Week 25 Newsletter

(09/22/20) Primary Care Has Not Fully Bounced Back, According to New Survey
A new survey released by the Primary Care Collaborative has found that more than eight in ten primary care clinicians disagree with the notion that primary care has recovered from COVID-19 related reductions in services. A majority of clinicians have reported working longer hours with reduced capacity compared to pre-pandemic. 

(09/25/20) A New “PPE” for a Thriving Community: Public Health, Primary Care, Health Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the United States, emerging attention is being paid to public health, primary care, and access to health care. This blog post on the Health Affairs blog discusses some strategies for ensuring synergy and effectiveness in protecting the population at large with these focuses.

(09/22/20) Tyson Plant That Had Major COVID-19 Outbreak Works With Clinic to Get Health Care Nearby
Meat packing plants have consistently been cited as a major concern for outbreaks of COVID-19. In response to this concern, Tyson has partnered with medical clinics that will open exclusively for employees of these meatpacking facilities.

(09/24/20) The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Admissions in the United States
This research article published by Health Affairs covers the changes to hospital admissions in the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found significant decreases in non-COVID-19 related hospital admissions throughout the pandemic, albeit lower at the onset than during the summer. These decreases are most pronounced in majority-Hispanic communities.

(09/22/20) Rural Hospitals Teeter on Financial Cliff as COVID Medicare Loans Come Due
A joint-reported article from Kaiser Health News and NPR highlighting the financial issues many rural hospitals are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As payment for medicare loans given months prior are becoming due, many rural facilities are not in a position to repay and could use even more assistance.

(09/22/20) Financial Fallout From COVID-19: 9 hospitals Laying Off Workers
A list of hospitals laying off health care workers since August. The impact of COVID-19-related service interruption and the subsequent decrease in in-person visits is having long-term negative impacts on the financial situations of many clinics in the United States.

(09/24/20) Telemedicine: A Harbinger of Healthcare Transformation?
This opinion piece forecasts more reliance on the electronic and virtual changes to health care accelerated by the pandemic, even after the regulatory easing on privacy and insurance companies reconsider reimbursement. Issues to be considered include when virtual visits should be prioritized over in-person and how much should they be reimbursed.

(09/23/20) Telehealth Should Be Expanded—if it Can Address Today’s Health Care Challenges
This post featured on the Health Affairs blog promotes further expansion of telehealth following the rapid expansion and implementation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning to integrate these advancements into the health care system in a post-pandemic world will be essential for continued adoption and improvement on telehealth services.

 (09/21/20) Mayo’s Chief Digital Officer: The Hospital of the Future Isn’t Just About Technology
This interview with Rita Khan, Chief Digital Officer of the Mayo Clinic, discusses the nature of utilizing telehealth and technology to empower patience and encourage further transparency in health care delivery.

(09/21/20) Setting a Strategy to Maximize Telehealth’s Potential
An article from Margaret O’Kane, President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, about strategically utilizing telehealth services to meet the needs of health care providers both during the pandemic and beyond. As health care workers risked their lives treating patients early in the pandemic, state and national governments relaxed restrictions on telehealth services and providers worked to fill in the gap with using the technology to meet non-emergency care needs.

(09/17/20) Clinical Placements for Nursing Students in an Era of Pandemic
A new brief from the Oregon Center for Nursing discusses the necessary pivots many nursing education programs and the facilities they partner with are making in order to meet the changing needs of their community. The report found that as opposed to creating new problems for nursing education, the pandemic is exacerbating old problems and offers some suggestions to improve the situation.

(09/18/20) Long-Term Care Facilities Must Prioritize Immigrant Workers’ Needs to Contain COVID-19
Immigrants make up a critical component of the health care industry, especially in long-term care facilities, which have many immigrants working in direct-care staff roles. As immigrant health and well-being is essential for the success of many long-term care facilities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, some recommendations are provided for comprehensive protection, improvements to working standards, and organizing for the rights of immigrants.

(09/24/20) California Expands Privacy Protection to Public Health Workers Amid Threats
Threats to health care workers have led to an executive order from Governor Gavin Newsom of California which offers to make their home addresses confidential. Health care workers in California have received threats related to their work in treating and prevention efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.