Articles
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Caring for Patients and Communities, Health Insurance
Perspective: Ensuring Insurers Do Their Part in the Battle Against COVID-19
We’ve been discussing for months how hospitals and health systems are contending with the worst financial crisis in their history as they continue to serve on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Vaccines and Therapeutics
Perspective: Meeting the Challenges to Realize the Promise of a COVID-19 Vaccine
A COVID-19 vaccine is likely coming soon. Whether it’s next month, at the end of the year or in early 2021, many scientific experts believe we will have one or more safe and effective vaccines to combat the deadly virus.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Caring for Patients and Communities, Quality & Patient Safety
Perspective: Keeping Healthy by Getting Necessary Care
Hospitals and health systems have reinvented themselves in many ways to respond to COVID-19. Since March, decades of standard operating procedures have been reexamined, redesigned and refined — all with the goal of saving lives while protecting caregivers and patients’ families during the pandemic.
Cybersecurity, Leadership
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on many things … good and bad … in our country
The good — our society clearly recognizes the vital role our hospitals and health systems play in our nation’s critical infrastructure and how important they are to our communities’ health and safety. The bad — we have seen an increase in the frequency, severity and sophistication of cyberattacks targeting hospitals and health systems.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Coverage and Reimbursement
Perspective: Righting a Wrong on Provider Relief Fund Reporting Change
While hospitals and health systems — and their brave front-line caregivers — continue to battle the greatest public health challenge of our lifetimes, the Department of Health and Human Services recently made a change to its COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting requirements that could jeopardize access to care for patients and communities.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Caring for Patients and Communities, COVID-19: Vaccines and Therapeutics
Perspective: A Grim Milestone … But Hope for the Future
More than 200,000 of our friends, family members, fellow citizens and front-line workers have succumbed to COVID-19 since March. To put that in context, that’s approximately the same as the population of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Advocacy & Public Policy, Medicaid
Perspective: The Power of our Collective Voice
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will withdraw its Medicaid fiscal accountability proposed rule from its regulatory agenda.
Disaster/Outbreak Preparedness, Population/Community Health
Blog: Front-line Workers Step Up During Record Wildfires
Americans everywhere have watched with increasing dismay and alarm as 94 major wildfires continue to incinerate wide swaths of our beautiful Western states. As of this writing, the infernos — which are most heavily concentrated in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho — have scorched nearly 5 million acres, an area approximately the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Leadership
Perspective: Never Forget … Always There Ready to Care
This morning, like most mornings, I looked at a picture outside of my office that was taken on Sept. 11, 2001. The picture shows doctors, nurses, administrators and other caregivers standing outside the emergency department of my local community hospital in Arlington, Va., waiting to treat victims of the attack at the Pentagon.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), COVID-19: Caring for Patients and Communities
COVID-19's death count is real. So is the financial strain on life-saving hospitals.
Hospitals do not receive extra funds when patients die from COVID-19. They are not over-reporting COVID-19 cases. And, they are not making money on treating COVID-19.