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Cover Story: Effects of COVID-19 on the Healthcare Delivery System

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Continued from page 1 some mixed and often diffuse messaging not). Federal and state courts are already public health data to identify and predict
The Good: from public health authorities early in seeing a dramatic rise in the number and new virus hot spots and to develop early
Telehealth: From Wall Street to Main the pandemic and the occasional deliber- types of COVID-related lawsuits, includ- warning systems, clinicians are using
Street, one of the most significant effects ate flaunting of social distancing guide- ing cases related to workplace safety, chest imaging data along with AI-
of the pandemic has been the explosive lines by segments of the population, by workers compensation, and employees enabled EHR data to improve risk strati-
3
adoption and acceptance of telehealth as and large, most Americans are embracing in high risk settings. Many employers fication and to categorize the type of care
8
a means of delivering healthcare services. more personal responsibility in the care have responded by dramatically reducing COVID-19 patients receive , and phar-
Healthcare delivery was already moving of themselves and their loved ones. business meetings and travel and by con- maceutical manufacturers are using AI to
out of the four walls of the hospital into Mainstream America is now adopting verting as much interaction as possible accelerate vaccine research. Look for AI
outpatient sites of care and even into many of healthcare’s sacred principles to virtual settings. to be adapted to many more clinical and
retail settings. like frequent handwashing, cleaning and For those employers who need on-site operational aspects of healthcare deliv-
But COVID has brought providers to sterilizing one’s immediate environment, employees, there is a renewed interest in ery in the future.
the desktops and mobile devices of and adopting practical infection control employee health and safety, to wit, a dra-
mainstream America. Some estimates practices (think masks, gloves, etc.).In matic rise in plastic protective shields for Article continued on
indicate that, as of April 2020, telehealth addition, baby boomers and Gen X-ers frontline personnel, the provision of PPE www.southfloridahospitalnews.com.
(defined as synchronous video confer- are becoming steadily aware of the hid- for essential workers, more robust disin-
encing, “store and forward” of digital den hazards of congregate living for their fectant processes for common areas and
medical data, and remote patient moni- parents, and they are increasingly choos- equipment, and the reconfiguration of Calvin Glidewell is President and CEO of
toring) has grown by 80% year over ing noninstitutional settings for their offices spaces to allow for more social inspirEx Healthcare Strategies.
1
year , spurred on by the relaxation of aging or disabled family members. distancing. The pandemic provides the
telehealth guidelines and reimbursement Even though these family members opening for health plans, healthcare
restrictions previously adopted by public may be homebound, they often lead a providers, and occupational health and 1. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/telehealth-mar-
and private insurers. Sure, there are still more dignified, more comfortable, and safety professionals to play a larger role ket-us-reach-revenues-150000310.html
2. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publica-
challenges to address—like continuation happier life than their counterparts in in executive conversations, facility tions/newsletter-article/hospital-home-programs-
of these looser reimbursement policies, more institutional settings. Innovative design, and employment practices. 4 improve-outcomes-lower-costs-face-resistance
interstate licensure and credentialing hospital systems like Johns Hopkins Artificial Intelligence: Before the pan- 3.https://www.natlawreview.com/article/employ-
issues, broadband access in rural areas, Hospital in Baltimore or Adventist demic, we had already seen the promise ers-beware-covid-19-related-employment-lawsuits-
are-heating
etc.—but the horse is out of the barn and Health in California have created of AI in healthcare applications like 4.https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/optum-
there’s no turning back now. Hospital-at-Home programs (virtual hos- using supercomputers to interpret radi- survey-employers-leaning-health-plans-to-assist-
5
Telehealth has the ability to positively pitals) which feature video visits and ology scans or identify skin lesions , return-to-workplace-initiatives
impact healthcare in many ways, includ- remote patient monitoring by hospital- employing machine learning to aggregate 5.https://www.theimagingwire.com/2019/05/09/go
ing creating greater access to primary ists to enable patients to remain in the and analyze huge amounts of diagnostic ogles-imaging-ai-breast-cancer-predictor-watson-
imaging-goes-live/
6
care, abating the overcrowding in the comfort of their own homes during their data to aid in accurate cancer diagnosis , 6.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pi
2
ED, and enabling a better quality of life hospitalization and convalescence. and applying real-time data analytics to i/S0304383519306135
7
for chronic disease patients. Most sys- Occupational Health and Safety: speed up the healthcare revenue cycle . 7. https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/artifi-
tems have already invested heavily in Employers are becoming increasingly But the pandemic has hastened the adop- cial-intelligence-benefits-revenue-cycle-management
8. https://healthitanalytics.com/news/artificial-
telehealth; those that haven’t need to aware of their new responsibilities to tion of AI areas not heretofore imagined. intelligence-could-speed-covid-19-detection-treat-
catch up quickly. provide a COVID-free work environment For example, health departments are ment
Self-care and family care: Despite (and their potential liabilities if they do using AI to analyze large amounts of
Cover Story: Broward Health Taking Necessary Measures to Help Ensure

the Safety of the South Florida Community

Continued from page 1 through its physician practices to protect System, Mount Sinai Medical Center, “Broward Health is going to be one of
“We're a tax-supported hospital sys- medical providers and help ensure that Nicklaus Children’s Health System, Tenet the leaders, one of the frontline entities,”
tem,” she says. “Although our resources patients are continually monitored. A free Health, and University of Miami Health says Gregoire. "We have a dashboard that
are being strained under the worst cir- Nurse Connect service is available 24/7 for System – have united to amplify an shows us the outbreaks, the particular
cumstances imaginable, we’re doing fine. clinical questions and has answered over important message to the public: zip codes where the outbreaks are more
As we're dealing with the COVID crisis, 8,000 calls related to COVID-19. This “Together we are stronger. And together likely, the ages of those involved, the
we're also unveiling new technology, new service also enables community members we can make a difference.” severity of the risk, and the impact on
equipment, and new facilities. For without primary care physicians to obtain Together, they launched an integrated the system – ventilators and isolation
instance, Broward Health Coral Springs scripts for testing. marketing campaign to spread the mes- rooms. We’re participating in virtual
just opened a new cardiac catheteriza- Educating the community has also sage about the importance of hand wash- meetings twice a week with corporate
tion lab. When you're dealing with the been an important component to ing, mask wearing, and social distancing. administration and the administration of
worst of all possible worlds, there's that Broward Health’s strategy. Information on where to get the appro- every single hospital to report on their
bright shining light that makes you “Our chief nursing officer, chief med- priate care for COVID-19 symptoms – a numbers and their equipment a week in
happy, and capital improvements such as ical officer, and chief pharmaceutical virtual health visit, an urgent care center, advance.”
the cath lab are that for us.” officer were constantly on the news or a hospital emergency room – was also Berry credits leadership and the clini-
Broward Health has been active in edu- explaining the importance of protection included. cal staff with managing the crisis so
cating and engaging the community on and how everybody has to be responsible “It’s a really good, focused, educational effectively.
COVID-19 by providing educational for safety measures, such as the use of campaign,” adds Berry. “These health “I have never been so impressed with
resources, pandemic response efforts, face masks and social distancing,” says systems felt that it was important to have everybody. We had nobody in our system
and available screening options through Gregoire. “We're reaching out to church- a unified message. Typically, these other running away from this,” he says. “They
flyers and social media. Its caregivers es, schools, community centers, non- systems are our competitors, but for this all ran to it. They stood there knowing
have screened thousands of community profits – to the extent we can – to distrib- crisis, there is no competition. The idea there was a risk to themselves and put
members through mobile testing sites, ute masks to members of the community is to protect the community. These initia- themselves in harm's way. Our caregivers
which were each built in under 24 hours. who may be more at risk.” tives, so far, have resulted in lower death put their lives at risk to help others.”
Broward Health now offers walk-up and In addition, ten hospitals in South percentages of those infected.”
pediatric testing at its Annie L. Weaver Florida – Baptist Health South Florida, As far as the anticipated second out-
test site. Broward Health, Cleveland Clinic break expected in the fall and winter, For more information, visit
In addition, Broward Health expanded Florida, HCA East Florida, Jackson Gregoire is confident that Broward BrowardHealth.org.
advanced telemedicine technology Health System, Memorial Healthcare Health can withstand any future surges.

12 September 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News