April 9, 2020 | In search of alcohol
INDUSTRY NEWS
VA EHR project on hold, thanks to COVID-19
The Department of Veterans Affairs is again postponing the implementation of a multibillion dollar Cerner EHR system. Officials decided to funnel more resources into managing the coronavirus outbreak. Cerner supports the decision, and VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told Congress in a letter that the agency’s “priority is the care of veterans and providing surge capabilities for civilian healthcare systems.” (Healthcare Dive)
“Making sense of the coronavirus pandemic requires getting up to speed on semantics as much as epidemiology,” Richard Pérez-Peña writes in the New York Times. We may think we understand mortality rates, flattening the curve and lockdowns. But the terms mean different things from country to country, state to state—even person to person. Officials use the same terms to describe very different situations. Here’s just one example: Until recently, the Chinese government excluded patients who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms from its infection count. (New York Times)
INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION
Telehealth struggles and solutions
Primary care practices are struggling during the pandemic. Many are turning to telehealth, but reimbursement for online visits is often far less than in-person appointments. Still, it’s one way to keep health care workers and patients safe during this pandemic. Because many providers are new to the approach, the American Medical Association has developed a guide to help physicians and practices expedite implementation of telemedicine. The guide also touches on issues related to policy, coding and payment. (AMA guide; Bloomberg)
Tracking COVID—and you—via apps
A team of European researchers announced last week the development of an app that tracks when a smartphone comes in close range with another. If the owner of one were to test positive for the novel coronavirus, those who came in close contact would be notified. And the U.S. government is talking to tech companies and health experts about how they can use location data gleaned from Americans’ phones to combat COVID-19. Among those in the conversations: Google and Facebook. (Forbes; The Washington Post)
CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS
In search of alcohol—the important kind
People with diabetes have been scouring stores for rubbing alcohol or alcohol swabs. (People with diabetes use an alcohol swab or an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to disinfect their skin before injecting insulin.) But like toilet paper, they’re selling faster than stores can keep them on the shelves. “We’re all supposed to be staying at home, and I’m out going to 10 different stores,” Caroline Gregory tells Kaiser Health News. Making matters worse, her diabetes puts her at higher risk for COVID-19. (Kaiser Health News)
Early onset dementia on the rise
Early-onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease jumped 200% among commercially insured Americans between the ages of 30 and 64 over a recent five-year period. The analysis, from Blue Cross Blue Shield, found that diagnosis rates increased by 200% from 2013-2017. In 2017, about 131,000 people between the ages of 30 and 64 were diagnosed with either form of dementia. (BCBS)
NEW & NOTED
Behind the lines: If you aren’t on the front lines of the war against COVID-19, there’s still a lot you can do to support your colleagues, ranging from battling misinformation to helping lighten their burden. (AfterRounds)
Got over COVID-19? Give plasma: The Red Cross is seeking people who are fully recovered from COVID-19 who may be able to donate plasma to help current patients. (Red Cross)
CMS calls: CMS has been hosting regular calls with clinicians, hospitals, other facilities, states and other stakeholders to keep them updated on CMS’s COVID-19 efforts. It has made call recordings and transcripts available to the public. (CMS)
MULTI-MEDIA
Disparities: Some things never change
Public health providers say they can already see familiar patterns of racial and economic bias emerging when it comes to COVID-19. One analysis found that doctors may be less likely to refer African Americans for testing when they show up for care with signs of infection. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can be harmful, especially for racial or ethnic minority groups who have higher rates of chronic illnesses that can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19. (NPR)
MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING
“We’re exploring ways that aggregated anonymized location information could help in the fight against [coronavirus]. One example could be helping health authorities determine the impact of social distancing, similar to the way we show popular restaurant times and traffic patterns in Google Maps.” Google spokesman Johnny Luu in the Washington Post and Forbes