How to Rein in Unpredictability During High-Traffic Respiratory Illness Season

How to Rein in Unpredictability During High-Traffic Respiratory Illness Season

‘Tripledemic’ concerns have been on the rise with the collision of flu, Covid-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) wreaking havoc in clinics and hospitals. Yet staff are expected to provide smooth, fast, and effective care journeys for all, no matter the volume of patients. We know, however, that everything doesn’t always go as planned when patient traffic explodes. Bottlenecks like long wait times and limited appointment options inevitably skyrocket, and staff bear the brunt of patients who (understandably) want to be seen immediately, in conjunction with staff members intermittently being out sick themselves.
Living in an environment of extreme health unpredictability affects…

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RTLS & AI: Solving the Riddle of Healthcare Inefficiency

RTLS & AI: Solving the Riddle of Healthcare Inefficiency

The following is a guest article by Steven Manifold, CMO at Ubisense.
Many healthcare systems around the world are overburdened. Some face the lingering effects of COVID-19, while others lack funding and staff. Healthcare providers are increasingly turning to technology to help shoulder these burdens, but are fancy tech deployments really the cure or just another placebo?   
RTLS
RTLS (Real-time Location Systems) are not new technologies, but they remain uncommon in most healthcare settings. Popular in automotive, aerospace, and general manufacturing and logistics industries, they have paved the way towards smarter, more efficient industrial practices while contributing to the much vaulted “Industry 4.0” revolution….

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Report: Pharma R&D ROI Falls to Lowest Level in 13 Years

Report: Pharma R&D ROI Falls to Lowest Level in 13 Years

What You Should Know:– Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions releases its thirteenth annual report, ‘Seize the Digital Momentum: Measuring the return from pharmaceutical innovation 2022’ that explores the performance of the biopharmaceutical industry (bio Pharma) and its ability to generate returns from investment in innovative new medicines.– Since 2021, much of the world has successfully adjusted to life where COVID-19 is more endemic as vaccines and treatments reduced the risk and severity of illness, however geopolitical turmoil and a global cost-of-living crisis have continued to drive serious instability in the health landscape.Pharmaceutical Innovation – Trends and Insights At a GlanceThis is…

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How to Leverage Diagnostic Development to Guard Against RSV, Flu and Covid-19 [Sponsored]

How to Leverage Diagnostic Development to Guard Against RSV, Flu and Covid-19 [Sponsored]

For the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals focused on understanding the Covid-19 virus, how best to guard against it, and developing tests to detect it. They also tracked, aggregated, and analyzed health data to assess and monitor the public health threat on a regional, state and country-wide level. In the longer term, vaccine development and distribution were used to slow the spread to avoid a collapse of the health system and to reduce the potency of the virus for the majority of people.
More recently, attention has shifted to the long perceived threat of viruses coming together with…

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BCBS Tennessee Unveils Health Disparities in First Health Equity Report

BCBS Tennessee Unveils Health Disparities in First Health Equity Report

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee unveiled its first Health Equity Report Tuesday, which analyzed six topics of health disparities: behavioral health, cancer, child and adolescent care, chronic condition management, Covid-19 and maternal health.
The report serves as a way to understand the inequities that exist among its members to determine ways the payer can address the disparities, said Dr. Andrea Willis, chief medical officer of BCBS Tennessee. “We wanted to get a better picture of the health issues and barriers to care faced by our members and Tennesseans as a whole, so that we could more effectively partner with health care providers to…

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Australian Health Dep't failed to manage risks in expanding telehealth: state auditor

Australian Health Dep’t failed to manage risks in expanding telehealth: state auditor

The Australian National Audit Office has conducted a review of the expansion of telehealth services across the country by the Department of Health and Aged Care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.FINDINGS
Based on the state audit, the department fell short in governance, risk management, and evaluation of the telehealth expansion. 
While it made “significant” changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), the expanded telehealth services were “only partly supported by sound implementation arrangements.” 
The audit found that it did not require key implementation decisions and plans to be documented. 
It was also noted that the department did not manage implementation risks associated with temporary…

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Episode 10: A Look at the  Proposed HIPAA Changes

Episode 10: A Look at the Proposed HIPAA Changes

In this episode of Health+Tech, Andrea Lee Linna and Jonathan Ishee are joined by fellow McGuireWoods digital health team member Michael Paluzzi to discuss proposed HIPAA changes that may require covered entities and business associates to overhaul their HIPAA policies and procedures in 2022.After providing a high-level overview of the proposed changes, the podcast turns to a live recording of Andrea and Jonathan’s recent webinar, “Preparing for Major HIPAA Changes in 2022,” offering in-depth details about the proposed changes and how to prepare for them in the new year….

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Episode 9: Digital Health Trends and Issues for Life Sciences Companies

Episode 9: Digital Health Trends and Issues for Life Sciences Companies

In this episode of Health+Tech, McGuireWoods healthcare attorneys Janice Suchyta, Kate Hardey, Kae Gruner and Royce DuBiner discuss the latest digital health updates from the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission. Join the conversation as we wrap up Cybersecurity Awareness Month and discuss the following topics:• FDA draft guidance on electronic health records and medical claims data• FDA new resource for approved artificial intelligence/machine learning medical devices• FDA Digital Health Center of Excellence• FTC rules for health apps outside of HIPAA…

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Episode 8: Telehealth Barriers During Covid-19

Episode 8: Telehealth Barriers During Covid-19

In this episode of Health+Tech, McGuireWoods healthcare partner Janice Suchyta talks to Michele Satterlund, senior vice president in the state government relations practice of McGuireWoods Consulting and a partner with McGuireWoods, on the emergence of telehealth, particularly during the pandemic. They also look at how telehealth is evaluated state by state and discuss the need for uniform best practices….

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Episode 7: Houston Ready to Become the Third Coast for Biotechnology

Episode 7: Houston Ready to Become the Third Coast for Biotechnology

In this episode of Health+Tech, McGuireWoods healthcare partner Janice M. Suchyta talks to Donna Chang, founder and CEO of Hope Biosciences. Donna discusses how Texas — particularly Houston — is making a name for itself in biotechnology by attracting research funding, supporting premier academic medical centers and welcoming investment by major pharmaceutical companies. Hope Biosciences, a stem cell biotechnology company that has flourished as part of the biotech cluster in the Houston area, is helping to make Texas the third coast for biotechnology….

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