Weekender 8/28/20

Weekly News Recap

• Amazon announces its Halo health and wellness wearable, app, and membership program, with Cerner posting its own news that it has integrated the device with Millennium.
• Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas Inc. will pay $500,000 to settle federal false claims allegations that its former Viztek subsidiary fraudulently earned certification for its EXA EHR that allowed users to claim Meaningful Use funds.
• The private equity owners of behavioral software vendors Qualifacts and Credible Behavioral Health announce that they will merge their respective companies.
• CMS issues emergency regulations that require hospitals to report their COVID-19 capacity data daily to HHS to continue being paid by Medicare and Medicaid.
• Google Cloud will invest $100 million in Amwell when the company begins public trading.
• The VA implements patient scheduling in an Ohio facility in its first Cerner go-live.

Best Reader Comments

There are some really affordable solutions that allow patients to either pre-register online or fill out information on a tablet or other mobile device when they’re checking in. It’s more convenient for the patient and eliminates a lot of expensive data entry in the back office. You can also do things like connect to a clearinghouse to check a patient’s insurance coverage. I’m no longer surprised at how much hospitals and clinics invest in technology, but still waste time and money with manual paper processes, but it’s hard to fathom. (Greg Mennegar)

I am an Epic builder and it annoys me to no end when I pre-register and fill out all the MyChart questionnaires for an appointment at one of the “big hospitals” here in Boston only to be handed a clipboard with the same questionnaire in paper form that I am asked to fill out. I have even offered to show the front desk staff how to print out the filled out questionnaire from my chart to no avail (this has happened to me more than once and in different departments). Sometimes it is less about the lack of technology and more the lack of user training that can be the issue. (Craig Molway)

Any organization that deems it necessary to purchase higher ratings to game the system should be called out. It clearly points to an act of desperation to sell services or products that can’t stand on their own merit or reputation. This is certainly a warning sign to potential clients that an organization is willing to do all the wrong things to get a contact besides providing a high-value / quality service. (PT Franks)

I would argue that the mental / behavioral health crisis that has gained national attention to the pandemic has its roots in young people being taught that certain emotions are bad and to be avoided. If you look at metaphors, happiness is bright and full of sunshine and sadness is blue and full of clouds and rain. Who want want to admit being sad?!? To your point about the person who told you to wear a smile, it’s akin to a person asking you, “How you are?” and only wanting to hear something superficial like “good” or “not bad.” Perhaps many folks don’t have the language or skills to talk about the “bad” emotions in a meaningful way, so they choose avoidance.(Elmer Phd)

Your “compared to a year ago” poll made me smile. Exactly one year ago I was at peak misery of hot, swollen and uncomfortable, because I was nine months pregnant. I was instantly happier, healthier, and more optimistic two days later when our son was born. (What a year)

Watercooler Talk Tidbits

Readers funded the Donors Choose teacher grant request of first-year teacher Ms. N in Miami, who asked for engineering learning centers for her elementary school class. She reported in early March, “I work in a title one school with mostly students from low-income families and a low-income community. Getting gifts for the classroom makes them so excited to learn and come to school everyday regardless of what they face at home. When my students first saw the items that were donated they could not control themselves, they were so excited. They wanted to dive in right away! Some of their favorites are the turn and learn gears and the car building kit. Engineering time in my classroom is my favorite part of the day because it fosters their creativity and this time was made more special because of your donations!”

Ralph Lauren will outfit those working as “ballpersons” during the US Open with a muted uniform, with each shirt listing the name of a Mount Sinai Health System essential employee on the back. The company says bright, colorful designs didn’t seem appropriate and thinks having the names of those who have saved lives on display will celebrate the many ways in which people can make a difference. The company will also feature profiles and stories of nine of the workers on its website.

A team of 14 nurses, two neonatal nurse practitioners, three respiratory therapists, and a neonatologist worked through the night to care for 19 NICU babies at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital (LA) as Hurricane Laura hit with winds of up to 135 miles per hour early Thursday morning, taking out the hospital’s air conditioning and water. The team moved the babies, some of them on ventilators, to the hallway away from windows. The babies had been transferred there a few hours before when the women’s hospital was evacuated.

The CEO of Bristol Regional Medical Center (TN) resigns after accepting a cardiothoracic surgeon’s invitation to make the first incision in a patient despite having no medical training. The hospital also parted ways with the surgeon.

A Georgia nurse who contracted COVID-19 during a two-month assignment in New York City and then couldn’t return to hospital work because she was haunted by the experience of seeing families watching their loved ones die via FaceTime starts a company that helps businesses keep their employees safe from COVID.

The Washington Post profiles former Baton Rouge General Medical Center security guard Russell Ledet, who is now doing his third-year medical school rotation at the same hospital while completing his MD and MBA degrees. He joined the Navy out of high school and was convinced by his wife to go to college, where he doubled-majored in biology and chemistry while supporting his family with the security guard job. After finishing undergrad, he earned a PhD from NYU in molecular oncology, then started medical school at Tulane. He plans to earn triple board certification in pediatrics, general psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry and then open a New Orleans mental health services clinic for marginalized communities. 

In Case You Missed It

• News 8/28/20
• EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 8/27/20
• News 8/26/20
• Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 8/24/20
• HIStalk Interviews Jose Barreau, MD, CEO, Halo Health
• Monday Morning Update 8/24/20

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