FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & NATIONAL HEALTHCARE

• ACA Survives: Supreme Court Dismisses Big Challenge
• CMS Unveils Surprise Billing Rule
• CMS Withdraws Prior Approval for "Must-Work" Requirements in State Medicaid Programs
• OCR Updates Ransomware Guidance

COVID-RELATED GOVERNMENT NEWS

• Are States Making COVID-19 Telehealth Emergency Measures Permanent?
• CMS Announces Additional Payment for Administering In-Home COVID-19 Vaccinations

CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT & HEALTHCARE

• Sacramento Mayor Wants City to be Required to Shelter/House All Homeless People
• Unprecedented Lobbying Effort Scores Big Win for California Public Health
• Older Undocumented Immigrants to Get Medi-Cal in California

MORE COVID-19 NEWS

• At 67%, U.S. Falls Short of Biden's 70% July 4th Covid-19 Vaccination Goal
• U.S. to Share Tens of Millions More Covid-19 Vaccines Worldwide This Summer
• Delta Variant: White House to Deploy Response Teams Focused on Combating Delta

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS TRENDS

• With $14.7 Billion Raised, Digital Health's Funding Has Already Surpassed 2020
• Aetna, Anthem and Cleveland Clinic Back Blockchain Venture to Improve Healthcare Efficiency

In the recent CRN article - 10 'Horrifying' Ransomware Trends And Best Prevention Methods, Alvaka Network's Kevin McDonald takes a deep dive into how the ransomware world operates today and what every business needs to do to protect itself.
And, in Machine Learning and AI in Cybersecurity, Alvaka discusses how machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used in cybersecurity. ABL-Tech Member Joe Rogers, CEO of WorkDone, joins the conversation on what the future holds for these technologies. (Oli Thordarson, OC)

Eliott Jones, CEO of Biospectal, has published an article in Forbes - Remote Care Is Here To Stay: How To Overcome The Remaining Obstacles And Build Better Healthcare For All, following Biospectal's recent announcement of the alpha launch of Biospectal OptiBP™ for iOS, which enables instantaneous blood pressure measurement and monitoring, anytime and anywhere. The public beta launch of OptiBP for Android was announced earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Biospectal is highlighted in these recent articles: How Health Tech is Shaping the Future of Healthcare and Global Health Research Studies to Use Ground-breaking Blood Pressure Measurement App from Biospectal. (Eliott Jones, SV)

Concern Health, where Cecile Currier is the CEO, a leader in workplace emotional wellbeing solutions, has partnered with eMindful, a leading provider of evidence-based mindfulness programs, and will fully integrate eMindful's services throughout Concern's offerings for all of its customers.
Meanwhile, El Camino Health is now one of just five in the U.S. and the first health system in California to offer cancer patients an innovative adaptive radiation therapy called Ethos, which uses artificial intelligence to create customized cancer-fighting treatment plans in minutes - a process that traditionally takes days to develop.
And, El Camino has launched a new specialized vaccination van, which safely stores and transports vaccines, supplies, and the IT equipment required for vaccine clinics. (Cecile Currier, SV)

As of June 21, Covered California had enrolled a record 1.6 million people, as thousands of consumers sign up for coverage due to the lower premiums provided by the American Rescue Plan. New data shows that 139,000+ people have signed up for a health plan through Covered California since the new and expanded financial help from the new law became available on April 12. Covered California is also launching a provision that allows thousands of eligible Californians, who received unemployment insurance benefits at any point in 2021, to get the best coverage available for as low as $1 per month. (Kathy Keeshen, JD, SF)

In this edition of Gibson Talks, Gabe Stein, EVP of GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, and Trey Wheless, a risk adjustment and quality reporting executive at Gibson Consultants, discuss the benefits to payors and providers of adopting technology that impacts risk adjustment. Gabe shared his perspective as an executive for a leading technology-enabled provider of revenue cycle management solutions. (Gabe Stein, LA)

On July 14, from 12-1 p.m. Pacific, Hospice of Santa Cruz County (HSCC) will present a webinar - Advance Healthcare Planning In Light of COVID-19, which will cover how to complete your Advance Directive, the difference between an Advance Directive and a Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form, how to talk with your loved ones about your wishes, and how COVID-19 might impact your wishes.
Meanwhile, HSCC is offering a downloadable Spring/Summer 2021 Guide to Wellbeing. (Cathy Conway, SV)

The Washington Department of Social and Health Services formally approved the affiliation of HumanGood and Living Care Retirement Community and, as of June 22, HumanGood assumed management over Living Care. This is an important step in the process to bring the two organizations together and they expect state regulators to approve the affiliation agreement later this summer. (Tara McGuinness, OAK)

DiversityInc recently named Kaiser Permanente to its 2021 Top 50 Hall of Fame in recognition of its diversity and inclusion practices in hiring, retaining, and promoting women, minorities, veterans, people with disabilities, and people in the LGBTQ community. This is the 15th consecutive year DiversityInc has honored KP, and KP's fourth consecutive year in the hall of fame. (Marcos Vasconcelos, OAK)

King & Spalding (K&S) Partner Marcia Augsburger, JD, recently published these client alerts: Are States Making COVID-19 Telehealth Emergency Measures Permanent? and OCR Updates Ransomware Guidance.
Also, the Legal 500 United States 2021 Guide has recognized K&S with 53 practice rankings, including 10 Tier-1 rankings.
Meanwhile, on July 28, from 9-10 a.m. Pacific, K&S will present a webinar - COVID-19-Related Litigation and the PREP Act: A Year Later. (Marcia Augsburger, JD, SF)

Take a video tour of Kaiser Permanente's new Berkeley Medical Office Building, for which KMD Architects provided medical planning, interior architecture, and design. The building has been proclaimed a "next-generation type of medical office." (Rob Matthew, SF)

In The Connections Between Mental Health and Sleep Patterns - A Study By Harvard, Cynthia Sampson, COO of Life Adjustment Team, explains the importance of the circadian rhythm, complications of sleep deprivation, and suggests ways to improve sleep quality.
And, in Asking Yourself These Questions Every Day Can Benefit Your Mental Health, Cynthia says that checking in with ourselves daily with a few simple questions can be a great way to keep track of our mental health and stay ahead of problems. (Cynthia Sampson, LA)

LifeLong Medical Care has been selected as a 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks.
And, LifeLong is among the six teams selected to participate in the Delta Center California Learning Lab, in which participants will complete a project focused on advancing the integration of primary care and mental healthcare or substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. Over the course of the 16-month Learning Lab, teams will receive one-on-one coaching and other direct technical support from Delta Center California to advance their individual projects. (Mike Stacey, MD, OAK)

In Laboratory Software Systems: What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Decision, LigoLab provides a comprehensive list that highlights the types of laboratory software systems currently available, and the common processes managed by these systems.
Other recent blog posts from LigoLab include Leveraging LIS & RCM Integration to Improve the Laboratory Billing Process and LigoLab Delivers the Interoperability Needed to Transform Medical Laboratories into Thriving Businesses. (Suren Avunjian, LA)

LucidAct Health Inc. and North East Medical Services (NEMS) have partnered to deliver remote patient monitoring management to some of San Francisco's most vulnerable communities. LucidAct's innovative and linguistically appropriate virtual healthcare will aim to improve patient outcomes for some of NEMS' limited-English-proficient seniors by making these virtual services available and accessible to use in the comfort of their homes.
Also recently, the LucidAct Provider Portal was integrated with AireHealth's digital health solution to support remote treatment and management of COPD and other chronic respiratory conditions from patients' homes. (Grace Chen, SV)

Melissa Hanna, CEO of Mahmee, recently sat down for a conversation with Mike Biselli for his Passionate Pioneers podcast - spotlighting Mahmee's role in revolutionizing maternal and child healthcare. Melissa talks about the national crisis of mothers and babies falling through the cracks of our fragmented healthcare system, how preventable issues are not being caught fast enough because of siloed patient data, and how Mahmee's rapid growth is coming to the rescue. (Melissa Hanna, JD, LA)

MayView Community Health Center, a Member of Ravenswood Family Health Network, recently reopened after undergoing extensive renovations to expand clinical capacity, upgrade interior finishes, and make the clinic safe for patients and staff. MayView provides family medicine care for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as women's health, chiropractic, immunizations, laboratory, and counseling services. Care is provided regardless of ability to pay. (Ken Graham, SV)

In Lean Leadership: How Five Minutes a Day Creates More Effective Teams, Mazzetti interviews one of their own to learn more about his daily, informal five-minute check-ins with each of his team members, particularly geared toward younger staff. The intent is to increase productivity by quickly removing a barrier (i.e., answer a critical question). This five-minute allotment can justifiably evolve into 30 minutes if a learning and development opportunity is achieved. At the end of the conversation, the co-worker is that much more informed, confident, and able to tackle a similar obstacle in the future. (Walt Vernon, JD, SF)

Bob Rose, President of MedWand Solutions, recently remarked on LinkedIn that his company was a big star at the Arab Health live trade show in Dubai last month. Bob said it's "clear that the entire world is in need of and desperately searching for a new paradigm in telehealth where a clinician can actually examine a patient remotely, real-time from anywhere to anywhere. As the many visitors to our booth from across the Gulf Region and the rest of the world experienced first-hand, MedWand solves all of that. And now MedWand Connect enables seamless, single log-in integration with any EHR/EMR or PMS without disrupting your current workflow or data integrity." MedWand is also participating in Arab Health Online, the official virtual event from May 23 until July 22. (Bob Rose, OC)

On Lok is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a #50stories campaign: Each week, from now until the end of the year, On Lok will share stories from members of its community, partners, and staff, that reflect on the past, and inspire the future. Reflections will shine the light on On Lok's work in the areas of advocacy, community, and innovation, from its humble beginnings to today. (Grace Li, SF)

OneLegacy has launched Connecting the Dots, a virtual town hall series that provides knowledge and empowerment, and addresses health disparities in minority communities. In each episode, OneLegacy engages an expert host from various industries (health, fitness, medical), to provide health facts and updates that are relevant to its diverse communities.
Also, on July 15, at 4 p.m. Pacific, OneLegacy will present the DLH Inspire Awards on Facebook Live @DLHCampaign - honoring Hollywood's most authentic and positive organ donation and transplantation storylines. (Tom Mone, LA)

In the most recent CMS Survey of Patients' Experiences Star Program, Satellite Healthcare received the highest percentage of 4- and 5-star rated dialysis centers as compared to all other top-ranked dialysis providers in the U.S. Satellite's centers rate 32% higher than the national average with 100% rated 3, 4, or 5 stars (84% rated 4 or 5 stars). Additionally, in CMS's Dialysis Facility Compare Star Program, Satellite again exceeds the national average in the Quality of Patient Care category with 94% of its centers rated 3, 4, or 5 stars (62% rated 4 or 5 stars).
Meanwhile, Satellite will participate in an ongoing clinical trial sponsored by DEKA Research & Development - investigating the clinical use of a new home hemodialysis machine designed to make overnight hemodialysis safer and easier to perform.
And, Satellite and Outset Medical announced a joint effort in which Satellite will purchase and utilize Tablo systems for home hemodialysis, and the two organizations will collaborate on education and training initiatives to boost patient awareness and adoption of home dialysis options. (Jim Glafkides, SV and Bernadette Vincent, OAK)

Savi Group's Sumit Mahendru recently participated in a "Preview of the New RCM Industry Benchmarking Survey" from Healthcare Business Management Association, discussing the performance metrics it will measure and how viewers can get the survey data to assess their own company's performance - watch a video of the presentation here.
Also, click here to read recent articles from Savi Group, including "Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Healthcare;" "Common Myths About Outsourcing Medical Billing;" and "The Many Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring." (Sumit Mahendru, OC)

Chris Selecky is interviewed in this recent "Three Questions - Spotlight on Chapter Ambassador" video from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Pacific Southwest Chapter, in which she discusses her experiences serving on boards, necessary skill sets, and more.
And, in this Three Questions video, Chris interviews Larraine Segil, Chair & CEO of The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation and Board Director of Calprivate. (Chris Selecky, OC)

In this video from SimpleTherapy, and promoted by MAXIS Global Benefits Network, "Tony from Texas" describes his recovery from shoulder pain thanks to SimpleTherapy's online exercise videos that are proven to reduce pain from head to toe. (Arpit Khemka, SV)

The partners and associates of CPA firm Mueller Prost have joined Wipfli, expanding Wipfli's presence in Missouri and Southern California.
Meanwhile, upcoming healthcare webinars from Wipfli include:
>> Provider Relief Fund Reporting - What you need to know, on July 14.
>> On July 15, How to keep your remote workforce secure and productive.
>> Healthcare mergers and acquisitions, buying and selling - what you need to know, on July 20. (Jeff Johnson, John Dao, & Steve Rousso, OAK)