By Ken Perez, vice president of healthcare policy, Omnicell, Inc.
If one asks the average American what is former Vice President Joe Biden’s healthcare plan, it’s likely that they will say it is about restoring the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and some may mention the idea of a public option —Medicare or something like Medicare made available to more people.
Those high-level impressions are certainly accurate. Biden’s official campaign website quotes the presidential candidate as saying, “We have to protect and build on Obamacare,” and Biden’s current policy stances touch upon the ACA’s three main areas of focus: access, quality and cost.
Biden’s plan for healthcare has been best articulated in two documents. First, negotiations during June with representatives of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) produced the “Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force Recommendations,” a 110-page document which was released in early July. Second, the 2020 Democratic Party Platform, a 92-page document, was approved by the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee on July 27 and adopted during the 2020 Democratic National Convention in mid-August.
As was the case with the ACA, both documents affirm healthcare as a human right, advocating “free or low-cost healthcare coverage for every American, including by expanding Medicaid, subsidizing employer health insurance for people who lose their jobs, and offering a high-quality low or no-cost public option available without a deductible and with automatic enrollment for those who qualify throughout the COVID-19 crisis.”1
In general, expanding coverage benefits hospitals by reducing bad debt expense, which for U.S. hospitals averaged 1.73% of revenue in 2018.2 According to Rich Umbdenstock, former president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA), the hospital industry agreed to support the ACA because the Obama administration and Congress promised that at least 97% of Americans would have healthcare coverage.3 In like manner, the Biden healthcare plan’s promise to increase access and expand coverage make it attractive to the hospital industry.
Substance abuse is an affliction affecting millions of people worldwide. Whether it’s at the hands of alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, opioids, or other risky substances, almost everyone knows someone battling addiction. It could be a parent, a sibling, a close friend, or a coworker. Maybe it’s your romantic partner, or perhaps it’s even you.
Access to digital tech is a gamechanger in the battle against substance abuse. In other words, if you’re reading this, you have an advantage. What’s more, you should put that advantage to good use, whether it’s for you or for someone you know struggling with addiction.
Online Outreach
Centers for substance abuse and addiction treatment make a point to maintain some form of an online presence. Doing so is an essential aspect of reaching out to potential patients in the digital age and helping family members and other loved ones of those struggling with drug or alcohol abuse.
As the COVID-19 infection unleashes devastation with the healthcare system, telehealth is venturing up into the spotlight and helping healthcare providers and doctors react better to the necessities of Americans who have gotten the infection and Americans who need to meet up with their providers on the status of their wellbeing.
Telehealth is making a positive commitment to medicinal services during the pandemic and is being used in a variety of ways. Be that as it may, telehealth innovations do have certain restrictions with regards to treating patients during a pandemic. However, medical clinics are figuring out how to adjust to telehealth during a pandemic.
While all the countries around the world and taking precautions to get rid of COVID, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services reports 51,200 cases of the virus. It is advised not to travel, however, if it is an emergency or you intend to follow through with vacation plans, research the area you are going to so you know what to expect upon arrival.
By Dr. Deborah Vinton, medical director, emergency department, UVA Health and Inlightened Expert.
Dr. Deborah Vinton
The way we talk, think about, plan, and innovate for healthcare delivery has fundamentally changed as a result of COVID-19. For those of us in healthcare, top priorities today are different than they were just a few months ago. Like in so many areas of life, coronavirus is rewriting the status quo.
As a physician on the frontlines, it has become painfully apparent that, as an industry, we have failed to design and develop tools and systems – for us – with us in mind. When it comes to innovating for those delivering the care, empathy is often times out of the process. From PPE (personal protective equipment) to telemedicine and everything in between, the lack of input and understanding may be furthering burnout, negatively impacting patient care, and fueling inefficiencies.
Empathy in innovation: We’ve made progress for patients
In healthcare, we’ve done a better (although not remotely perfect) job of integrating empathy into the design and innovation process for the patient to optimize patient experience. From lobbies to hospital rooms, we’ve seen patient-centric design aimed at delivering more comfortable, less stressful, and seamless experiences.
Patients today enter buildings that are light and airy, no longer have the traditional “sterile” feeling, boast extensive entertainment options, and prioritize patient needs, like access to Wi-Fi and charging stations. Protocols are designed by considering various risks, and prioritizing policies and workflows that will most positively impact the patient. All of these efforts demonstrate a much-needed understanding of – and commitment to – the patient and their experience.
Physicians are left behind and burned out
Like other industries, the evolution of healthcare has been aided by fast-paced innovation and technology. While conversations pre-COVID might have been around electronic health records (EHRs), real-time communication tools, and even innovating the scrubs we wear, COVID-19 has shed light on new priorities and the dramatic gaps that exist in the process for designing provider-centric tools.
According to McKinsey: From 2014 to 2018, there have been more than 580 healthcare technology deals in the United States, each more than $10 million, for a total of more than $83 billion in value. They have been disproportionately focused on three main categories: patient engagement, data and analytics, and new care models.
Consider the quick adoption of telehealth. While the ability to deliver care virtually to the patient was – and still is – unquestionably critical as the country sheltered in place, it has led to a lot of frustration and overwhelm for physicians who are trained to deliver patient care in-person. In medical school, we learn how to read what’s behind the presentation of symptoms and how to ask questions and listen to what’s behind the answer.
But we haven’t yet integrated into the curriculum how to implement technology to feel consistent with the way we’ve been trained to deliver care. We are being asked to understand – and flawlessly use – solutions that can be glitchy, disjointed, and impersonal, while simultaneously delivering care to patients that might be nervous, frustrated, ill, scared, or all of the above.
Despite the world facing the challenges of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and even conflict resulting in violence, the power of technology means there’s always something to feel positive about.
What is news-worthy when it comes to IT and technology for the healthcare industry? Here are our top four reasons for staying hopeful:
More Virtual Treatments Mean More Healthy People
The beauty of having an IT infrastructure stretching across any country is that more people get access to medical services and consultations. Even before COVID-19 happened, doctors were giving advice and medical feedback to individuals in remote areas or those unable to travel via video calls.
During the pandemic, these telehealth resources were used in greater numbers in order to minimize interaction between patients in waiting rooms and hospitals. Even though the virus took many of us by surprise, certain aspects of our society were already geared for dealing with the challenge.
Many assume that adjustable beds only serve those patients admitted to a medical facility. Despite popular opinion, these models can support those ailing due to chronic illnesses or mobility restrictions. Seniors experiencing chronic pain can significantly benefit from sleeping on an adjustable bed.
As a person ages, their body undergoes dramatic changes, including decreasing bone density, lessening muscle strength, and lowered oxygen levels. Some of these changes may inconvenience and reduce the quality of life of those over 60. With these bodily changes in mind, here are five reasons why adjustable beds like My Upbed are beneficial for elderly sleepers.
The adjustable bed offers relief
Many seniors complain about debilitating back pain due to osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, or the Degeneration of joints in the lumbar spine. An adjustable bed can help these elderly folks elevate their head and feet into a position that addresses their chronic pain. When the senior citizen in your life sleeps on an adjustable bed, it will relieve a significant amount of pressure off the lower back.
If you have senior osteoporosis, the adjustable bed will be incredibly useful since it will promote better posture. Additionally, it will help to reduce the strain exerted on the hips and the shoulders.
When a senior depends on an adjustable bed’s pain-reducing benefits, they won’t have to stack pillows under their head, feet, or hips for support. When using pillows to elevate your head, you may start to experience neck pain and backaches, as they’re susceptible to shifting throughout the night from one position to another, which can kink your neck and cause soreness.
The process of screening applicants is extremely important for employers and must be carried out before recruiting for a position. This is because hiring the right people can make all the difference to a company’s success, which is why it’s crucial to find any drug issues or past criminal history via DNA and Drug Testing Clinics Nationwide – Health Street in a possible employee before hiring them. As John Maxwell said, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
On the other hand, the wrong ones can sink the company.
That’s why screening checks are increasingly becoming important among HR professionals in Australia. This post will explore five of the top reasons why screening employees should be adopted by every company.
The Ugly Truth …
Many job candidates are guilty of inventing degrees, referees, and accomplishments on their resume. Peter Wilson, the Chair of the Australian Human Resources Institute attributes it to the branding culture that has emerged out of social media. As a result, many people are likely to embellish their CVs with lies just to get ahead of the game.
A study from Australian revealed that a bad hire can cost a business up to 2.5 times the salary of the employee. Here are the top five reasons for screening employees:
Ensuring Job Competence
Since many job applicants lie about their education, accomplishments, qualifications, skills, and even previous job titles and responsibilities, it’s very easy to employ a candidate who does not have the competence to effectively execute their tasks.
When companies employ somebody, they are taking a risk. They are depending on the individual they are employing to carry out the responsibility as per the set standard. Therefore, businesses need to ensure that the credentials of the candidate line up with what they are asserting they are, and that the candidates do not have any charges against them. That is why for many professions there is a need for a DBS check before hiring a candidate.
What is a DBS check?
A DBS, which is the disclosure and barring services, assists employers with carrying out more secure recruitment and keep unfitting individuals from working with susceptible groups, including kids. DBS helps to know if any of your candidates have criminal records or are on any barring records, which would raise worry about their capacity to perform their duties or to work in the job.
A DBS check guarantees that, while recruiting candidates, the kids, and vulnerable people are protected. Above all, these record verifications empower you to ensure the individuals in your consideration are secured. As someone in the healthcare, it can get really difficult to find that one of your workers is found endangering the security of someone (patient) who is in your care. DBS checks can assist you with guaranteeing this never occurs.
