| ARTICLES |
HEALTHCARE & GOVERNMENT
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Trump Administration Pitches Short-Term Health Insurance Plans
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule for short-term, limited duration health insurance that would allow payers to
design skinny benefit plans that consumers could purchase for up to 12 months of coverage. Short-term, limited-duration insurance is not
required to comply with federal requirements for individual health insurance coverage. The proposed rule, which came out of President
Trump's October 2016 executive order, is seen as a way to lower premiums by skirting Affordable Care Act coverage requirements.
Consumers would be able to buy plans for any period of less than 12 months, instead of the three months currently allowed, according to
the HHS/CMS announcement. Premiums for healthy consumers would be expected to cost less than what they could purchase through the
ACA marketplace where no one can be denied coverage based on their medical condition. Short-term plans are designed to provide temporary
coverage for individuals transitioning between healthcare policies, such as an individual in-between jobs, or a student taking a semester off from
school, HHS said. But it is also for those who find ACA coverage too expensive, have fewer plans to choose from in the exchange market, or
who see doctors that are not in network under ACA plans. Premiums have more than doubled between 2013 and 2017 for health plans
offered on the exchange, HHS said. In the fourth quarter of 2016, a short-term, limited-duration policy cost approximately $124 a month
compared to $393 for an unsubsidized ACA-compliant plan, according to HHS. Based on enrollment trends, the Department projects that
approximately 100,000 to 200,000 additional individuals would shift from an ACA-compliant individual market plan to short-term, limited-duration
insurance in 2019. CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule for 60 days. (healthcarefinancenews.com,
2/20/18) |
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BCBS of Idaho to Sell 5 Plans Bypassing ACA Rules
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Idaho recently submitted a request to state insurance regulators to sell five plans that do not comply with ACA
requirements, as informed by the executive order signed by Idaho Gov. Butch Otter in January. The "state-based"
high-deductible health plans offer lower premiums and slightly smaller copays but still cover all of the ACA's essential health benefits.
Deductibles range from $2,000 to $10,000. There is one $5,500-deductible HSA that does not cover maternity care. State-based plans
have a $1 million claims limit per year, at which point customers would be forced to enroll in one of the state's ACA-compliant plans.
BCBS of Idaho would be able to check the medical history of applicants for state-based plans, which Idaho officials say will mostly appeal to
healthy, middle-class individuals and families who earn too much to qualify for ACA subsidies. Dean Cameron, director of the Idaho Department
of Insurance, said, "We're going to review their application carefully and review their rate carefully to make sure they meet our
state guidelines, but we're excited for Idaho consumers, because now they'll be given a choice." HHS Secretary Alex Azar
said the ACA was still the law of the land and would be upheld as such.
(beckershospitalreview.com,
2/14/18) |
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Congress Boosts Medicare Coverage for Virtual Doctor Visits
Access to telehealth services for seniors is poised to take off in coming years thanks to the newly approved federal budget that enables virtual doctor visits for
Americans covered by Medicare Advantage plans. The budget deal signed into law recently by President Trump includes the so-called CHRONIC Care Act, a rare
bipartisan healthcare measure that essentially makes it easier for private Medicare Advantage plans and other entities like ACOs to offer telehealth services. The
passage of the legislation doesn't quite make it a done deal for telehealth providers. It needs CMS, which administers the health insurance program for the elderly,
to follow through. But telehealth providers say it's an opportunity for seniors and companies.
"(The) legislation allows, but doesn't require, CMS to cover and pay
for telehealth services," American Well CEO Dr. Roy Schoenberg said. "The next step would be for CMS and the secretary (of Health and Human Services) to take
advantage of this new discretion and to bring telehealth to elderly Americans who, until now, are excluded from its benefits. This is a first step to make
healthcare less painful by embracing modern technology." (forbes.com,
2/10/18) |
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Businesses Challenge IRS Bid to Start Enforcing Insurance Mandate
Businesses are pushing back on the IRS's decision to begin enforcing the Affordable Care Act's employer insurance mandate,
challenging penalties that run into the millions and asserting the agency is wrong to impose the fines. The ACA imposes a penalty
on employers with 50+ workers who don't provide qualifying coverage to employees, but the fines weren't initially enforced. In
November, the IRS said it would begin assessing penalties, starting with companies that failed to comply in 2015, when
parts of the employer mandate first kicked in. The financial impact on businesses could be significant. The nonpartisan Congressional
Budget Office estimated in 2014 that companies would owe about $139 billion in penalties from fiscal 2016 to 2024. Some health
lawyers said the IRS lacks the authority to impose the assessments. Many employers now being assessed penalties for 2015 didn't
receive notifications from ACA marketplaces, something that is required before the IRS can impose a penalty, they said. Business
groups say employers in 2015 were struggling to grasp complex new regulations. Supporters of the ACA say the employer requirement
was clear when the law passed in 2010, and that companies then had five years to learn about it and comply. Meanwhile, some
businesses argue that the repeal of the individual mandate should also nullify the employer mandate, which was established partly to
ensure consumers could meet their individual coverage requirements under the ACA.
(wsj.com,
2/13/18) |
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FDA Approves AI Stroke Application, Signaling Shift
The FDA has approved an application that uses artificial intelligence to alert physicians of a potential stroke, signaling a notable shift in the
way the agency reviews clinical decision support software used for triage. The application, called Viz.AI Contact, uses an AI algorithm to
analyze CT scans and identify signs of a stroke in patients. The application notifies a neurovascular specialist via smartphone or tablet
when it has identified a potential blockage in the brain, reducing the time it takes for a specialty provider to review the scans. The FDA
noted that the app is not intended as a replacement for a full patient evaluation. While the approval aligns with the FDA's longstanding
comfort with image-based AI software, it's also a departure from 2012 guidance that categorizes triage-based software as a higher risk functionality.
In that regard, the approval goes farther than what the FDA has cleared in the past. The app was cleared through the De Novo premarket
review pathway, which oversees new devices that have been deemed a low to moderate risk. It also creates a new regulatory classification,
allowing "subsequent computer-aided triage software devices with the same medical imaging intended use" to seek clearance through
the premarket 510(k) processes. (fiercehealthcare.com,
2/14/18) |
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House Republicans Announce Legislative Hearings to Tackle
Opioid Crisis
House Republicans will begin a series of legislative hearings next week as the first step in an effort
to pass bipartisan bills tackling the opioid crisis. The plan from the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, which will hold the first hearing on Feb. 28, will
likely require additional funding from Congress, lawmakers said. Bills
to be considered will focus on law enforcement, public health and
prevention, and insurance coverage issues. Two additional hearings will be held in March as lawmakers
seek to push a measure through the House by the end of May. (wsj.com,
2/20/18) |
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HEALTHCARE TRENDS
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U.S. Healthcare Spending to Peak at $5.7T in 2026: Report
National healthcare spending growth is expected to outpace projected GDP through 2026, according to a
report from the CMS Office of the Actuary. Projections include health provisions from the Republicans' tax bill, which President Trump
signed into law in December, they assume continued CHIP funding over the 10-year period, and don't take into account other
health provisions from the two-year bipartisan budget deal reached in Congress earlier this month.
Among the projections:
*National healthcare spending growth will peak at $5.7 trillion in 2026, taking into account an average 5.5% annual increase.
*Healthcare share of GDP will increase from 17.9% in 2016 to 19.7% by 2026.
*Federal, state, and local governments' financing of national healthcare spending will increase from 45% in 2016 to 47% by 2026.
*Total 2017 national healthcare spending growth was projected at 4.6%, compared to 4.3% the year prior.
*Growth attributed to factors such as accelerating growth in Medicare spending, slightly faster growth in prices for healthcare goods and
services, and increases in premiums for insurance purchased through the ACA marketplaces.
*2018 national healthcare spending growth at 5.3%, partially due to personal healthcare prices, which are projected to reach 2.2% this year,
compared to 1.4% in 2017.
*Average annual spending growth for 2017-26: Medicare at 7.4%; Medicaid at 5.8%; Private health insurance at 4.7%; Personal healthcare at 5.5%;
and Prescription drug at 6.3%. (beckershospitalreview.com,
2/14/18) |
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Grocery Chain Albertsons to Acquire Rite Aid
Albertsons announced plans Tuesday to acquire Rite Aid in a cash and stock deal, as the traditional grocery industry continues to look for growth
by broadening offerings, not just store base. This deal follows Rite Aid's failed attempt in 2015 to sell to its 4,600 stores to Walgreens. That
deal was whittled down by regulators to a purchase of 1,932 stores for $4.37 billion. The two will have about 4,900 locations, 4,350 pharmacy counters,
and 320 clinics across 38 states and the District of Columbia. Most Albertsons' pharmacies will be rebranded as Rite Aid, and the company
will continue to operate Rite Aid's stand-alone stores. Upon deal approval, Rite Aid Chairman and CEO John Standley will become CEO of the
combined company, and Albertsons chairman and CEO Bob Miller will be chairman of the new company.
The deal with Albertsons underlines the change in course that retailers are taking, no longer looking to expand only by
real estate footprint, but also by capability. Increasingly, retailers are looking to pharmacies for this expansion, which can take advantage
of the frequency with which people buy prescription drugs. There is also the opportunity to use store footprints as a base for drug delivery and
pick up. CVS Health ate last year its intent to acquire Aetna for roughly $69 billion. Walgreens is now said to be in early-stage talks to
acquire drug wholesale company AmerisourceBergen. These moves come as the healthcare sector itself is under pressure. Amazon recently announced
plans to team with Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan to craft a start-up to lower employee health costs. (cnbc.com,
2/20/18) |
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Amazon's Latest Ambition: To Be a Major Hospital Supplier
Amazon.com Inc. is pushing to turn its nascent medical-products business
into a major supplier to U.S. hospitals and outpatient clinics that
could compete with distributors of items ranging from gauze to hip
implants. Amazon has invited hospital executives to its Seattle
headquarters on several occasions, most recently in late January, to
sound out ideas for expanding its business-to-business marketplace,
Amazon Business, into one where hospitals could shop to stock outpatient
locations, operating suites and ERs. Amazon Business already sells a
limited selection of medical supplies, as well as industrial and office
goods. Amazon recently dispatched employees to a large Midwestern
hospital system, where officials are testing whether they can use Amazon
Business to order health supplies for the system's roughly 150
outpatient facilities. The pilot is customized for the hospital system's
catalog of supplies, allowing employees to compare prices the system
negotiates with its distributors against those in the Amazon Business
marketplace. In response to questions about these efforts, Amazon said
it is building technology to serve healthcare customers, and seeking to
sell hospitals on a "marketplace concept" that differs from typical
hospital purchasing, which is conducted through contracts with
distributors and manufacturers. (wsj.com,
2/13/18) |
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Pneumonia is No. 1 Hospital-Acquired Infection; Is Best Defense a Toothbrush?
Pneumonia, which typically comes from germs that enter the body through the mouth, is the No. 1 hospital-acquired infection in America,
according to the CDC. That includes both pneumonia infections that some patients on ventilators catch from bacteria in their breathing tubes, as
well as the more common non-ventilator variety. Study authors Dr. Dian Baker and Barbara Quinn contend that hospitals could prevent many pneumonia cases
if they stepped up basic, hands-on nursing care. Experts recommend a combination of techniques, such as making sure patients are elevated in
their beds and getting them to move and walk about, so air moves through their lungs and germs don't settle in. Deep breathing exercises can
help keep respiratory tracts clear. Toothbrushing also is seen as a strong defense against pneumonia.
The recent study in the American Journal of Infection Control was
conducted by Dr. Baker, a nurse-researcher and professor at the School of Nursing at Sacramento State University, and Ms. Quinn, a clinical
nurse specialist at Sutter Health, a 24-hospital system. The authors focused on common pneumonia infections.
At Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, Ms. Quinn initiated a program involving 50,000 toothbrushes, where every patient in the hospital was
told to brush several times a day. Using 2010-2011 as a baseline, researchers found that from May 2012 through December 2014,
hospital-acquired pneumonia cases were down by 70%. Sutter Health hopes to order 200,000 toothbrushes and roll out the
program in its Northern California hospitals. Meanwhile, Shannon Munro, a nurse researcher at the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Va., launched a campaign in which nurses in two units with a total of 50 beds had patients brush
their teeth twice a day. Between October 2016 and December 2017, the number of non-ventilator, hospital-acquired pneumonia cases fell 92%.
Munro expanded the program in her facility and to other VA hospitals, and hopes to have it in every VA hospital.
(wsj.com,
2/17/18) |
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Ovarian Cancer Doesn't Begin in the Ovaries, Researchers Say
A growing body of evidence suggests that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes and not the ovaries, giving researchers hope for
developing better strategies to prevent and detect the deadly cancer. Among women with cancer, ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause
of death, killing 14,000 American women a year. Currently, with no real way to screen for it, it usually isn't diagnosed until it has
spread and is in the later stages.
More. (wsj.com,
2/12/18) |
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Thrombectomy Stroke Treatment Can Save Lives - If It's Available
The thrombectomy is beginning to transform stroke treatment. Using it, a doctor pulls clots from the brain. Leading stroke doctors concluded in a
February 2016 analysis in the medical journal The Lancet that 2015 stroke studies showed 38 out of 100 patients treated with
thrombectomy "will have a less disabled outcome" than with standard care, and that
"20 more will achieve functional independence." The
procedure, says Denver-area stroke specialist Dr. Donald F. Frei, "has the same transformative effect on treating stroke as penicillin did for
infections." A severe-stroke victim must get a thrombectomy before damage sets in. For every minute with blood flow blocked, by many
estimates, two million brain cells die. Ambulance crews' protocols, though, often don't specify driving a severe-stroke patient directly to
a thrombectomy-capable hospital, many stroke specialists say, so a patient often lands first in a hospital that can't do the procedure. In
those hospitals, some medical research shows, there are often delays in getting patients who need a thrombectomy to the right hospital. Many
patients with severe strokes aren't helped by conventional treatment with drugs, many specialists say. And a thrombectomy isn't an option at
all in many regions. Many hospitals don't offer them, because it is hard to build thrombectomy teams of specialist doctors and assistants who can
be on call 24 hours a day for the quick response such patients need. The procedure is new enough that there aren't enough specialists to hire,
and doctors often must spend years learning it on the job.
More.
(wsj.com,
2/6/18) |
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MEMBER NEWS |
You're Invited to OC FOCUS Strategic View: "Forging Our Common Future"
Longtime tech entrepreneur and ABL Member Marshall Toplansky is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management Science
and Research Fellow at the C. Larry Hoag Center for Real Estate, Argyros School of Business and Economics, at Chapman University. Recently, Marshall and author Joel Kotkin completed extensive research on the future of Orange County, which they will present as
OC FOCUS Strategic View: "Forging Our Common Future" on March 29th, at the Pacific Club. All interested ABL Members are invited
as Marshall's guests, with RSVPs going to Aulton Kohn at Chapman. |
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Axene Health Explores Winning Healthcare Growth Strategies
In
Defining a Winning Health Care Growth Strategy, Axene Health Partners acknowledges that the U.S. healthcare system
continues to cost more than it should, and that healthcare costs are often defined in terms of premium rates since most of today's healthcare
costs are paid by health plans. So a big question might be, "what is the lowest premium I might expect?" or
"where do I go to get that rate?"
Another issue is: how does a health plan optimally offer healthcare coverage so I can also offer a highly competitive premium rate? And,
what does supply and demand have to do with competitive positioning? A third issue is the synchronizing of how we access today's healthcare
system with the availability of resources to meet our needs. One solution might be a primary care-focused system with limited and controlled access to
appropriate specialty care. Also important is the assurance of quality, trustworthy healthcare providers, who charge a reasonable amount to perform this
service. Axene goes on to discuss the approaches of Kaiser, CVS/Aetna, Intermountain Health Care, and the common market.
(John Price, Bay Area) |
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Covered California Finishes 5th Open Enrollment Strong - Up 3%
Covered California announced that more than 50,000 new consumers selected a plan during the final three days of open
enrollment, bringing its overall total to 423,484 plan selections, which represents a 3% increase over last year. Among those who receive
financial assistance, 15% of new consumers selected a Gold plan during open enrollment, over three times as many as the 4% that selected a Gold
plan last year. CoveredCA's Gold plans generally have higher premiums but pay 80% of consumers' healthcare costs when they access care. Gold
plans were a better value for consumers this year because the premium was lower due to the cost-sharing reduction surcharge that was added
only to Silver plans. The number of new consumers selecting Platinum plans increased from 2% to 4%, while the number of consumers
selecting a Bronze plan increased from 29% to 31%. Consequently, the number of new consumers selecting a Silver plan
dropped from 63% last year to 49% this year. (Kathy Keeshen, Sacramento) |
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GeBBS Healthcare Adds New Features to E/M Calculator & Achieves Outsourcing Award
GeBBS Healthcare has announced the availability of a
professional fee evaluation and management (E/M) leveling calculator tool - offered to the HIM and coding community in appreciation for
their service to the healthcare industry. E/M coding is complex, which supports the need for a tool of this nature to ensure healthcare
providers and physicians are reimbursed appropriately and reduce the risk of compliance audits. The tool is secure, HIPAA-compliant, and
follows CMS-accepted coding standards.
Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year, IAOP has
named GeBBS to its Global 100 Outsourcing List of the world's best
outsourcing service providers. To earn this honor, GeBBS was judged in
five main categories: size and growth, customer references, awards and
certifications, programs for innovation, and corporate social
responsibility. (Nitin Thakor, Los Angeles) |
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HumanGood Breaks Ground on South San Francisco Senior Housing
The South San Francisco Rotary Club and HumanGood recently celebrated their partnership to
develop a new housing community in South San Francisco with an official groundbreaking ceremony.
Rotary Miller Avenue Senior Housing, slated to be completed by October 2018, will provide 81
one-bedroom apartments for low-income seniors, joining the HumanGood family of affordable housing
communities, currently totaling 62 properties throughout California and in Washington State.
(Tara McGuinness, Bay Area) |
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Inglewood Imaging Center Teams with Oncology Institute
Inglewood Imaging Center (IIC), which has been working for 5+ years to support managed care by expanding one of the nation's
most comprehensive EMR-sharing networks, just announced that a network partnership between IIC and The Oncology Institute
of Hope and Innovation has been completed. The Oncology Institute is a comprehensive medical oncology practice, serving California
and Arizona. Within the partnership, IIC's goal was to expand cancer coordination in Southern California. IIC and The Oncology
Institute resolved a variety of challenges, including:
*Improve cancer coordination between medical oncology and radiology, with
particular emphasis on supporting the state's 14M Medi-Cal managed care patients.
*Provide patients a comprehensive cancer workflow
in a similar way to those found at the nation's leading cancer centers.
*Allow rapid turn-around-times to ordering providers - in as
little as 30 minutes, to help streamline care pathways. (Brad Schmidt, Los Angeles) |
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Kaiser Permanente Named First CMS Health Equity Award Recipient
Kaiser Permanente (KP) has received CMS's inaugural Health Equity Award, which recognizes KP's commitment to reducing and
eliminating disparities in healthcare quality and access for its members receiving Medicare benefits. With this award, CMS has specifically
recognized KP's Hypertension Program Improvement Process, which has significantly reduced disparities in blood pressure control
rates across racial and ethnic groups, including among African-American Medicare members ages 18 to 85. Key elements of KP's
approach include collecting and stratifying data to identify and prioritize health outcome disparities, upgrading clinical practice guidelines,
and expanding educational resources available to members. Strong community partnerships play an important role in bringing care
directly to communities in need, including offering blood pressure checks at beauty salons and barbershops.
(Walt Meyers, Bay Area) |
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King & Spalding Named a Top 20 Firm + Announces Annual Law & Policy Forum
King & Spalding (K&S) was named among the top 20 law firm brands in the U.S. by Acritas Research's annual brand recognition survey
of senior in-house counsel. The Acritas U.S. Law Firm Brand Index measures the brand strength of law firms across five metrics: top-of-mind awareness,
favorability, consideration for top-level litigation, consideration for M&A, overall usage among U.S.-based clients, and inbound usage among
international clients. Meanwhile, an upcoming
webinar from K&S includes:
Emerging Trends in Reimbursement for Allied Health
Education, on February 22 at 10 a.m. Also, the recent issue of K&S
Health Headlines
includes: *Congressional Leaders Focusing Sights on Nonprofit Hospitals;
*DOJ Urges Court to Consider Evidence Before Ruling in Private Antitrust Case;
*Michigan Hospital Reaches Settlement with DOJ For Marketing Pact;
and *CMS Releases Projections for National Health Expenditures for 2017-2026.
And, on March 19, in Atlanta, K&S will present its 27th Annual
King & Spalding Health Law & Policy Forum,
a one-day conference focusing on the latest legal and political developments impacting the healthcare industry.
(Marcia Augsburger, Sacramento, & Travis Jackson, Los Angeles) |
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KMD Commences Work on Hollywood Presbyterian Update
KMD Architects announced that construction has begun on its project at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical
Center for interim modifications to the existing hospital drop-off zone. This allows for continual drop-off area access as temporary zones are laid-out, making
way for the excavation required for the Acute Care Services Replacement Hospital Building, which has completed Design Development. It includes 32 acute
care beds and a 22-station emergency department. Within its surgical services area on the 4th floor, the new acute care building will provide nine new
procedure rooms, including space for two cath labs, a cardiovascular OR, a hybrid OR, an ortho-neuro OR, and four general ORs, standardized for flexibility of
use. The project includes a patient-focused birthing program with 11 LDRs, three c-section rooms, 19 NICU beds, and a future post-partum unit within the
existing hospital. (Rob Matthew, Bay Area) |
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Mazzetti Examines Placement of Hand Wash Sinks in Hospitals
In
Hand Wash Sinks - Does location really matter?, Mazzetti CEO Walt Vernon shares a question
that his firm recently received from a major hospital: "There is compelling evidence that sink drains are a source
of multi-drug-resistant gram negatives in hospitals, and we need to think carefully about sink placement. Therefore,
hand wash sinks should be located in hallways, not in patient rooms." To learn more, Walt reached out to a number
of experts and received responses; while he has not yet verified their accuracy, he shares them.
They include: *At least one study shows that removal of sinks from patient rooms in an ICU was associated with
reduced colonization of Gram negative bacilli.
*Deeper sinks reduce the potential for splashing, and, in general, may have fewer problems with waterborne pathogens,
and may be the critical variable in preventing spread of disease (rather than sink location).
*Hand-washing observations are easier with the sinks in the corridor instead of in the rooms.
*Proximity of hand wash facilities to the patient, all else equal, improves hand wash adherence.
(Walt Vernon, Bay Area) |
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On Lok Announces Upcoming
Celebrates! Benefit
On the evening of May 18, On Lok will present Celebrates!,
an event benefiting the organization's wide-ranging programs for seniors, including healthcare, social activities, wellness and fitness, and
nutrition and meal delivery. In addition to conversation, live entertainment, drinks, and food tastings, the evening will feature
Liam Mayclem, the Emmy Award-winning host of "Eye on the Bay" and "Eat Drink SF," who electrified the sold-out event last year with
his quick wit and enthusiasm for On Lok's mission. (Grace Li, Bay Area) |
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OneLegacy Opens California's
First Dedicated Transplant Recovery Center
OneLegacy has opened California's first dedicated Transplant Recovery Center, designed to handle organ,
eye, and tissue donation and to provide renewed hope to the thousands waiting to receive the gift of life. The
40,000-square-foot center, in Redlands, will operate 24/7/365 in full compliance with increasingly
stringent FDA regulations. In an article published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in 2016, transplant
surgeons reported that obtaining organs from deceased organ donors costs much less and leads to a higher number of
transplantable organs recovered when brain-dead donors are moved from the hospital to an independent,
freestanding facility dedicated to organ recovery. (Tom Mone, Los Angeles) |
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Oscar Health's Telemedicine Consultations Up 32% in 2017
Oscar Health saw a 32% increase in telemedicine consultations among its members last year amid an overall increase in
virtual services, according to a recent
Fierce Healthcare article: 25% of members used the telemedicine service in 2017, up from 17% in 2016. Broadly,
members have gravitated to Oscar's suite of virtual services, which are foundational to the
company's approach to patient care. Last year, two-thirds of member interactions were conducted virtually, according to Oscar.
Most of those interactions were traced back to secure messaging with Oscar's Concierge team (46%) or the insurer's Care Router (45%),
which helps members find physicians and book appointments online or through a mobile app. For example, if a member searches for a
provider to treat a skin condition, they are offered an option to request a telemedicine appointment. Data from that virtual visit, which
is free for all members, is then available to Oscar's Concierge teams and Oscar providers. (John Puente, Sacramento) |
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SCU Teams with Dartmouth-Hitchcock & U.S. Olympic Committee
Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is partnering with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC)
in New Hampshire on The Spine Care Project, an innovative approach to treating and triaging spine-related injuries and
disorders which promises higher value, more cost-effective, patient-centered outcomes. SCU adjunct clinical
assistant professor Justin Goehl, DC, MS is the lead clinician for the project.
Meanwhile, at the
2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, SCU adjunct faculty member William Moreau, DC, DACBSP, FACSM, CSCS, is
leading the sports medicine team for the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), three SCU alumni are USOC medical providers
at the games, and Dr. Jennifer Watters, who leads the SCU Sports Medicine Clinic, provides care for resident athletes at
the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. SCU has a unique relationship that provides sports medicine residents an
opportunity for extended rotations at the Olympic Training Center. According to Dr. Moreau, more than 70% of
full-time chiropractic employees at the USOC are SCU alumni. (John Scaringe, Orange County) |
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The Health Trust Family Resource Center Opens Bridge Library
In a collaboration between The Health Trust, Catholic Charities Santa Clara County, First 5 Santa Clara County, and San Jose
Public Library, a San Jose Bridge Library recently opened at The Health Trust Family Resource Center. A Bridge Library provides books,
library staff assistance, and library resources for underserved neighborhoods, removing common barriers that prevent many families from
using library resources. (Todd Hansen, Silicon Valley) |
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Therachat Improves Mobile App with Guides, Notifications & Reminders
Therachat has announced several recent updates to its Therachat product, a HIPAA-compliant mobile app for receiving and
sending direct messages between a client and their therapist, and for finishing custom activities assigned to the client. In order
to understand what Therachat is and how it will benefit clients, the company has created a
Get
Started Guide for Clients and a
Get
Started Guide for Therapists. Meanwhile, updates within the mobile app include improved notifications and reminders.
Regarding patient therapy homework, clients now receive push notifications each time a new activity or message arrives. Also,
the system has been optimized so that activities load faster. For therapists, a client list shows who has completed activities and/or
sent messages, and the dashboard indicates what's new or changed at each log-in. (Kouris Kalligas, Bay Area) |
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TECH MEMBERS' HEALTHCARE NEWS |
Catasys Expands OnTrak-HC to Illinois with BCBS
Catasys has expanded its OnTrak-HC program to Illinois with the nation's second largest Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan.
The OnTrak solution is now available to eligible commercial members in Illinois who suffer from anxiety, depression, and substance use
disorders. Catasys uses artificial intelligence and big data predictive analytics to identify health plan members suffering from untreated
behavioral health disorders, whose overall health can be significantly improved, and high medical costs substantially reduced. (Rick Anderson, West Los Angeles Technology) |
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