Researchers from Johns Hopkins published a study in October on the impact of the pandemic on health care delivery. Among its findings, the data show a 21.4% decrease in primary care visits in Q2 of 2020, compared against the average volume of Q2 visits for the previous two years. By contrast, there was a sharp increase in telehealth engagements, accounting for 35.3% of all provider visits in Q2 this year, compared with 4.1% in Q1 and 1.1% in 2018-2019.
Despite the shifts in healthcare
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Treat in Place: Protecting Nursing Home Patients From Hospital Readmission
A night doctor’s dilemma
Five years ago, I was practicing medicine in a rural hospital in North Carolina as a nocturnist, when I received a call from an Emergency Room (ER) doctor. “Hey, it’s Blake. Room 7. Demented. UTI,” he says, and hangs up.
I was struck by the abrupt and sparse communication—no detailed report. Not even a name. Charged with admitting and caring for patients, I head downstairs and find myself in room 7 where an elderly woman with a blown IV and no family around is
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Evaluating COVID-19’s Behavioral Health Impact on the Economy
We’re now in a new year and new presidential administration. At least three companies are producing effective COVID-19 vaccines, which are being administered to healthcare workers, teachers, and the elderly. By summer, hopefully a large majority of the population in most countries will be vaccinated. From where the world now stands, we can see an end to prolonged isolation, trauma, fear, grief, and economic torpor.
But out of the woods, we are not.
The virus mutates, perhaps
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Healthcare Metadata Management: 3 Critical Capabilities to Creating A Unified, Automated Approach
The healthcare industry, like many others, has become a data driven industry collecting data from patients, doctors, labs, and payers that are all crucial to patient healthcare diagnosis and outcome. When it comes to research, data can be useful in creating emerging healthcare technological innovations, pharmaceutical discoveries, as well as other advances in the market but it also is accompanied by strong regulatory compliance, like stringent HIPAA laws, that dictate that this data is kept
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The Combination of 5G and AI Will Transform Healthcare in 2021
Not many will disagree that the global pandemic has accelerated the use of technology in healthcare. With a healthcare system stressed to a breaking point, medical professionals have had to prioritize critical cases and increasingly turn to technology tools such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring to manage the needs of their non-COVID patients.
As we begin to look beyond the pandemic, we will not only have the lessons of this time but improved tools to support the delivery of
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A New System to Fit A New Economy: How Healthcare Can Recover From COVID-19
We are at a watershed moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reevaluate our priorities both economically and with regard to public health. Living with a healthcare system that was created in response to an emergency measure during World War II, US consumers have struggled for more than a decade to control and understand the rising cost of healthcare. Unfortunately, employer-based health insurance and government-subsidized care continue to be the major drivers of cost and policy.
As
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Why CMS Will Lead the 2021 Kidney Care Revolution
After an unprecedented year, kidney care providers, including nephrologists, dialysis facilities, and care extenders are expecting 2021 to follow suit. We will see an overhaul in reimbursement and major industry shifts, partly led by CMS, that will require providers to advance their capabilities in a way that will usher in more widespread innovation. These new models encourage a shift in treatment approach that will deliver earlier interventions and better outcomes.
The following are
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How Automation is Key to the Future of Healthcare Operations
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. A similar correlation is seen in the quest to leverage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking to address key problems facing the healthcare industry. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the immense pressure the U.S. healthcare system is under into sharp focus. Recent dynamics are compounded by the industry’s efforts to adopt newer ways of working and digitizing patient records, while implementing automation throughout their business
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From Analog to Digital Neurology: 3 Steps to Better Inform Patient Care
The field of neurology is at an inflection point. With a growing aging population, neurologists are facing an increasing number of patients needing care, and the pent-up demand for services due to COVID-19 only exacerbates this issue. The pressure on neurologists is enormous, with surveys indicating excessive stress caused by inefficient workflow and mounting paperwork 1,2. It is becoming increasingly clear that the traditional analog neurological exam and referral system is overwhelmed, and
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Top 5 Business Opportunities for Digital Health Companies in 2021. Where Is The Money?
For many companies, 2020 has been a devastating year due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the same can be said for the digital health sector, the pandemic has also paved a way for unexpected and extraordinary business opportunities in 2021. Good ideas with a business loan from online lenders such as Biz2Credit are the ingredients for a successful business venture in this pandemic. In 2020, Digital health start-ups and more established companies have suffered, as have other
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