For hospitals and the people who staff them, it was exactly the déjà vu they were hoping to avoid: another surge in COVID-19 cases, with the now all-too-familiar strains and stressors that accompany it. The rapid spread of the Delta variant in the U.S. and elsewhere brought reports of fresh spikes in hospital admission numbers and shortages of ICU beds. Hospitals were forced to increase overtime demands on staff, recall contingent workers and in some cases, hastily establish temporary
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
10 Tips for Improving COVID-19 Employee Immunization Initiatives
Within the past 18 months, what used to be a relatively simple process for organizations providing healthcare services – ensuring their employees had required and recommended vaccines – has gotten contentious and complicated – to say the least. The rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant and new immunization mandates creates concerns and complexities for hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care and other providers. As of early October, the CDC has approved Pfizer booster
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3 Ways Decentralized Clinical Trials Can Expand Diversity & Improve Participation Rates
I consider myself living proof of the American dream. In 1888, my great, great grandfather purchased a farm, Coleman Crest, that is still in our family today. Understanding his story and what he had to overcome during that period in history has given me such a great foundation and what still inspires me today. My passion for chemistry began when I was a child. At a young age, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and when things got tough, it was my pharmacist who gave me hope and
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Fraud-Proofing Your Telehealth Strategy
By now, you’ve likely read hundreds, if not thousands, of stories about telehealth and its precipitous rise sparked by the pandemic. While telehealth usage has dipped from its peak in April 2020, overall utilization is still 38 times higher than before the pandemic. The numbers lend credence to the numerous benefits touted throughout the public health emergency, most notably serving as a vital lifeline for high-risk patients, reducing the risk of exposure for staff, alleviating patient demand on
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Commercializing Digital Therapeutic Solutions: Key Lessons Learned to Watch
The pandemic has set ablaze the white-hot market for Digital Therapeutics (DTx), which “deliver medical interventions directly to patients using evidence-based, clinically evaluated software to treat, manage, and prevent a broad spectrum of diseases and disorders1.” In 2020, a digital research firm projected the global DTx market to hit nearly $9 billion by 2025; a year later, its 2025 DTx forecast had increased to $56 billion2. One of the few bright spots of 2020 was how quickly and
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Can Predictive AI Fully Inform Patient Care Decisions?
In recent years, the healthcare industry has fully embraced the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform healthcare practice and delivery. From the advent of big data to the arrival of EHRs, the industry is familiar with the hype that accompanies technology advancements. While these innovations have certainly been useful in many regards, healthcare remains deeply fragmented, inefficient, and prone to waste. Many experts believe that AI will deliver on the long-promised
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How Medical Reference Platforms Can Enhance Clinicians’ EHR Experience
In healthcare technology, there’s no such thing as a silver bullet solution, and each technology has its benefits and its limitation. Electronic health records (EHRs) are no exception. On their own, EHRs provide insight into a patient’s visit history, medical background, and more, but when used in combination with other innovative, user-friendly technologies, clinicians’ experience with EHRs will only improve. One of the easiest—and most significant—ways
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Healthcare Executives’ Guide to Data-Driven Holistic Care for LTSS Populations
As healthcare leaders reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic, the need for more tech-driven and proactive care models is taking center stage. It has become clear that organizations that invested in robust technology infrastructure early on were better positioned to not just survive a global pandemic – but thrive--growing their reach and supporting their patients. The Importance of Holistic Care Strategies
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Why Healthcare IT Must Embrace Full-Stack Observability for an Increasingly Digital Future
Long before the pandemic, digital applications were already incredibly important to healthcare organizations, but over the last few years, they have become essential. Applications can assist with scheduling appointments, virtual doctor visits, accessing medical records and conducting tests down to the most complex AI-powered technologies such as medical imaging. As COVID-19 fundamentally transformed the way industries operate, healthcare has been the world’s focus as physicians, nurses, EMTs,
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Healthcare at the Crossroads: Value-Based Care and Interoperability
Amid the difficulties of the last year, a bright spot has emerged that may provide a strong indication of renewed movement toward the transformation of the healthcare industry that we know today. Value-based care, a model that rewards better patient health outcomes, has experienced a surge in interest amid heightened consumer awareness and among payers seeking to lower costs and stabilize reimbursement. This interest, along with the recent mandate from the Centers for
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