The case for widespread use of sensor-data in healthcare
The science of using sensor data to define, measure, and create mathematical models of disease can lead to better outcomes—and huge benefits—for everyone in healthcare and life sciences.
MedCity Influencers
Top 5 Medicare Advantage plan changes coming for 2022
The greatest uncertainty is members’ health status, which could impact MA organizations’ bidding submission process for 2022. Fortunately, fully vaccinated members are likely to resume in-person care this year, which means MA plans can expect a more consistent and reliable stream of data to form… Read More »Top 5 Medicare Advantage plan changes coming for 2022
4 ways the pandemic has shaped healthcare
While the long-term impacts of Covid-19 are still unfolding, here are four ways hospitals and health systems are beginning to understand the monumental impact of the pandemic on the healthcare industry.
FHIR mandates are an opportunity to transform patient experiences through a consistent API strategy
There’s a real opportunity to go beyond a piecemeal, bare-minimum, “check-the-box” approach and think of FHIR mandates as an opportunity to kick-start consistency across your API landscape.
Asset utilization: 3 lessons to learn from logistics experts in the consumer space
To even approach the level of sophistication at which package delivery, ride-sharing and airline companies operate, health systems must employ modern tools to help.
Strengthening the financial foundation of FQHCs in the wake of a pandemic
For years, many Americans have struggled to afford basic healthcare. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated […]
Healthcare tech is failing patients
The problem is that we’re approaching technology from a clinical and billing perspective, with little input from patients. We must demand and implement technology that is designed for the population you are serving.
How connected IoT technology will deliver the promise of next-generation vaccines
Too many cold chain suppliers are still monitoring deliveries and storage compliance with paper-based documentation by individuals scanning thermometers every two hours. Such systems fall short of 21st-Century requirements for biologic medicine.
Here’s a look at natural product drug discovery 2.0
Plant-based drug discovery may be tens of thousands of years old, but in 2021, it feels exciting, rich, and full of potential. Companies are rapidly building scalable databases with hundreds of thousands of unique chemicals and their links to biological signatures.
Why the interoperability final rule is the first step toward patient-centric care
With patients being granted easier access to their data, and thus greater and more informed agency over their health, we are finally opening the door for insights to be derived and refined on their behalf
Precision medicine can close care gaps to reduce incidence of cancer
As researchers and clinicians understand and embrace the advanced insights genetic and genomic testing can deliver, the industry is poised to dramatically reduce the incidence and mortality associated with cancers.
The secret sauce of health tech innovation
If satisfying emotional needs allows one doctor to improve the life of one patient, imagine what a winning product can do for millions of them.
Updated guidance for cancer patients during Covid-19 may help improve outcomes
New recommendations may provide reassurance for patients and their care teams, while uniquely positioning healthcare providers to help communicate this critical information to vulnerable populations.
Implications for the Affordable Care Act under the Biden administration
Unless the Supreme Court strikes down the ACA, it will remain in place for the foreseeable future and will see expansion.
Overcoming vaccine hesitancy: How clinicians can promote trust in Covid-19 vaccines
With new viral variants reported across the globe, this evolving pandemic requires clinicians to explore novel ways to assuage patient fears about Covid vaccines.
Infusing call centers with strong human connections
The volume of calls to hospital call centers has led to an industrialized approach thereby sacrificing the human touch and personal connection between doctors and patients. Ironically, artificial intelligence can help to rekindle that by handling call center calls more efficiently.
5 ways tech has modernized healthcare practices and the patient experience
These innovations have not only made medical check-ups safer, but they’ve also helped modernize and improve the patient journey. These technologies automated many archaic administrative functions and offered medical practices genuine savings – in terms of both time and money.
The Key to SDOH: Health literacy
As a country, we must do a better job supporting people and communities throughout their health journey because communities with greater access to information and increased levels of health literacy will ensure better health outcomes.
4 strategies for healthcare providers to make virtual care practical for seniors
As telehealth becomes mainstream, seniors will be forced to adapt – but we as healthcare providers have a duty to make this process as seamless as possible, so one of our most vulnerable populations does not get left behind.
How health plans can help accelerate Covid-19 vaccinations
These next few months are a tremendous opportunity to build trust with customers — imagine the reciprocal goodwill if a payer’s message helps its members get to the front of the line.
Ways to improve the patient experience for African-Americans
There should be a discussion about how to address the disproportionate impact Covid-19 has had on Black communities.
3 changes coming to drug pricing
No matter if Democrats or Republicans are running the show in Washington, here are three solid bets for pharma companies to plan for in the changing drug-pricing landscape
How CMS final rule will impact E/M coding and documentation requirements
Historically, providers had to meet certain criteria and address three key areas in the patient’s progress notes: patient history, physical exam and medical decision making. CMS has eliminated the history and exam components as required elements for billing purposes, so medical decision making is now… Read More »How CMS final rule will impact E/M coding and documentation requirements
How eConsent empowers more participant engagement in clinical trials
Creating the simplest process for informed consent benefits the potential participant by allowing them the time and resources to understand fully what they are consenting to. Through eConsent processes, research also opens the door to a more diverse population to engage in trials.
Why IBM Watson Health could never live up to the promises
The failure of IBM’s marketing-first approach to clinical AI was entirely predictable, but it didn’t have to be this way. Here’s how AI can be implemented effectively.
Bridging the digital divide: How providers can continue to reach the digitally excluded
If we don’t prioritize solutions now, the healthcare digital divide may present more widespread national and international challenges.
Trends in the dental industry: Dental technology in the next decade
We can expect the introduction of novel and groundbreaking technologies that will immensely benefit both the dentists and the patients over the years.
Will a new administration spark a renewed focus on value-based care?
While the Covid-19 pandemic has strained the healthcare industry, this administration has the advantage of being able to leverage everything we have learned over the past year to advance the next generation of value-based care.
How to overcome AI’s healthcare headwinds
AI has already shown tremendous promise for everything from automating patient communication and non-clinical administrative tasks to reducing physician burnout. But realizing that promise more broadly requires AI developers to establish trust with their healthcare users.
Dear President Biden: A Healthcare interoperability wishlist for 2021
Your administration needs to establish a mandate requiring health systems that have data sharing capabilities to share their Covid-19 data in the next eight months. This includes Covid-19 test results, vaccination information, and other critical data.
Leveraging the cloud to meet the ONC final rule compliance deadline
The deadline for ONC’s final rule on interoperability and information blocking is upon us. The time is past due for health providers, networks, and vendors to evolve their IT infrastructure — and the cloud really is the only way forward.
The shift to value-based care has accelerated in the wake of the pandemic
The pandemic has upended virtually every industry, and although many of the impacts are undeniably devastating, negative events can also offer opportunities for positive change, by highlighting existing problems and eliminating roadblocks to new solutions.
How to build a diverse innovation team (and why it’s critical)
Why start with innovation? Because it’s where the products, tools, solutions, and ideas that will change the status quo are born. Without diversity of thought, experience, and perspective, the end result of innovation only serves those already at the table.
To maximize patient access to care, policies should be modernized to enable the broader digital health landscape
Only with proper coverage and access to the modern technologies that made their mark during Covid-19 can we truly democratize healthcare and make the promise of digital health available to all.
As clinical trials move off-site, legal teams prepare for new challenges
Now that trials can happen nearly anywhere, privacy teams and lawyers need to understand how data is collected, stored, managed, disseminated, and ultimately, archived or deleted.
The virtual care strategy checklist: Implementing a contactless check-in
Contactless check-in is not a new concept. Many consumer-focused industries, such as hospitality, have been utilizing this technology for years — including mobile check-in and checkout, keyless entry, and more — to enhance the guest experience.
5 AI lessons from pharma world learned during Covid-19
With the increased reliance on digital technologies, pharma companies’ outreach to healthcare providers needs to be thoughtful, efficient, and respectful. An AI-driven, omnichannel strategy makes this possible by giving every member of customer-facing teams visibility across communications.
With focus on the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has taken its eye off TB
Tuberculosis is highly infectious and a global problem that Covid-19 has only made worse. Ironically, two legacies of our response to Covid-19 can give us hope. Many health systems now have unprecedentedly large testing and tracing infrastructures that we can use to test for TB.
Amazon Care and privacy: A host of unknowns
If HIPAA does not apply to Amazon Care, then absent another privacy regulation applying, avoiding exploitation of the data relies on the good faith of the entity operating the service.
Conservative perspectives on advancing the health insurance agenda in the Biden era
Becoming mired in discussions about public versus private options is not the best avenue, Instead, we can work to make Covid-related state executive orders permanent.
Will new behavioral health solutions withstand the test of time?
The emergence of new approaches to the coordination and delivery of behavioral health services is long overdue. Evaluating their impact on some of the most complex and interconnected areas of medicine will require time and work.
Healthcare must move toward a circular economy, and single-use device reprocessing offers a template to follow
In healthcare, the linear (take-make-dispose) approach to consumption is even more pronounced than in American culture in general. It’s time for change.
Suicide and the malpractice myth
It may seem intuitive to avoid telehealth or remote care to avoid increased liability and malpractice exposure. But remote behavioral health assessment tools, real-time data-driven insights, and adaptive treatment plans are actually the things that protect clinicians from civil liability in instances of patient suicide.
Intelligent automation: The secret to combating health inequities
Automation expands the capacity of care teams, allowing providers to accomplish more with less. As a result, automation can offer an unbiased and personalized mechanism to reach patients in the manner that best suits them.
The Covid-19 vaccine distribution strategy is struggling. Care Management can help.
With widespread vaccine shortages alongside continuing deaths from Covid-19, we must act now to leverage existing technology in order to improve the distribution process.
Is a lack of understanding around women’s health holding women back in their career?
The key to addressing the impact of postpartum health on the careers of women lies in building a level of awareness to breed a level of comfort in a workforce.
There’s a hospital staff wellness crisis. It’s on executives to fix it.
Healthcare providers pushed to the brink after a year of the Covid-19 pandemic are tired, burned out, and even suffering the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Antibody testing can improve efficiency in limited vaccine supply
Given our current limited supply, the threat of variant spread, and availability of higher quality antibody test kits, policymakers ought to update their vaccine guidance for those who had Covid and incorporate recent research findings on immunity and vaccine efficacy.
Leveraging AI/NLP technology to reduce health inequities and improve patient outcomes
To reduce the systemic health inequities that have put so many individuals at higher risk of getting sick and dying from Covid-19, healthcare organizations must leverage advanced technologies such as NLP to identify SDoH and other critical information from unstructured notes.
3 ways health plan member experience and chronic disease management can be improved
Whether it is conquering the last mile in healthcare, meeting the country’s mental health crisis head-on or leveraging digital health tools effectively, trust will be central to the future of the member experience.
How can telemedicine evolve in the post-Covid era
Telemedicine will not revolutionize health care on its own, but the experience of millions of Americans during the pandemic assures us that it will become a permanent fixture of the health care ecosystem – one likely to account for a growing share of revenue in… Read More »How can telemedicine evolve in the post-Covid era
2020’s silver lining was global engagement and inclusion
While Covid-19 temporarily paused our ability to interact face-to-face, it also ushered in an era of global collaboration and the ability for life science teams to make decisions based on an expanded viewpoint.
Addressing the Covid-19 and Opioid “Twindemic”
The past year has taught everyone the value of a more compassionate and non-punitive approach toward just about everything. Now, it’s time for leaders to take that approach and apply it, with supportive data and knowledge, to mitigating opioid addiction in their communities.
Increasing food security and healthy habits in your member base during Covid-19
Paying close attention to social determinants of health, like ability to drive or proximity to a grocery store, can also help predict who is at highest risk of being food insecure which, in turn, can help a plan know which resources to offer to those… Read More »Increasing food security and healthy habits in your member base during Covid-19
The mounting behavioral health crisis is our next pandemic
Covid-19 will continue to illuminate the behavioral health crisis, but effective use of digital solutions can drive clinical innovation and expand access to care.
Government Money: The most effective weapon in the fight against Covid-19
Many people complain about the government – probably with good reason – but the policies surrounding non-dilutive life science R&D are policies that deserve praise, and are the ones that all politicians and leaders, no matter their party affiliation, will support.
The power of technology to streamline and reduce hospital administrative costs
When leveraged properly, technology can decrease administrative overhead and processes both before and after care through scheduling appointments, managing patient communications, billing patients, and collecting payments.
Adopt a millennial mindset for 21st Century healthcare success
The days of the primary care provider (PCP) acting as a gatekeeper to care for Millennials are gone. Some 85% of previous generations elected a PCP, while 45% of 18 to 29-year-olds and 28% of 30 to 49 year-olds have no primary care provider
Socially distanced care: The need for AI-Powered patient monitoring
The inclusion of AI-powered patient analytics within remote patient monitoring systems addresses the need for actionable insight by stratifying continuous patient data that helps in making decisions.
Chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists are decreasing frontline worker burnout
Across the county, large health systems and hospitals are expanding their services to include chiropractic doctors, acupuncturists and massage therapists aimed at supporting their staff.
The shift to home care: Another new normal resulting from Covid-19
Covid-19 has highlighted the critical importance of increased communication and transparency between acute and post-acute providers, and the immediate need for more diverse acute and post-acute care options.
Blockchains are the building blocks of better healthcare
Rather than having multiple digital ledgers for the industry, better health care results require a single global blockchain that massively scales, capable of efficiently handling high volumes of data to act as the single source for information.
Want to end the pandemic? Send In rghe Troops.
The solution is clear, the need is urgent, and the infrastructure is in place. Send in the troops.
Telehealth is ready for its second dose – introducing virtual care 2.0
While 2020 incited widespread adoption of video-based consultations, the healthcare ecosystem is now presented with a new mandate of delivering virtual care at scale. Fortunately, there are some companies up to the task.
One-size-fits-all addiction treatment must be replaced
While addiction treatment has traditionally focused on the removal of substance use ‘symptoms’ by collecting urine samples and screening for substance use, the complexity of the biopsychosocial framework requires commensurate measurement tooling.
Ways pharma marketers can boost physician engagement via telehealth
The pandemic has led pharma marketers to embrace digital marketing communications and the benefits of investing in telehealth platforms to engage physicians are numerous and provide a tremendous opportunity.
Could AI reduce healthcare waste? Approach of online retailers could provide clues
Just as Amazon leverages machine learning to develop valuable insights into consumer purchasing behavior in real time, healthcare organizations can strengthen their ability to reduce costs of care and eliminate waste and abuse with this type of intelligence.
4 signs your compliance program is out of date
Many players in life sciences and other sectors balk at updating their compliance systems because of the cost and resources involved. but addressing possible lapses now can save your company millions of dollars in fines and reputational damage.
Payers are erecting higher hurdles to care: How can hospitals clear them?
Prior authorization is a massive and growing problem for patients and providers, and regulation is not likely to solve it completely or anytime soon.
Expect to see these medtech trends this year
Expect nurses to have prominent roles on medtech advisory boards this year to avoid issues that blindsided some medical communities during the pandemic.
We can’t blame AI when humans mess up
If we continue to apply the technology without widespread agreement to these basic premises, we could dissolve people’s trust before we even earn it.
How TikTok can help mental health experts reach the audience that needs them the most
From sharing stories about mental health, to coping mechanisms and tactics to weather through the Covid-19 storm, TikTok is filled with opportunities to provide extra support to people who need it.
Does digital mental health need to rethink user engagement?
Gamification is being hailed as a promising tool within the digital mental health industry. But should the same tactics that are fueling our online addiction become the standard for driving engagement with solutions that are designed to improve our mental health?
HHS Prep Act amendment could fail the nurses it aims to support
The HHS amendment is meant to vaccinate Americans as quickly as possible. This could be an incredible turning point in offering additional support for our frontline workforce or, if not executed correctly, could add additional and unnecessary stress to a field already experiencing widespread burnout.
The year to come in life sciences safety and regulatory practices
The life sciences industry will move toward more agile capabilities for regulatory operations and regulators toward an accelerated approval pathway in support of clinical studies, drawing from lessons learned during the pandemic around global collaboration.
Confronting disparities in access to healthcare for underserved populations in 2021
Particularly at the point of care, we have the means and resources to directly inform, educate and offer service to those who have been marginalized across multiple demographic intersections of race, ethnicity and income.
What health plans must know—and do—while members wait for a vaccine
As Covid-19 joins the ranks of cancer and chronic diseases to be tracked and prevented through testing, health plans will need testing solutions that can be distributed quickly and at scale.
Healthcare’s overarching Covid-19 challenge: Stronger data integration
As we continue to respond to Covid-19 and prepare for the next crisis, the health care community should learn from defense and intelligence agencies that have developed effective strategies to create a common operating picture through robust data integration.
How hospitals can protect staff amid the ongoing Covid-19 Crisis
Cases are down and vaccine distributions have begun in full swing across the nation, but there is still a worry about future surges with new variants of the SARS-CoV2 virus that are now in the U.S.
Why back-office systems are more critical to healthcare providers today than ever before
While healthcare providers have invested heavily in clinical systems over the past decade, they’ve mostly ignored financial and operational systems.
Leveraging RPM to remove barriers and ensure veterans receive the care they need
Of all populations, our veterans need—and deserve—the best quality care available. Virtual care technology and remote monitoring devices are easy to implement, cost-effective solutions that remove barriers and make that care possible.
Why medication management reform must be a priority for the new administration
The Biden administration should recognize that including high quality, patient-centered comprehensive medication management (CMM) services as the national standard of care will improve patient outcomes, reduce health care costs and save lives.
Want to get to herd immunity? Think micro to go macro.
To counter vaccine hesitancy, especially dominant in at-risk communities, we need hyper-local and population-specific vaccine programs.
Why patients, not EHRs, deserve our undivided attention
We cannot earn patients’ trust and respect if we are tethered to a computer in the exam room, navigating the EHR concurrent to a visit or otherwise in a hurry to finish so we can return to our office where data entry to the EHR… Read More »Why patients, not EHRs, deserve our undivided attention
Covid-19: A tipping point for EHR innovation
EHRs have caused a few problems for healthcare but they have paved a path on which we can set out on the journey of healthcare transformation. Without the existing EHR infrastructure, we’d not only have to map out a path but lay the road while… Read More »Covid-19: A tipping point for EHR innovation
Paging Dr. Burnout: How to alleviate physician administrative burden and still reach value-based care goals
Engaging and listening to physician leadership early and often can make the VBC transition smoother and less complex over time for both providers and payers.
Handoff fumbles: Why healthcare needs a universal workflow
We need health systems to improve teamwork and communication by implementing clear processes that are supported by user-friendly platforms.
3D medical printing making strides, and helping patients do the same
3D printers are currently being used to construct not only customized prosthetics for patients in need, but a wide variety of other medical items — foremost among them tissues and organoids, as well as surgical models and tools.
How healthtech innovation can make the Covid-19 vaccine rollout a success
The vaccine is being delivered to 195 countries with different databases healthcare systems. Healthtech solutions help us bring together data from different healthcare organizations, manufacturing and distributing facilities, and government departments into a centralized location.
How text messaging is transforming the life sciences industry
For the last few years, digital transformation has been the mantra for healthcare-related organizations of […]
COVID-19 boosted senior tech literacy. Here’s how that affects Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage providers need to get ahead of the tide by proactively considering what they can do to suit their enrollees’ new, tech-savvy preferences — now and in the future.
Remote patient monitoring is not the “future.” It’s the “now.”
Every patient who could benefit should be armed with the sophisticated and validated technologies currently available to monitor key biometrics at home to alert patients and their clinicians of abnormalities and opportunities for early intervention.
With Covid vaccines, are we out of the woods? Not quite
Covid vaccines are the talk of the town but in the meantime, there remains a great need for Covid-19 management solutions – including effective screening, efficient testing, improving treatments, battling vaccine misinformation, continued mask-wearing and social distancing – to protect the public.
It’s that time of year – payer Groundhog’s Day
At this time every year payers employ teams of people whose full-time job is calling a doctor’s office, requesting information, and waiting weeks for the data to be mailed in hard copy or being required to physically drive to the provider location to pick up… Read More »It’s that time of year – payer Groundhog’s Day
Translational medicine: A fresh take on how clinicians can battle burnout
Taking your clinician expertise and applying it to the business world might reduce your sense of burnout and rekindle the love you feel for medicine.
Health data can help us close the cultural awareness and trust gaps exposed by Covid-19
When healthcare leaders trust each other enough to share essential information on their patients — either through their own decisions or through forced policy change — real progress can be made on building patient trust and, as a result, real progress on better health.
The Home health landrush: Getting ahead in a complex market
Few people question whether care delivery will continue to migrate out of the hospital into new settings such as the home. The better question is, what services – specifically – will migrate to the home, and what innovations are necessary to support these migrations?
Little, blue lessons for a post-pandemic healthcare industry
Viagra’s successful launch gives drug companies a roadmap to building a humanized brand. But it also showed why, even in a pharma-friendly, post-Covid world, humanizing healthcare may be harder than it seems
Reducing bias in AI requires high-quality data
In dermatology, to ensure that bias is not embedded in the technology, the machine learning algorithms must be trained using images of skin of color, not just light skin images.
How Covid-19 is accelerating interoperability
The combination of regulatory pressure and technological advances will help move the needle forward — and not just for the sake of better interoperability, but also to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control and improve the health and wellbeing of us all.
Healthtech is great at innovation, but less so at commercialisation. Here’s how we change that.
For digital health entrepreneurs to truly seize the moment, the focus has to be on developing an exceptional go-to-market engine, alongside those transformative products.
Managing medications during Covid-19: A team effort in transitional care
As my personal experience with my grandparents proved, engaging with your local pharmacist can reduce the burden placed on a patient’s family and the primary caregiver, while making the transition to at-home care manageable.
Why payers need top-notch digital data management
Strategic decisions payers make today will determine how ready they will be for a future where patients expect their healthcare to be as seamless as online shopping.
How AI is reshaping the future of the patient-provider experience
We’re only just beginning to learn how to harness the power of AI in ways that cultivate stronger healthcare systems — and ensure that the value of connection akin to the human condition is not lost but rather nurtured in its use among healthcare providers.
At the Crossroads: Examining the complexities of the largest vaccination effort in history
Can we try to peel away the layers to see exactly what it is that makes the world’s largest vaccination rollout so daunting and complex? What is it that defines the level of complexity of a situation?
2021’s crystal ball: 6 AI predictions that will shape a new commercial model
In this article, experts forecast upcoming AI developments that will help shape a new commercial model, making 2021 the year when AI shifts from early exploration to broad adoption.
Under one roof: How to treat autism in children
The need and demand for access to quality, interdisciplinary therapy will only continue to grow. Early intervention, with consistent, qualified care provided under one roof, can generate better outcomes that will help children and their families change what autism means in their lives.
At the height of digital wellness, are we missing the human touch?
Medicine will never progress without technology—there’s no denying that. But for the foreseeable future, human interaction remains an instrumental part of the healthcare experience.
The fight against Sars-CoV-2 in 2021: What’s next?
Metagenomics applied in a rapid clinical setting was unthinkable just a few years ago but now can be deployed by any hospital with local deployment.
Treating cancer with precision: It’s time for host response rofiling
Host response can be identified by proteomic profiling, which involves analyzing a broad range of select proteins in a series of patient blood samples, with the first collected prior to treatment and the next collected after the first dose of treatment
Digital health meets value-based care: It’s time for a new chapter
The next chapter of value-based care should measure engagement like our lives depend on it. We should unleash the power and convenience of digital tools to move the needle on value-based care.
Management lessons from the pandemic: Healthcare leaders must become “activators”
As a brand new, first-time CEO, this trial-by-fire experience in leading through a crisis taught me a lot and gave me much to reflect on. Most notably, the responsibility of a healthcare executive (and any leader, for that matter) appears to have fundamentally changed.
How health plans can mitigate the bumps along the road to implementing CMS’ interoperability rules
Back in 2019, the Proposed Interoperability rules were released from ONC and CMS, and the […]
In our minds, we’re goin’ to Carolina—Medical schools as drivers of an improved patient experience
East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine is one great example of medical schools that you may not know about but that are doing a very fine job training our next generation of patient-centered, compassionate caretakers in medicine.
The bot will see you now
Using natural-language processing and speech recognition technologies, startups are now creating chat-bots and other apps that can, to a remarkable extent, accurately replicate the experience of chatting with a receptionist or nurse.
AI predicts better kidney care
AI models offer an early look into who might develop kidney disease, who would benefit from early intervention, and the risk of further complications without a change in course. However, it is worth taking a close look to ensure any bias or gaps are addressed.… Read More »AI predicts better kidney care
Are metabolic hormones the next frontier in cancer treatment?
With a global epidemic of obesity and diabetes and their known relationship to cancer, researchers and oncologists are turning their attention to metabolic hormones as promising new targets for cancer treatment.
5 trends that will shape healthcare in 2021
If there is any lesson to be drawn from 2020, it’s that making predictions for the year ahead is an act of hubris. Despite that, some clear trends have emerged.
Opening up real-time access to data via APIs could help streamline Covid-19 vaccination programs
An API-first approach supports low-code solutions, and that is of immense value to healthcare facilities right now.
Making EHRs more like a butler by serving the needs of clinicians
Healthcare leaders can continue to wait for the government to enact and enforce IT changes that may or may not serve the needs of clinicians. Or, they can embrace proven solutions today that make their EHRs a bit more like a good butler – and… Read More »Making EHRs more like a butler by serving the needs of clinicians
Healthcare’s next act: More connections, stronger relationships
Covid-19 made an already challenging healthcare system even harder to navigate. If we want the industry to come back stronger than before, then we must ask ourselves, “What is healthcare’s next act?”
5 trends that could improve healthcare in 2021
AR tools will see a massive boost in 2021 after a year in which its star grew. Here are some more trends that are poised to make 2021 a meaningful year for healthcare.
What if we captured the spirit and urgency of Covid-19 research to cure cancer?
Covid-19 stands as a litmus test for pushing the boundaries of standardized research processes. Let’s use this shared focus, urgency, and the new partnerships being forged, to invigorate and accelerate cancer research.
How 2020 has shaped the future of healthcare
Covid-19 provided everyone with a rare example of why it is so vital to communicate end-of-life wishes in a clear and easily accessible way.
Predictions for AI-powered digital healthcare in 2021
Oncology diagnosis inclusing digital pathology, telehealth and physician access are just some of the areas where AI can have outsize impact in 2021
Catching up on care post Covid-19 requires ‘digital compassion’
In addition to human empathy, we are also seeing a new “digital compassion” emerging as healthcare providers work to support patients in need during this uncertain time. Showing this kind of compassion has become easier as technology becomes more advanced and patient-centric in response to… Read More »Catching up on care post Covid-19 requires ‘digital compassion’
Disruption, acceleration and innovation: Health IT predictions for 2021
The CEO of Surescripts shares his predictions for the health IT segment that include policy and technology projections.
Precision measurement in 2021: Why accuracy is key to the vaccine ‘cold chain’ and disrupting the spread of Covid-19
By creating new networks for 24/7 temperature monitoring, alerts and reporting, the challenges of deploying transportation at ultra-low temperatures can be overcome. This also illustrates the crucial role that precision measurement will have to play.
Getting healthcare enterprise AI data to deliver
When we talk about artificial intelligence, the truth is most physicians aren’t using it.What we need now is for developers and tech executives to stop designing theoretical solutions, and instead place physicians, patients, and specific clinical needs at the center of their solutions.
Fixing the cracks: Why it’s time to modernize marketplace enrollment strategies
By implementing a standardized, automated, and modernized set of processes to manage critical enrollment information across multiple lines of business, plans have greater potential to expand member footprint, enter new markets and drive competitive differentiation.
Is the biopharma industry right to be skeptical about AI?
Ultimately, we should be excited about AI and its adoption in biopharma, but we should also stay sensible and focus our efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact.
How augmented intelligence and NLP can help clinicians, researchers identify rare diseases
To help clinicians diagnose rare disease more quickly and accurately, many healthcare organizations are embracing technology solutions like natural language processing (NLP) tools that can create augmented intelligence workflows that facilitate the rapid search of unstructured clinical data from multiple data sources.
Covid-19 is bringing digital therapeutics to the forefront of medicine
In medicine, we’re getting real-time experience with what many believed was an inevitable but potentially […]
Innovation, not price controls, will ensure patients’ ongoing access to life-saving medicines
To reduce drug prices, we should focus on the complex drug channel arrangements that stand between manufacturers and patients and not as much on price controls.
Covid-19 Is derailing cancer clinical trials. Is new technology required to get them back on track?
It is time to make it our collective mission to bring data automation to patient recruiting for clinical trials and not wait for a resolution of the pandemic to manage clinical trial disruption.
Accumulated genetic variations: What they are and why they matter to a complete health picture
Unlike inherited genetic predispositions, accumulated genetic changes are the result of environmental influences, such as smoking, chemicals or ultra-violet radiation. A growing body of research links somatic changes to an increased likelihood of blood cancers and cardiovascular disease, both heart disease and stroke.
The role of coaching in motivating and creating personal accountability for better health
Leveraging dedicated personal coaches and individualized content are the key ingredients of a successful health and wellness program.
How digital healthcare tools are changing medicine in Europe since COVID-19
In Europe, three major categories of care currently being aided by digital tools: distance diagnoses, internal communications, and external collaborations.
Predictive surveillance: Can artificial intelligence eliminate HAIs?
AI-powered surveillance systems are helping health systems and public health agencies with their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current health crisis offers a glimpse of how it may be possible to predict and prevent a range of chronic health concerns, including healthcare-associated infections.
Covid’s mental health crisis curve
The Covid mental health crisis curve stands to cataclysmically increase the number of deaths associated with the pandemic.
How to improve revenue cycle management: 5 tips
Especially in a tough economic climate, healthcare facilities need more efficient ways to improve cash flow and remain stable by ensuring claims are accurately processed and quickly paid.
In the uncompensated care pandemic, AI is a potent antidote
By helping patients find affordable healthcare, AI will promote stronger financial health for providers and patients alike, and improve the quality of care as patients gain the financial support to engage in more preventative healthcare.
Why we need a wholistic approach to behavioral health
I’m not proud to say that in the past, I’ve played a role in cutting behavioral health programs in an effort to navigate budget constraints and mitigate financial losses. But my perspective as a finance executive is not what it used to be.
4 ways to improve patient experience with advanced analytics
Patients have signaled that they are ready for the digital revolution in healthcare, yet providers are still grappling with technology and disparate data.
Helping nurses bounce back from the devastating effects of Covid-19
Closing the gap between documentation and communication and ensuring software enhances rather than distracts from workflow are two ways that the burden on nurses can be eased at this time.
Knowledge gained from Covid-19: Better practices for preventing infections
With proper guidelines in place, along with more education on less toxic chemicals and the proper use of new technologies, greater outcomes will be achieved as we prepare for future outbreaks.
Cardiac patients can’t wait on care during Covid-19: A patient advocate’s perspective
Minimally-invasive treatment options like transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) could be a good option for some patients because patients typically stay in the hospital for shorter periods of time.
5 tips to find the right digital health venture partner
With so many new entrants hoping to cash in on the success of digital health, it is more important than ever to look for a venture capital firm that has the right relationships and expertise.
Healthcare will improve when quality improves – and it begins with workforce competencies
Covid-19 and other challenges of 2020 have carried a sobering mandate: quality can no longer […]
How to sustain independent physician practices
The greatest issue that must be addressed is also the elephant in the room: reducing the administrative burden on physicians.
Beyond the pandemic: Harnessing the power of real time insights
When all key health stakeholders are connected at the hub, common insights can be leveraged, allowing all healthcare providers to respond intelligently, without delay and ultimately make the best decisions possible for their patients.
Covid-19 didn’t just disrupt healthcare, it accelerated industry change
Many of the strategies that were on the bottom of the priority list in early 2020 may have moved up, with a new focus on digital enablement and other technological capabilities.
What the U.S. needs to do to assist cancer patients and their physicians in developing countries
Tumor boards can help physicians in developing countries get access to U.S. expertise and represent one way to democratize state-of-the-art care for cancer patients throughout the world.
More than human: Taking healthcare back to its people-centered roots
The healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are people-centered by design. So how did tech companies become the default “brands that care”?
How to tackle the mental health crisis that will come with a second Covid-19 wave
To prepare for this next wave, healthcare systems and community mental health organizations must find ways to scale resources to efficiently screen patients for behavioral health conditions, match them with the right resources and then monitor their progress over time
Culture-free alternatives for characterizing bloodstream infections
In the coming years, clinicians will be presented with a larger and more capable toolbox to aid in the diagnosis of sepsis, directly overcoming the drawbacks of culture-based diagnostics.
Barriers to quality care—and how home testing can break them down
the pandemic has brought much-needed attention to how technology can help take down barriers to care and bridge care gaps—by shifting healthcare to people’s homes.
Gains in tRNAslation: It’s time for investors to realize the potential of European RNA technologies
Investing in new innovative RNA technologies can lead to rapid value creation, and Europe is a fertile ground to hunt for them.
Ransomware in healthcare: The inevitable truth
The best path forward for healthcare organizations is first to understand the characteristics, causes, and indicators of ransomware attacks and then be proactive in taking preventative measures.
Covid-19 highlights the need for real-world, real-time data in Ob-Gyn and Beyond
Without the ability to aggregate representative, structured data in real-time for analysis, novel situations like the COVID-19 pandemic leave organizations and professional associations struggling to develop evidence-based guidance rapidly
Here are the benefits of data consolidation
Data consolidation and a modern approach to data management across health care organizations are critical for driving operational efficiency, protecting critical patient data and, most importantly, delivering optimal health outcomes.
The trough and the tidal wave: How health insurers can get ahead of the looming demand
Deferred care because of Covid-19 will lead to additional stress on the healthcare system in the very near future and here’s how insurers can manage it.
7 best practices for pharmacies managing short-dated inventory
If pharmacists and technicians are properly trained at navigating the idiosyncrasies of managing medication with limited shelf-life, you’ll be in a better position to save on your pharmacy spend.
Why prioritizing health equity in the Covid-19 vaccine distribution is not just right, but necessary
Even though Covid-19 is distinct from any health crisis the country has previously faced, assessing U.S. public health strategies during past crises can provide insight into what has contributed to a more or less equitable response.
Staying sane on the mission to Mars
Recently, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health selected three innovative biotech companies using VR, conversation-bots, and probiotic therapeutics to combat mental health risks.
Why most hospitals could save millions by improving patient safety
Improving patient safety and increasing the bottom line aren’t competing priorities. Here’s how hospitals can accomplish both objectives.
Technology can ease pandemic challenges faced by hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers
To keep critical revenue flowing, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers need to resume elective surgeries and procedures as quickly as possible and mobile apps can help by giving patients and staff vital information, provide advance symptom screening and help providers reduce elective procedure no-shows through… Read More »Technology can ease pandemic challenges faced by hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers
Best practices for physicians in adopting compliant and efficient data sharing
By making responsible and strategic technology investments, practitioners will have access to robust data, be in a position to analyze and interpret trends and outcomes and provide health care informatics that ultimately will be the insights they need to be successful in a value-based health… Read More »Best practices for physicians in adopting compliant and efficient data sharing
Covid-19 has presented the possibility of reinventing healthcare delivery and reimbursement must support this
While there are encouraging signs of reimbursement falling in step with the move towards a more value-based healthcare system, what is needed now to further encourage healthcare innovators is to properly rationalize approval processes imposed by the FDA and CMS.
Will Covid-19 be the straw that breaks AI’s back?
When discussing the role of AI in Covid-19, we have to reframe this conversation and look at AI as an important approach that can provide better analysis and ultimately better outcomes for patients, not as replacing the entirety of the drug discovery process or as… Read More »Will Covid-19 be the straw that breaks AI’s back?
The new frontline of care: social services
Radically improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations requires a multifaceted proactive, community-wide approach focused on better understanding social determinants of health and simultaneously addressing social and health inequalities.
Technology’s role in streamlining processes and lowering costs in the fight against Covid-19
With so many incredible advancements in technology in the healthcare space, it’s important to understand where exactly these developments have a measurable impact.
Politics won’t fix the inequities in healthcare – but this will
Imagine a world where every patient has access to a care manager armed with comprehensive, real-time data and the tools to take action.
Use virtual visits to enhance the patient centricity of clinical trials
By enabling a more hybrid approach to clinical trials with the added flexibility of telehealth, studies can improve patient-centricity, which will ultimately improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.
3 reasons telehealth is here to stay
The question isn’t if telemedicine has a future, but rather how ubiquitous it will be in our healthcare system moving forward.
Is the digital health industry prepared for an unprecedented flu season?
It’s important to leverage patient engagement tools to get in front of patients early in the season, reminding them to get their flu shot and educating them on the potential symptoms of both the seasonal flu and Covid-19
Asynchronous virtual health: 3 reasons it’s critical for now and foundational for the future
Health systems should embrace an omni-channel strategy that includes asynchronous virtual visit capabilities to better meet consumer needs, improve provider capacity, and enable more robust virtual care models.
How the value of innovation will be redefined in 2021
While payers and policymakers took a more narrow-minded perspective on innovation value in 2020, the year 2021 will bring an increased focus on a treatment’s societal value, how innovation interacts with digital technologies, and whether new innovations are able to reduce existing health outcome inequalities.
Using American-made PPE will help to prevent shortages as nation braces for second Covid-wave
Members of the House and Senate have seen the need to boost the national stockpile with PPE that is made in America. Failure to do so would only exacerbate the problems when our healthcare system is stretched thin.
Realizing healthcare’s robotic revolution
Trained clinical judgment and human compassion will always be irreplaceable, but robotics and automation can also provide predictable and repeatable movements, facilitating better standardization of treatment, which allows physicians to focus on clinical decision making.
Consumer healthcare behavior is changing: 3 changes that will stick post-Covid in the healthcare revenue cycle
What are the Covid-related changes in consumer behavior that will stick in the healthcare revenue cycle following the pandemic? Here are three trends that could reshape customer service in the revenue cycle.
Healthcare industry’s struggle to expand software teams is limiting growth
Remote IT teams are now a viable solution for startups and established firms to tap into the global pool of software engineers to meet their need to expand development teams rapidly. But how do you successfully vet, onboard, and manage remote software developers?
Advocating for underserved populations: Is remote patient monitoring the answer?
It’s crucial that today’s providers, innovators, and regulators alike continue to push for such tech adoption, driving virtual, continuous care in populations disproportionately affected by disease.
What payers need to know about FHIR
Although the deadline for compliance with the FHIR patient access rules is fast approaching, most payers are not prepared,
New cervical cancer screening guidelines ignore past progress
It is unclear why the American Cancer Society would potentially impact the lives of countless women with recommendations that contradict decades of real progress.
The importance of care coordination
While providers diagnose and treat in the hospital, care coordinators go beyond the four walls of that facility, into the community, and meet patients where they are, both literally and figuratively.
How the intelligence-based health system will become critical to meet patient needs today and post-Covid-19
To enable greater health access, the healthcare industry must modernize. We need systems rooted in intelligence for a healthier tomorrow.
We’ve failed in chronic care management It’s time to change course.
In rearchitecting the system by training every care provider in every specialty, and enable lower-cost providers and communities, we will provide a new model of care where a physician isn’t the person who helps us when we’re sick — they help us be healthy.
After the pandemic, hospitals should keep working together
We’re beating Covid-19 by sharing resources. Why stop there? By pooling select healthcare resources, we could also collectively buy supplies in bulk, lowering costs for everyone and minimizing our exposure to supply chain disruptions after the pandemic.
The unique constraints of cloud utilization in healthcare
To achieve the technological agility required to function in the modern world, healthcare organizations are wise to pursue managed services and utilize the power of cloud service providers.
The new “virtual” normal: Is face-to-face care delivery a thing of the past?
There will always be a place for face-to-face care, but the shift to virtual care will drive a more intentional and cost-effective use of such in-person interaction.
Telemedicine’s evolutionary leap: Who says you can’t teach an old Darwin new tricks?
Dynamic personnel shifts, technology embrace, and significant behavior change will allow for rapid evolution of the healthcare industry and create the opportunity for alliances across the care continuum.
How Covid-19 has enhanced the need for price transparency
Price transparency is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must-have as consumers’ wallets increasingly run dry.
3 technologies that will play a pivotal role in the pandemic and beyond
Though the rest of 2020 is still unknown, one fact is very clear: Clinicians will need to continue to lean heavily on technology like RPM, AI and telehealth to ensure successful patient outcomes across the board.
The e-doctor will see you now
Fully-credentialled e-doctors still don’t exist, at least not in their entirety but major elements of the concept have already been deployed in the field, and progress toward a more comprehensive e-doc is well underway.
Robotic Process Automation: The future of healthcare revenue cycle management
As RPA’s value for revenue cycle continues to be explored, leaders need to go beyond the hype and determine a practical path to innovation that takes into account the organization’s capacity for innovation and the road map that will best take the organization to its… Read More »Robotic Process Automation: The future of healthcare revenue cycle management
Why geriatric care must evolve post-Covid-19
Even relatively healthy older adults see the benefit of receiving home-based primary care, not just because of its convenience, but because patients feel safer at home now, and more unsafe than ever in ambulatory settings surrounded by other sick patients.
How digital solutions are transforming healthcare and life sciences business processes
Once people recognized that the situation would be more than just a transient window, a growing number of healthcare and life sciences organizations took steps to deploy consistent and secure solutions to digitize a wide range of traditionally paper processes.
How to get nationwide reimbursement for novel medical technology
Attaining reimbursement often has the greatest impact on patient access and can progress a new treatment toward widespread adoption.
Teladoc-Livongo point the way to a consumer-first health ecosystem but also further fragmentation
The rise of digital in the health care ecosystem is also making the consumer experience increasingly fragmented and overly complex.
Best practices for running a board meeting: What healthcare entrepreneurs need to know
Every lawyer knows that, in a courtroom, one should never ask a question one does not know the answer to. The same holds true for a CEO holding a board meeting. Preparation, such as holding one-on-one meetings with board members ahead of the event, is… Read More »Best practices for running a board meeting: What healthcare entrepreneurs need to know
What would post-Covid value-based care look like?
As virtual care is only going to grow in the coming months as a solution to pent-up demand for care that has resulted from the pandemic, focused attention is needed to address these operational and reimbursement issues.
The evolution of healthcare and technology in the ‘hospital of tomorrow’
If you just need blood drawn, do you really need to go to a hospital or your local lab? Wouldn’t it be easier on you (and less costly to everyone) if you could just prick your finger at your kitchen table and send in your… Read More »The evolution of healthcare and technology in the ‘hospital of tomorrow’
How payers and providers can address the CMS interoperability mandate
We need to keep in mind three key elements to successfully implement the final interoperability rules from CMS that require private payers to provide longitudinal claims data to members as well as the use of open APIs so a range of third-party applications can be… Read More »How payers and providers can address the CMS interoperability mandate
Why we invested in Eden Health
Flare Capital Partner Dan Gebremedhin explains what led the venture capital firm to invest in New York-based Eden Health and lead its recent Series B round.
Match without a flame: Why interoperability mandates still require operational, use-case specific platforms
Whether it’s solving a gap in care problem, or a payer/doctor connectivity problem there will always be individual use cases where multisided platforms (or health information exchanges) can and should connect to solve for information exchange at scale.
How wearables can help the healthcare industry address Covid-19
The potential that wearables have for helping detect early signs of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases, as well as monitoring patients, will make this technology a popular choice for healthcare organizations and consumers for the foreseeable future.
Addressing Covid-19 is a data problem – here’s how the data community is harnessing healthcare data to solve it
Data can allow us to improve our public health response to the pandemic, but only if we enable data scientists with the right tools to harness those datasets.
A pandemic reinforced our belief in population health
The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the underserved, Black Americans, Latinos, and those with chronic conditions requires an industry-wide foundational response.
15 Covid-19 forecasts healthcare leaders must get right
The annual healthcare budgeting process begins with forecasting future patient volumes, case mix, and revenue. […]
Pennsylvania court interprets scope of Patient Safety Act privilege protections
A recent Pennsylvania appellate court opinion related to the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (“PSQIA”) continues a trend of judicial erosion of patient safety privilege protections afforded to health care providers by statute.
How the biotech capital markets are faring in the time of Covid-19
As we look forward to the back half of the year, it’s clear that the desire for companies to commence their IPO process with organizational meetings and bake-offs continues
4 strategies to help your infusion center navigate Covid-19 uncertainty
When reviewing a return to normal operations, there is much to consider. Here are four approaches aimed at establishing a healthy pathway back to something close to the norm.
Trust, privacy, and our American pandemic
Health information exchanges know about the hard work of building trust by delivering value in healthcare. They have been in these trenches. They need a seat at the table with our state public health leaders as America works to safely reopen.
What rural hospitals can teach their urban counterparts about patient engagement
Rural hospitals are grappling with high rates of chronic disease, lack of broadband access, and workforce shortages that are exacerbated by the low pay and professional isolation that are characteristic of rural settings. It is from within this digital divide that rural hospitals have learned… Read More »What rural hospitals can teach their urban counterparts about patient engagement
Grandma doesn’t feel safe in the nursing home anymore: Innovations in remote monitoring give hope for improving home-based senior care
The Covid-19 pandemic is providing the impetus to look at the senior home health care model differently and more holistically.
5 ways to prepare your patient for their first telemedicine visit
The first visit can seem daunting for patients, but by offering this advice and treating the virtual visit as an extension of in-person care, it can be an easy and efficient way to conduct an appointment.
Delivering on the promise of precision cancer medicine and why it matters even more during a pandemic
While many of us have avoided exposure to Covid-19 by sheltering in place, patients with […]
Shattering the fourth wall: The shared behavioral health experiences
With the line between provider and patient now blurred, behavioral health professionals need to be in tune with their own psychological and physical state and seek support from colleagues, a supervisor, or their own therapist.
Secrets to Pop Health Management success: Take a leap of faith, be strategic, and collaborate
Population health management advocates need to demonstrate how redefining care management by adopting a holistic viewpoint to include what’s happening outside the hospital will help systems influence health at scale and improve care at a lower cost.
Public health cyber war games: How hackers are exploiting Covid to get ahead
Providing access to multiple sources of sensitive data to enable key functions like contract tracing and monitoring hospitalizations also means increased vulnerabilities and the emergence of entirely new attack surfaces.
Go to war with the army you have: Until there’s a vaccine, a cocktail can fight Covid-19
A successful cocktail would also serve us in the long-run to treat the impacts of Covid-19 and keep those who are most vulnerable, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, more resilient against serious illness or death.
Beyond Covid-19: 5 opportunities for startups to reshape the future healthcare landscape
We believe the areas that will require the most adaptation are in value-based care payment models, digitally integrated and tailored care delivery and automation.
Are we experiencing a natural selection moment in health tech?
Health tech companies in the wellness industry might face a more difficult market than those in the clinical-grade domain. Benefits offered by wellness companies are those most likely to be viewed as nice-to-have perks that may not bring enough value.
Responsibly reopening in the Era of Covid-19: A Perspective from CVS Caremark’s CMO
Now more than ever, it’s incumbent on us to use our vast presence in communities across the country to support organizations and the economy.
Faster health data exchange starts with addressing health IT’s control concerns
This outbreak has shown us that we need to be much faster, more nimble and better prepared to confidently share health data across organizations.
A brief history of the future of genomics
Naysayers have been proven wrong multiple times over as companies across the biotech industry have advanced to deliver diagnostics and detection assays across a number of different cancer types enabling predictive testing, early diagnosis and objective results.
The critical need for community investment
In comparison to other developed countries, we spend the least amount of money on social care and the most on medical, with the worst overall health outcomes. We must intentionally and strategically reallocate some healthcare dollars to invest in communities.
Physical therapy can create a path for reduced opioid use
Opioid abuse is a widely recognized public health crisis in the United States and the […]
How real-time pharmacy intelligence can protect against Covid-19 and identify emerging trends
Understanding the medication supply chain, coupled with predictive analytics, will allow hospital pharmacies to be better equipped for any resurgence of the pandemic in their areas.
3 strategies to manage digital health data
The value of digital health data is as vast as its volume – but only if it can be unlocked, managed, and ultimately shared for the greater good.
Physicians deserve better software: Covid-19 has shown why medical records need to adapt
Now that meaningful API-based integration is finally a reality in healthcare, systems of clinical intelligence are emerging to meet physicians’ needs where EHRs have fallen short.
The return of housecalls: How Covid-19 will change healthcare forever
Housecalls may not arrive in the form of a horse and buggy, but after experiencing the convenience and value of receiving care on the channel that they prefer and exactly when they need it, consumers will expect this level of care from here on out.
The role of home-based blood diagnostics in future cancer care
The current pandemic, which has caused treatment delays, is simply another reason that home-based treatment options should become more readily available to cancer patients.
Telehealth: creating a safe and convenient future of healthcare
Whether healthcare organizations are ready or not, the era of virtual care has arrived, with telehealth spearheading the change.