bacterial or fungal co-infections in COVID-19 patients have received inadequate attention from the public. For most, co-infections pose little to no risk according to reports that an estimated 8% of patients are found to experience this during hospital admission – a relatively low number compared to the global impact of the virus. However, once a patient enters a hospital for care or becomes ventilated while in the ICU, the risk for acquiring and spreading a deadly
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Telehealth and COVID-19: Overcoming New Challenges for Providers and Payers
Telehealth has quickly transformed the healthcare industry. Rather than scheduling an appointment, waiting up to a few weeks, and going to a doctor's office or another healthcare facility, we can now access many types of care from the convenience of our smartphones.
However, telehealth has also brought in its own set of new challenges that must be overcome for it to be successful in the long term. Below, we explore five of the biggest issues telemedicine faces and offer insights on how
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5 Critical Considerations for Patient Privacy in Telehealth
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous ripple effect across all industries, with one of the most impacted being healthcare. Providers have had to quickly adapt to supporting patients ‘virtually’ in a secure manner, while simultaneously developing procedures to support accurate reporting to government organizations. These changes have placed added pressure on security and privacy professionals, as they struggle to keep up with urgent demand.
Mature healthcare organizations already have
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