Hard agree, and not just because I'm a spreadsheet nerd. Why are we all here? Isn't it in the service…
Morning Headlines 4/28/22
HHS puts $90M toward improving health center data collection
HHS allocates $90 million to help health centers modernize their data and reporting capabilities, enabling them to gain a better picture of social determinants of health.
Tenet Reports Cybersecurity Incident
Tenet Healthcare confirms that a cybersecurity incident disrupted patient care last week at several acute care facilities, though normal operations are now being resumed.
Implicity Raises $23M to Broaden Use of Its Cardiac Remote Monitoring Platform
Cardiac remote monitoring and data management technology vendor Implicity raises $23 million in a Series A funding round.
Introducing Source: The Infrastructure Layer for Virtual Care
Virtual care tech startup Source Health launches with $3 million in funding.
Federal Boondoggle – a play in 1 part.
(The following is a completely made up scenario of how HHS’s USD+ funding came about).
When the curtain opens, several government bureaucrats are sitting around, looking bored and stiff in a small office with no windows and standard federal government furniture.
Mr. Becerra: Guys, remember that cool billion dollars that we got to spend through American Rescue Plan?
Everyone else in unison: Yes, Mr. Secretary
Mr. Becerra: Well folks – guess what. Looks like we forgot to spend 90 million and gotta do something about it or you know, Joe will get mad.
One bureaucrat: You mean, the POTUS, sir?
Mr. Becerra: No, no…Manchin of course. Always looking to claw back money from us. In any case, can you guys come up with a way to spend it?
Another bureaucrat: We could just not spend it?
Everyone else starts laughing.
Everyone else in unison: Are you new here?
Mr. Becerra: How about that SDoH thing that everyone keeps talking about? Can we shove some money down that path? Just make sure that funding is small enough for each center so that we don’t need to actually ask them to measure actual outputs. Check with guys at CMMI on how to structure it. I’ve heard they are pretty good at running pilot projects. Ron – make sure the press release includes Joe and Kamala’s name on it. And I am not talking about Manchin.
Everyone else in unison: Yes, Mr. Secretary.
As curtain comes down, people slowly start filing out, backslapping, and yawning. One person in ill-fitting suit is seen rubbing his hands in glee as he says – “I cannot wait to create all the application requirements in long PDF forms. They will spend half their funds on just managing and reporting on this grant”.
The End.
Some days I feel like the bureaucrats think that The Good Work by Theodore Thomas was a policy manual.