With the COVID-19 pandemic surging, healthcare organizations are tasked with the ongoing challenge of providing sufficient testing for their communities. Lawrence General Hospital (Lawrence, MA) is located in one of the hardest hit cities in Massachusetts with over 8,400 positive cases. As a leading healthcare provider in the region, their staff put together a plan to implement drive-thru testing that now tests over 1,400 patients per day and provides a model for other organizations to follow.

Today is World Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Day, recognizing the estimated 328 million people worldwide who are living with COPD. Organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), in collaboration with healthcare professionals and COPD patient groups worldwide, this day aims to raise awareness, share knowledge, and discuss ways to reduce the burden of COPD. COPD is a lifestyle condition that affects the lungs as a result of the long-term effects of smoking or extended exposure to air pollutants. By the time patients are diagnosed, they are typically experiencing shortness of breath during strenuous physical activity, limiting their ability to work and play. One in 20 patients admitted into the hospital for a severe COPD episode are readmitted within 30 days. 

As clinicians and caregivers fight against the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, their focus is on the urgent needs of the patients they are currently treating. But healthcare organizations have another role to fill: supporting the mental and emotional well-being of their patient population during a global pandemic, even if they aren’t among those being treated for the virus.

Predictions in a field as rife with change as healthcare can be risky, but I’m going to venture out on a limb and say that 2020 will be our industry’s most pivotal year in at least a generation. A year from now I predict we’ll look back at 2020 as the year of interoperability.

Even with recent increases in the percentage of Medicare recipients who have Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs), less than 20 percent of eligible patients availed themselves of this new benefit provided under the Affordable Care Act, according to a JAMA study. 

At Frisbie Memorial Hospital, we saw this as an opportunity to enhance population health efforts and increase revenue through a relatively easy appointment.

In order to build healthier communities and improve population health management, providers need information about a patients’ health that goes beyond clinical factors. 

How can we achieve this? 

When people think of life in California, they often think of movie stars, mansions, and pristine beaches. The reality can sometimes be less glamorous. Since 2016, the homeless population in California has risen by 13 percent. There are now an estimated 130,000 homeless individuals living across California, including 50,000 in Los Angeles alone. Walking the streets in San Bernardino County, the sight of people sleeping in cars, under bridges, and in parks is all too common. 

Lisa, a 45-year old single mother, visits her primary care physician complaining of fatigue and excessive thirst; blood tests reveal she has high blood glucose. She walks out of the clinic with a prescription and a pamphlet about type 2 diabetes. Now what?

In our latest Thought Leader podcast, I speak with Phil Campbell, CIO and VP of Information Services at CalvertHealth (Prince Frederick, MD), about how his organization has been addressing the opioid crisis through its award-winning Opioid Stewardship Program. 

September is National Recovery Month — a time to recognize the more than 11 million Americans who are struggling with opioid addiction. This massive problem has grown exponentially over the years and, unfortunately, seems to be the new norm.