Optimization: shaping policy, adopting technology and digesting data
As telehealth users grow to 40 million + in the United States, systems are focusing on fine-tuning delivery and driving modality efficiencies
Payer Consortium releases Legislative Recommendations
A consortium led the by the non-partisan Catalyst for Payment Reform released its top four recommendations for lawmakers as they consider the post-Covid future of telehealth. The non-profit group (which represents large employers such as AT&T, General Motors and Google) was joined by Mercer and the American Benefits Council in releasing the whitepaper, which can be downloaded here. In it, the group points out that “There is no turning back the clock. Having been steered to virtual healthcare during the pandemic, health plan members will expect virtual visits to continue to be available. In the ongoing shift to more virtual modes of working and conducting business, it is natural they would expect those efficiencies to translate into healthcare delivery.”
OHSU Partners with GE Healthcare to Launch Virtual ICUs
The Oregon Health and Science University has partnered with GE Healthcare to implement GE’s Mural solution, which will extend OHSU’s ICU expertise across the state of Oregon to reach rural residents. The technology integrates with EHR systems to provide audio and visual displays of patient monitoring, enabling ICU clinicians to provide virtual care to patients from miles away. As state health systems grapple with ICU staffing shortages, it will be imperative for healthcare leaders to find innovative solutions such as virtual ICUs to ensure staffed bed capacity is at a level that can meet census surges.
Fierce Healthcare Makes 7 Predictions for 2021 Health Tech
COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of digital tools in healthcare so it is no surprise that the impacts of telehealth and virtualization efforts shaped the predictions of the industry experts gathered by Fierce. Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health, and Jami Doucette, president of Premise Health, predicted that digital health tools will continue to receive significant investment and resources from healthcare organizations and systems. Consumers will continue to expect providers and payers to meet them through the technologies and platforms they have become accustomed to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cleo CEO Sarahjane Sacchetti makes the argument that employers will advocate for these services to be maintained as well after realizing how the flexibility and convenience of virtual healthcare can drive employee satisfaction and productivity.
Hinge Healthcare is valued at 3B+ after latest raise
TechCrunch is reporting that Hinge Healthcare has raised a $310M series D funding round led by Coatue and Tiger Global. Hinge is currently focused on bringing Musculoskeletal intervention directly to consumers, with a platform enabled by wearable sensors, virtual physical therapy, and health coaching. While Hinge started with MSK, the company has signaled that it wants to apply it approach to other chronic disease states.