Patient being tested at the Cape Cod Healthcare drive-thru facility at Cape Cod Community College

HYANNIS Cape Cod Healthcare, in partnership with Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, is now providing drive-through COVID-19 testing to patients with a doctors order at Cape Cod Community College.

The testing facility is set up in a parking lot section of the college campus.

Patients are asked to not leave their vehicle at any time during the testing. Upon arriving patients will be greeted by a security officer or police officer and a person in a hazmat suit.

Patients will then be asked for identification and appointment time.

Patients have to have a doctors order and an appointment to come here. If you do not have a doctors order and a scheduled appointment you will be turned away, no exceptions, said Cape Cod Health Care Senior Vice President of Communications and Business Development, Patrick Kane.

Once verified by officials, patients will move their vehicles to two testing lanes that will be represented by orange safety cones.

At the front of the line are two blue tents, described as those that one would see at a football tailgate. Nurses will be stationed under those tents ready to test incoming patients.

There is also a yellow tent set up that holds clinical supplies and an overhead that was provided by the college to provide shelter for medical professionals.

When a patient makes it to the front of the line, a nurse in a hazmat suit will approach the car and take a nose swab that will immediately be placed inside a hazmat bag.

That bag will then be re-bagged and put into a refrigerator where it will be frozen.

Once frozen the sample will be shipped out to a lab such as the one run by the Department of Public Health, or a private lab that has agreed to work with Cape Cod Healthcare.

As patients leave, they will be given a four page set of instructions that will tell them to self-quarantine for several days.

Once the test result comes back, patients will be notified if they tested positive or negative for Coronavirus.

If a patient tests positive they will also be informed if a follow up appointment with a doctor is needed.

On site the drive-thru testing facility also houses two command centers.

One command center is for police and security officers and facilities personnel from Cape Cod Healthcare.

The other command center is an operation center for clinical people like nurses and healthcare professionals.

Kane estimates that each test should take about five minutes.

He also added that the drive thru facility will only be limited by the availability of kits that they have.

He said that there is a supply shortage throughout the state and that Cape Cod Healthcare is addressing the situation the best they can.

If kits run out, the facility will continue to do swabs and try their best while they attempt to get more supplies.

It was also noted that those deemed to be at a greater risk to the virus by a physician will be tested first, such as people who have recently traveled and people with underlying medical conditions.

Kane continued to stress that no matter the situation, only those with a doctors order and a scheduled appointment will be allowed into the drive-thru facility.

The message here is no doctors order, no appointment, you wont be swabbed here, no exceptions, said Kane.

The facility will test eligible patients seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information regarding the Cape Cod Healthcare drive thru testing facility, visit Capecodhealthcare.org.

See the original post:

Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Facility - CapeCod.com News

With the burden on medical workers rising amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, reinforcements have been strapping on uniforms they left behind weeks, months, or even years ago.

Across the country, retired nurses are answering the call to return to the front lines.

Wed had, in fact, multiple calls today from retired nurses, retired health care workers in various sectors, Mark Joffe, an infectious disease specialist in Alberta, told CTV News. Theyre calling in saying, What can we do, can we come in and help.

Nurse Della ONeill is among thousands putting up their hands to come out of retirement.

Its a sign of the times, ONeill said. I just think it is all hands on deck.

Although the work is hard and the hours are long, ONeill believes a nurse will never truly lose that calling, even if you retire or change professions.

If I can go back and help in some capacity, then that is great.

Workers coming out of retirement could be manning health phone lines in Ontario or helping out with hospital rounds in Nova Scotia -- help is needed all over the country.

This is what nurses do, said Claire Betker. They respond, go where they are needed to go.

In Quebec alone, around 10,000 retired health care workers responded to the call for aid. Its a gesture that had Premier Francois Legault saying he was proud to be Quebecois in a press conference Monday.

Some retired health care workers, like Corazon Abdon, who is nearly 70 years old, are unable to return to work because theyre part of a demographic that is vulnerable to COVID-19.

But she told CTV News that she hopes to find a way to help nonetheless.

My motive is to help people, she said. I love helping and taking care of people, that is my main purpose I have to help them.

Coincidentally, long before the virus had become a pandemic and the vital role of health care workers had been emphasized by the crisis, the World Health Organization had designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse.

In December of 2019, they warned that there could be a worldwide shortfall of nine million nurses and midwives by 2030, and said that the contributions of nurses needed to be acknowledged more.

In a press release published at that time, the International Council of Nurses Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton said WHOs vision of improved global health will only become a reality if there is a massive investment in nursing. The research evidence is clear: having more nurses leads to better health outcomes.

Its a message that rings even more strongly in the midst of an outbreak.

Go here to read the rest:

Retired health care workers answer the call for help amid COVID-19 pandemic - CTV News

Revelers in downtown Nashville over the weekend became a symbol of exactly what were NOT supposed to be doing during this pandemic. Hours before the citys mayor closed bars throughout the county, tweets of Broadways legendary party scene were shared across social media.

This tweet pretty much summed it up:

It wasnt just Nashville either. Images and videos splashed across the internet captured large groups of people ignoring calls for social distancing.

Like this one from Disney DIS, -1.55% :

The #StayAtHome hashtag emerged as backlash, with Arnold Schwarzenegger chiming in:

On Sunday night, a group of health-care leaders, led by former acting administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Andy Slavit and former Senate majority leader Dr. Bill Frist, joined the chorus with a letter urging everybody to cooperate.

STAY AT HOME as much as possible, they wrote. It may be in your community now or it may be soon. Until you hear otherwise from health care officials, even if you have no symptoms. That means avoiding play dates, sleepovers, bars, restaurants, parties or houses of worship. Avoid all crowds.

What are the alternatives? Take long walks outside, only shop for absolute essentials and enjoy your online community of friends. Just dont go out and put yourself and others at risk.

In other words, ignore Devin Nunes, who said over the weekend that its a great time to go out.

If youre going to spread anything, spread help, compassion and humor, the group wrote on USA Today. Above all, do not panic. Remember: Like all outbreaks, this too will eventually end.

Unfortunately, theres clearly panic in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +5.19% down more than 1,600 points in early trading on Monday.

Original post:

As troubling images of party scenes spread across the internet, health-care leaders jump on the #StayAtHome trend - MarketWatch

On any given day, 2.3 million people in the United States are in prison or jail. With about 40 percent of inmates suffering from a chronic health condition, the overall health profile of incarcerated people is abysmal. Without access to consistent health care, many inmates with health conditions do not have their medical needs met, and many others develop medical problems after being incarcerated in unhygienic facilities. To complicate matters, prisons and jails are often overcrowded, making it easier for contagious illnesses to spread faster.

Add to that reality the appearance of the new coronavirus, which since its first appearance in the Wuhan region of China, has infected more than 90,000 people worldwide and killed over 3,000including nine people in the United States. We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare in the expectation that this could be bad, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Controls National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a press briefing last week. The CDC has also warned about daily disruption for the general public. But what does disruption look like for the millions of people currently in US prisons and jails, in a system already unable to cope with basic health needs?

[The coronavirus] will remind us of a central hypocrisy in our approach to health behind bars, Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer of New York Citys jail system, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill. Weve built the worlds largest collection of jails and prisons, and kept the health services in these places remarkably separate from the rest of our national health systems.

Although the nature and the intensity of how the coronavirus will play out is unknown, there are several examples of how correctional institutions have handled epidemics in the past. During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, which infected about 60 million people and killed more than 12,000 in the United States alone, the California prison system saw nearly 800 cases; three deaths were reported. Across the country, correctional officials tried to minimize the spread by quarantining inmates and suspending visitation.

Though the coronavirus is different from the flu, prison and jail officials are preparing for its outbreak in much the same way. The Sonoma County, California, jail, which houses up to 1,000 people, has come up with protocols likely to be replicated throughout the corrections system. First, new inmates are screened for coronavirus before being booked in the facility. If the individual has any of the symptoms, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath, officials will ask if the person has traveled to China within two weeks of the symptoms developing or if they had close contact with anyone exposed to the coronavirus. If the answer is yes to any of these questions, the correctional officers immediately wear gloves and place a mask on the suspected patient, then place them in an isolation cell to await transfer to a hospital, where further testing is handled by medical professionals. The county has already declared a state of emergency as it deals with at least two cases of the disease. In Washington state, where all of the US deathsso far have occurred, local jail officials are following a similar procedure.

Some lessons might be learned from how the coronavirus has already affected prisons and jails in other countries. In China, government officials reported 555 coronavirus cases in five prisons across three provinces. In Iran, which has seen 2,336 cases and 77 deaths, government officials temporarily released 54,000 low-level inmates to combat the spread of the disease.

In the United States, the lack of quality health care in prisons and jails could spell trouble for incarcerated people, according toDr. Venters: Management of this pandemic will be harder and less effective for incarcerated people, their families, and staff in these institutions.

Read the original:

Health Care Behind Bars Is Already Abysmal. Are Prison Officials Prepared for the Coronavirus? - Mother Jones

A shortage of masks, gloves, and other protective gear is putting lives at risk from the new coronavirus and other infectious diseases warned the World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement on Tuesday. A frightened public has been buying up masks and other equipment, leaving limited supplies for health care workers who need the gear the most.

Masks can be useful for people who are sick with a respiratory virus to keep them from spreading the illness to others. They are most useful for health care workers who come face to face with disease every day.

Health experts, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), do not currently recommend that people who are well wear masks as protection against diseases like the new coronavirus. People have bought them anyway, in such huge amounts that the WHO is worried that the people who need them the most wont be able to get them. Supplies are dwindling. The price of surgical gowns has doubled; the price of surgical masks is now six times higher than it was at the start of the outbreak.

Without secure supply chains, the risk to healthcare workers around the world is real, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Industry and governments must act quickly to boost supply, ease export restrictions and put measures in place to stop speculation and hoarding. We cant stop COVID-19 without protecting health workers first.

The surgeon general recently made a similar appeal over Twitter begging people to stop buying masks. He also warned that improperly wearing masks could actually increase the spread of the disease.

The WHO is asking manufacturers to increase production by 40 percent. They estimate that 89 million masks will be needed by health care workers every month, along with 76 million gloves and 1.6 million goggles.

TV manufacturer Sharp recently announced that they would start making masks in one of their Japanese factories this month, in order to deal with the growing shortage of the products. Amazon has warned sellers against price gouging items like masks. The company has also scrubbed a million products making misleading claims about curing or preventing COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

More than 90,000 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed globally, and more than 3,000 people have died. Health officials recommend that people protect themselves from the disease by staying home when sick, covering their mouths when they sneeze, and washing their hands thoroughly and frequently.

See the rest here:

Panic buying of masks puts health care workers lives at risk, WHO says - The Verge

One of the largest areas for startups and technology is focused on medicine and health care. But besides developing new therapies and treatments for diseases, theres also been a push to provide better care to people in everyday situations.

There are several problems too many to name here that people face when it comes to their health care. For one, most people dont know what their personal data is or how to track it. Emergency departments are perpetually overwhelmed; doctors only see their patients for an average of about 17 minutes. These are a handful of companies that are working out solutions to some of these issues and are changing the way patients can receive care.

Monitoring your health

Ready to feel like youve been transported into the future? Get your body scanned.

Companies like Higi and mPort are putting body scanning stations or booths in malls and other publicly accessible areas. Higis tagline on their website reads, Know your numbers. Own your health. In an age where our data is everywhere but not necessarily in our possession, these companies are putting our data back in our hands.

The scanners can measure your weight, body fat percentage and blood pressure. You could make it part of your regular routine, like going for a scan every time you go food shopping at your local grocery. Both companies have apps that help users keep track of their numbers. Now what you do with the data, that is up to you.

Getting urgent care

If you live in New York or New Jersey and youve got a nasty cut, you dont need to go to a hospitals emergency room to get help anymore; you can head to the nearest CityMD to get patched up instead.

Urgent care has become a separate category of service outside of hospitals. Although these clinics may not be equipped for bigger emergencies like people who suffer serious physical injuries from accidents or violence, they can ease the burden on emergency departments of hospitals by taking care of people who have the flu, minor cuts or other non-life-threatening health issues.

The first CityMD clinic opened in 2010 with the goal of making health care more inclusive by serving people in their communities where they live and work. No one should be an outsider when it comes to health care, says founder and CEO Richard Park on the website.

CityMD accepts most insurance, and unlike emergency departments, they offer aftercare and a wide range of services like pediatric care, X-rays, vaccinations and others. The average wait time is 8 minutes, clinics are open every day and no appointments are needed, according to the website. With more than 100 locations and counting, CityMD has become a regular sight in New York.

Seeing your GP

Going to see your primary care provider or general practitioner can be a lengthy ordeal. You make an appointment, arrive on time or even early and are still made to wait a long time before you can get seen. Long waits are a hallmark of our health care system, but the startup Forward doesnt think it has to be this way.

Forward is a modern, technology-assisted approach to going to see your doctor. Their mission is to deliver complete, preventive primary care by combining best-in-class doctors with advanced medical technology, says Robert Sebastian, co-founder of Forward, in an email to Changing America.

Forward clinic with body scanner on the left. Photo courtesy of Forward.

In the virtual tour video on their website, one of the doctors explains theres no waiting room because theres no waiting. You check in on an iPad and walk over to an in-house designed body scanner. In the exam room, the doctor shows an infrared scanner that helps them find the vein in your arm to draw blood. The in-house laboratory can process that blood sample in 12 minutes so the doctor and patient can go over the results on the same visit. In addition to general assessment of health and medical history, Forward health providers also go through genetic analysis and put together preventive plans with their patients.

Infrared scanner being used to find veins. Photo courtesy of Forward.

Forward charges a monthly membership fee, and this was partly because health insurance isnt working from their point of view. We started by asking, Can you build a truly great product while answering to insurance companies, rather than to the patient you intend to serve? says Sebastian.

They decided the answer was no, and their current membership fees are $149 per month. But for 30 percent of their members who are uninsured, this is a good way to get health care, says Sebastian. Members can also pay the fees using a health savings account (HSA) or flexible savings account (FSA).

Inspired by his grandfather who came to the U.S. from the Philippines to be a doctor, Sebastian says, My grandfather told me not to go into medicine. It was too hard to practice the way that he had for 50 years. Forwards strength is making technology work for the patient. Theyve automated repetitive work that inflates costs in the traditional system, Sebastian tells Changing America.

The guiding thought is, How might we make a system so good, that my grandfather would tell me to go into medicine? says Sebastian. We focus on offering proactive care, not waiting to react and treat the symptom. On maximizing our members time with their doctor and care team. On the needs of our members, not insurance.

Women-focused gynecology, health check-ups and guidance

After struggling with figuring out her health insurance and where to get care while at a job at Google, Tia CEO Carolyn Witte decided that there had to be a better way to get health care. To Witte, this means an integrated approach that assesses a persons health in a holistic way. Even with health insurance, it was too difficult to get care, especially going from one specialist to another.

Tia started as an online platform for women to get information about health topics like their menstrual cycle or anxiety. In 2019, Tia opened their first in-person clinic for women in New York. They provide gynecological services as well as overall health assessments, acupuncture and seminars. Unlike Forward, they do take insurance, although becoming a member costs $150 annually. They do waive the membership fee for those who are financially unable to cover that cost, and for International Womens Day are donating 100 memberships and hosting a free day of care on Mar. 8.

Tia clinic exam room. Photo credit: Kezi Ban @ Blonde Artists courtesy of Rockwell Group.

Walking into the bright and airy clinic, youre greeted by friendly staff who make sure each visit goes smoothly. Afterwards, the nurse practitioners and medical assistants communicate with patients through their chat function on the website or app and can send digital copies of test results through the system.

Although Witte says that they are hoping to be able to serve a membership of 4,000 women in the near future, its unclear whether this model for providing services will be able to scale up to serve even more women. Additional brick-and-mortar locations would increase costs even more and whether the clinics can be financially sustainable even if they accept most insurance plans is unknown.

Tia, while aiming to become a full care platform, cant solve every health care problem, so they are working on building bridges. That means deciding with what your expertise is and what you are really innovating on and then choosing how and where to partner, says Witte. We really think about our streams as innovating on technology and experience connected to care delivery. They empower providers to deliver better quality experience to patients, and at lower costs to boot. This allows them to aim at moving those core levers in our healthcare system that make it so expensive, adds Witte. We need to also make it actually drive better outcomes and reduce the cost of care and...it's really about changing care delivery itself.

The health care of tomorrow?

Its unlikely that any of these models will solve all health care problems, and they are not designed to do that. Each have a vision and fulfill a specific purpose for a specific audience, and perhaps thats the point. What well find out with the success or failure of these startups is whether focusing on the manner in which care is delivered can be a viable and sustainable way to provide health care for a wider range of people.

Read more:

These startups are innovating the future of health care - The Hill

Welcome to Tuesday's Overnight Health Care.

Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceOvernight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death rate higher than thought | Sports leagues take cautious approach amid outbreak CDC to issue guidance that patients can get coronavirus test with doctor's orders Top US airline group to meet with Pence on coronavirus MORE briefed senators today, and some were less than thrilled about the shortfalls in coronavirus testing. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said the death rate is now higher than previously thought. And we've got more on the fallout from the outbreak with a look at how sports leagues are playing it safe.

We'll start with Pence...

Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing

Vice President Mike Pence and other administration health officials came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, and faced some tough questions over lunch.

Bipartisan focus on testing. Some Republican senators said they shared growing concerns among Democrats and experts that there are not enough tests being made available, hindering the ability of officials to know how widespread the virus is within the United States.

Sen. Bill CassidyWilliam (Bill) Morgan CassidyPence pressed over coronavirus response in testy Senate briefing Overnight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death rate higher than thought | Sports leagues take cautious approach amid outbreak Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing MORE (R-La.) said that among Republican senators as well there was "a lot of concern about the testing."

"Our capacity is not where it needs to be right now," added Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioRatcliffe nomination puts Susan Collins in tough spot Pence pressed over coronavirus response in testy Senate briefing Overnight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death rate higher than thought | Sports leagues take cautious approach amid outbreak MORE (R-Fla.), though he noted that officials are ramping up their efforts on testing.

Sen. Maria CantwellMaria Elaine CantwellPence pressed over coronavirus response in testy Senate briefing Overnight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death rate higher than thought | Sports leagues take cautious approach amid outbreak Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing MORE (D-Wash.) asked the vice president, who is leading the administration's response, about the lack of tests available.

"They keep throwing out numbers like millions of tests and we're saying, 'that's not right,'" Cantwell told reporters afterward. "Millions of tests aren't available right this second. People are calling their doctors and they're not being able to get tests."

Read more here.

Update on testing:The FDA's Stephen Hahn told lawmakers today that a private manufacturer plans to ship 2,500 kits that can perform 1 million tests to non-public health labs by the end of the week. But lawmakers and experts think this isn't feasible.

Meanwhile, the CDC plans to send out kits to public health labs that can perform 75,000 tests.

Read more here.

WHO: Coronavirus death rate higher than initially thought

World Health Organization officials on Tuesday said the death rate from the novel coronavirus is higher than previously thought.

"Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing.

Last week, Tedros said a WHO team in China found the case fatality rate was between 2 percent and 4 percent inside the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and 0.7 percent outside of Wuhan.

However, officials have struggled to find an accurate count of the death rate because many people with mild cases don't show symptoms and may not seek treatment.

Read more here.

Trump backs off suggestion to close southern border over coronavirus

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDems unlikely to subpoena Bolton Ratcliffe nomination puts Susan Collins in tough spot Meet the adviser shaping foreign policy for Sanders MORE on Tuesday said the administration is no longer seriously considering closing the southern border due to the spread of the coronavirus, three days after he said the idea was being weighed "very strongly."

"We're not looking at it very strongly," Trump said during a visit to the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

"I don't think we've seen any great evidence that that area's a problem at this moment," he added.

The comments mark a significant reversal from Saturday, when Trump suggested closing the southern border was on the table.

"We have received a lot of power on the southern border over the last couple years from the courts, but we are looking at that very strongly," he said during a news conference.

Mexico last week confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus, which has spread to numerous countries.

Read more here.

Sports leagues take cautious approach with coronavirus

Major U.S. sports leagues are taking precautions and considering contingencies as the coronavirus spreads across the country.

Public health officials have urged Americans to go about their everyday lives, while also warning major disruptions could be coming as the virus becomes more widespread.

One such change could see Americans avoid large gatherings where the virus is more likely to spread, such as sporting events at stadiums and arenas.

Officials from the NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS all said they are monitoring the coronavirus. They've been in contact with health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get updates on the virus and communicated with teams about efforts to avoid contracting the virus.

But while other countries have banned large gatherings and ordered games played in empty stadiums, the U.S. is not yet considering such drastic actions, and sports officials would not say if changes will need to be made in the future.

Read more here.

Nine coronavirus deaths now in Washington state

Washington state health officials reported three more deaths from the coronavirus Wednesday, increasing the number of fatalities to nine.

In all, state officials have confirmed 27 cases of the coronavirus, including the deaths.

More here.

Trump officials pressed on economic response to virus

The Trump administration is facing growing calls to detail how it will protect the economy as worries grow about the impact of the global coronavirus outbreak.

At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinOvernight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death rate higher than thought | Sports leagues take cautious approach amid outbreak On The Money: Trump officials pressed on economic response to coronavirus | Fed rate cut fails to halt plunging stocks | Justices spar over fate of consumer agency Trump officials pressed on economic response to coronavirus MORE opened the door to actions to boost the economy and help businesses and workers in the future while trying to calm fears about the immediate impact of the outbreak.

But even as the Trump administration grapples with the public health aspect of the outbreak, there are mounting questions about its economic response.More on that here.

The Fed acts: The Federal Reserve cut interest rates amid concern about the potential economic toll of the coronavirus outbreak. The emergency cut was the first between meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee since the financial crisis in 2008.

But the move wasn't enough for Trump who called, on Twitter, for "More easing and cutting!" The rate cut also failed to keep the stock market from another big dip.

Economic worries growing: While voters remain bullish about the state of the economy there are warning signs that the coronavirus outbreak is causing new anxieties, according to a new poll. More on that poll here.

More coronavirus headlines

Trump: 'We're not looking at' restricting domestic travel over coronavirus

Trump donates quarterly salary to HHS for coronavirus efforts

World Bank, IMF to hold annual summit in 'virtual format' amid coronavirus fears

TSA chief says more countries facing travel restrictions over coronavirus 'soon'

Texas lawmakers call for investigation into CDC's handling of released coronavirus patient in San Antonio

Pentagon calls NYT article on Esper and coronavirus response 'dangerous and inaccurate'

NY subway trains to be sanitized every 72 hours to prevent coronavirus spreading

Facebook skipping SXSW amid coronavirus outbreak

Remember surprise billing?

While coronavirus has been dominating the health care beat recently, the conservative Republican Study Committee on Tuesday circulated a memo to its 147 Republican members in the House, raising concerns with two leading approaches to surprise billing legislation in that chamber.

Echoing concerns from other conservatives, the memo warns that some conservatives may be concerned the House Education and Labor Committee bill uses a "market-distorting price control" to determine how much insurers will pay doctors once the patient is protected.

Likewise, while the memo calls a bill from the House Ways and Means Committee that uses arbitration to set that price "less heavy-handed," it still raises concerns that "while Congress doesn't specifically pick a price-control, it outsources that task to a panel of government-appointed experts."

Read the full memo here.

What we're reading

Supreme Court's ObamaCare review cheers Democrats with election year health-care focus (Washington Post)

Who is getting sick, and how sick? A breakdown of coronavirus risk by demographic factors (Stat News)

State by state

Washington State risks seeing explosion in coronavirus cases without dramatic action, new analysis says (Stat News)

Medicaid expansion tied to fewer maternal deaths, study says (CNN)

The Hill op-eds

Coronavirus preparedness: Insurers and Medicaid need to relax prescription refills

The cure for COVID-19, and so much more, is global cooperation

Coronavirus, the House and oversight

Read more:

Overnight Health Care: Senators press Pence over coronavirus response in private briefing | Questions mount over testing delays | WHO says virus death...

Yvette Stephens, Opinion contributor Published 7:00 a.m. ET March 3, 2020 | Updated 10:51 a.m. ET March 4, 2020

When people ask how to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19, one of the first suggestions from doctors is washing your hands. Here are the do's and don'ts. USA TODAY

I feel exposed and unprotected. There are thousands of other workers who feel just like me. We want to shield ourselves and those we serve.

With dozensof Americans diagnosed with coronavirus in recent days, many travelers have started wondering whether they could be next. Some are even changing travel plans to evade the illness. But for workers like me at New Jersey'sNewark Liberty International Airport, and thousands of other workers at our nations busy airports, its something we have to wonder about every day as the world comes to our workplaces.

The news media and politicians concerned about health risks connected to coronavirus have missed a critical fact: Thousands of airport workers on the front lines of exposure to dangerous diseases have no health insurance.The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionrecommends visiting a doctor when experiencing symptoms, but going to the doctor often means personal financial crises for us.

Having multiple sclerosisand a compromised immune system because of it, means I am at risk as I interact with passengers directly as a security officer. I used to cover my medical needs through Medicaid, but the raise I got last year, which my co-workers fought for so hard, means I was dropped off Medicaid. As a result,my health insurance is in total limbo, and I fear what the future holds, as every aspect of my life depends on my health care coverage.

The medications and treatments I need to survive cost thousands of dollars per month. As a mom, I need to plan for my family, but I dont know what awaits me from one day to the next. Getting sick has enormous consequences for workers like me. There is our own health, our families health and also the health of the people we serve all at stake.

At John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jan. 31, 2020.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Across the Hudson River at New York's LaGuardia Airport, Jordany Bueno assists some of the most vulnerable people the disabled, pregnant andelderly by pushing their wheelchairs across the airport. Like me, he has to make tough choices about how to balance out his health needs. He is prone to seizures, butlike me, he no longer qualifies for Medicaid with his increased wages.He routinely pays over $3,000 ayear for medical treatments, because its much cheaper than the health insurance offered by his employer. He puts off essential MRIs andeye and dental appointments.

Patricia Alvis, an airplane cabin cleaner at John F. Kennedy InternationalAirport, worksthrough a painful fibroma condition that causes herto bleed constantly. She quickly used up her five paid sick daysand was even forced to go home one day when blood trickled into her shoes. Like Jordany, Patricia couldnt afford her employers health plan, and her income is too high to qualify for Medicaid or New York state'sEssential Plan.

A team effort: On coronavirus, America and China must demonstrate global leadership and join together

Patricia estimates that it is cheaper to take out a loan, use her limited vacation days and fly to Ecuador for a recommended surgery. I fear for Patricia in her weakened state, flying across the world is her best option.

Airport workers understand that being healthy doesnt just mean we can take care of ourselves and our families;our healthalso affects the safety of the millions of passengers we touch every day. Workers understand that the demands of our jobsto daily place our bodies in spaces of heightened security and disease risk means we are owed an equal guarantee of care.

A previous version of this video incorrectly stated how many people the 1918 Spanish influenza killed. USA TODAY

Were at a pivotal moment, when the public and our government are deeply concerned about travel health safety. One step that can help keep everyone safe at airports is passing the Healthy Terminals Act.

The law creates a standard for 40,000 workers.If passed in New York and New Jersey, nearly all of these workers baggage handlers, cleaners, wheelchair attendants, airport food service workers and more will earn extra dollars that can be used to acquire desperately needed health care.

Other contracted workers already have this through similar legislation for federal employees. Airports like San Franciscoand Los Angelesalready require a healthcare supplement. Why dont all airport workers have this?

Sick or healthy, we wont sit around waiting for a broken system to fix itself. I know Ill be in Trenton talking to legislators about the Healthy Terminals Act. And Jordany and Patricia will do the same in Albany. We are fighting to change things so workers like us, our familiesand the people we serve are safe.

We must have other options: Coronavirus fear sickens stock market, spreads need to diversify manufacturing

We are fighting to stay out of debt, go to the doctor and live dignified lives at a time whenthe airline industry is booming. Its time we get a piece of the pie.

Coronavirus is not the first highly communicable disease outbreak that airport workers have experienced, and it will not be the last. Getting quality, affordable health insurance cannot come soon enough for usthe people who serve millions of passengers every single day.

Yvette Stephens is a security officer at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/03/03/health-insurance-work-airport-pandemic-coronavirus-covid-19-column/4752165002/

Go here to see the original:

I work at the airport in the eye of the coronavirus without health insurance - USA TODAY

Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said on Monday evening that her agency may not be able to pay for all "products and services" required for coronavirus patients dependent on government insurance.

"We are looking at what we cover and clarifying the types of products and services that our programs will be able to pay for in terms of Medicare and Medicaid," Verma said.

Verma made the comments during a press briefing held by Vice President Mike Pence on Monday to discuss the novel coronavirus, the risk it poses to Americans, and the government's response efforts.

It opens the door to the possibility that older Americans a demographic at greater risk from coronavirus will have to pay up to receive medical treatment. Many Medicare beneficiaries are subject to a $1,408 deductible, with coinsurance that kicks in after the second month starting at $352 per day and gradually scaling upward.

"People who are subject to cost sharing they are less likely to use medical care, even if they need it," John Cogan, a health-law expert at the University of Connecticut, told Business Insider. "This could put them at greater risk and spread the disease."

Pence otherwise attempted to quell concerns about the virus, saying "the risk to the American people from the coronavirus remains low."

As of Monday, the coronavirus had spread to more than 60 countries and infected more than 88,000 people, with the vast majority of cases in China. The disease it causes, COVID-19, has killed more than 3,000 people.

The briefing came a few days after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar initially declined to promise that a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable for all Americans.

"We would want to ensure that we work to make it affordable, but we can't control that price because we need the private sector to invest," Azar told members of Congress on Wednesday during a hearing concerning the coronavirus outbreak and the administration's budget request. "Price controls won't get us there."

After massive backlash and condemnation from Democrats and others, the administration reversed course on Thursdayand said any future COVID-19 vaccine would be made affordable.

"I have directed my teams that if we do any joint venture with a private enterprise, that we're cofunding the research-and-development program, that we would ensure there's access to the fruits of that, whether vaccine or therapeutics," Azar said.

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a directive ordering health insurers to waive all costs related to the coronavirus for emergency-room, urgent-care, and doctor visits.

"We can't let cost be a barrier to access to COVID-19 testing for any New Yorker," Cuomo tweeted.

Visit link:

Trump administration says it might not cover all coronavirus healthcare - Business Insider - Business Insider

Our modern-day, right-wing extremist dominated Republican Party has spent the better part of the last decade making countless efforts to take health care away from the neediest and most vulnerable parts of society.

Treating Health Care as a privilege of the rich rather than a right. Just another incentive for the poor to pull themselves up by the bootstraps out of welfare and dependence on entitlement programs. Except for the integrity of a single dying senator, what little progress we had made would have been gone with the abolishment of Obamacare.

Nonetheless, the consequences of our health care system weakened from relentless attack, and the lack of universal coverage and things like mandatory paid sick leave, will soon be coming back to bite us if a worldwide pandemic reaches the USA.

People without coverage or sick leave will be left out spreading the disease among the rest making things worse. In a modern pandemic, the majority of deaths will not come from the disease but from the breakdown of our interdependent society that relies on farmers, truckers, etc., service providers for our every need, that we cannot do without.

The results of the last general election two years ago, shows that the majority of Americans have come to realize that health care is our first and over riding priority.

If we are dead, what good is an artificially inflated stock market fueled by unsustainable low interest rates and trillion dollar deficits stretching more than a decade into the future that our children will be stuck paying the bill for?

Come election time, vote for your health, not your wallet.

Louis R Urciuolo, Lower Paxton Twp.

Read more from the original source:

Pandemics are why we need universal health care | PennLive letters - pennlive.com

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was the big winner from the group of Super Tuesday primaries, on track to secure victories in 10 states. But Biden wasnt the only winner on Super Tuesday, as health care stocks are reacting positively to Bidens surprisingly strong showing.

The stock market roared higher on Wednesday as investors cheered Bidens victories and a strong 183,000 rise in U.S. private payrolls in February, ahead of consensus expectations of 155,000. The payroll numbers suggest businesses may not be as concerned about the coronavirus as feared.

Bidens victory also may have removed some risk for the market. While analysts generally see President Donald Trump and Republican policies as best for business, many see Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders as the most risky candidate.

In January, DoubleLine CEO Jeffrey Gundlach said Sanders poses the single biggest risk to the U.S. stock market in 2020. Biden leapfrogged Sanders as the Democratic frontrunner on Tuesday, and health care stocks reacted most positively to the news.

See Also:Federal Reserve Issues Emergency 0.5% Interest Rate Cut, Cites 'Evolving Risks' From Coronavirus

Stephens analyst Scott Fidel said Bidens big night is a bullish catalyst for health care.

These developments in the Democratic primary could set the MCO and Hospital stocks up for a relief rally as the market likely prices in reduced risk of Bernie winning the Democratic nomination. Fidel said.

Bank of America analyst Kevin Fischbeck said Bidens moderate health care policy positions are just what the sector needs.

As a moderate Democratic candidate, he has said that he would build on the ACA to expand coverage through his public option form of coverage, which would offset any negatives from higher taxes. Sanders Medicare-for-All proposal contains provisions that would eliminate for-profit hospitals by cutting rates for providers, as well as disintermediate MCOs, Fischbeck said.

Fishbeck noted its unlikely any Democrat that wins the White House would be able to implement any version of major health care reform unless Democrats take control of the Senate as well, an outcome that's extremely unlikely.

For now, Sanders stumble has been enough to trigger a relief rally for some top health care stocks. Here are some of Wednesday's top movers:

Biden and the Democrats still have a steep hill to climb to implement any significant change to the health care system given Republicans will likely maintain control of the Senate in 2020. Following the Super Tuesday results, Biden now has a 73% chance of securing the Democratic nomination, but Republicans have a 56% chance of winning the election, according to PredictIt.

Do you agree with this take? Email feedback@benzinga.com with your thoughts.

Photo credit: U.S. Embassy Bern, Switzerland

View More Analyst Ratings for UNH View the Latest Analyst Ratings

2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Go here to read the rest:

Biden's Super Tuesday Surge Gives Health Care Stocks A Boost - Benzinga

For providers, homelessness is at the intersection of being a medical issue and a public-health concern, and it's starting to overwhelm local resources in some areas, including hospital emergency rooms.

New state laws in California demand hospital EDs take steps to more safely discharge homeless patients. This can be difficult when patients are reluctant to share their homeless status with ED staff. Also, few have the community infrastructure needed to comply with these laws.

The problem goes beyond California and its legislative mandates. The real issue is that healthcare is expected to manage a population without reimbursement outside of medical care, according to Dr. Ronn Berrol, emergency department medical director for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California.

"I personally think we need to do what's right for the patient," Berrol said. "The legislation came out of people wanting to do something."

During HIMSS20, Berrol will explore how to use the resources available in the community to make a real impact on patients' lives. He will share the changes that Alta Bates Medical Center has made to provide ER physicians with insights at the point of care. It's an approach that reduces costs and contributes to better care outcomes for vulnerable patients.

Each state is different, and within each state counties can have different needs. What's needed is a quick and easy health-information exchange to identify area resources.

Berrol uses Collective Medical, in which real-time information through the ER shows up on a physician's track board. An estimated 80% of area hospitals use the same Collective Medical platform, Berrol said.

The product is able to identify the high utilizers of the ED, because it's been well established that "the top 1% users of healthcare chew up 20% of resources," he said.

Providers are able to link these high utilizers to a primary care provider to avoid the ER, the most expensive place to get care.

"I'm one part of this issue," Berrol said. "But healthcare alone can't solve the homeless crisis."

Dr. Ronn Berrol, medical director for Summit Emergency Department for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland, California, will address "Navigating America's Hidden Healthcare Crisis: Homelessness," from 1-2 p.m., Wednesday, March 11, Room W330A in the Orange County Convention Center.

Twitter: @SusanJMorseEmail the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com

Read the original here:

Healthcare's responsibility to the homeless addressed at HIMSS20 - Healthcare Finance News

If you ever end up in an emergency room, the first thing that happens is a doctor or nurse will check your critical vitals: your temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and pulse. If those indicate your life is at risk, your care is prioritized over others who have already been waiting or who have been seen by a doctor but require additional testing (e.g. an x-ray or blood test) or a specialist to review their symptoms. This process, called triaging, is the global standard for allocating resources in emergency care.

Triaging is a marvel of modern healthcare if it is abundantly clear that you are on deaths door. But if theres no textbook description of your condition, it can leave you needlessly suffering while the experts try to figure it out. Thats often the case for those with rare diseases, a group of conditions that are not individually common, but combined, affect an estimated 10% of the global population, some 475 million people. An estimated 80% of the 7,000 identified rare diseases are caused by DNA mutations that occur during pregnancy, meaning most of those with this category of illness are born with it. In many cases, these babies emerge from the womb with life-threatening conditions that doctorsworking the triage systemwill immediately address. However, this also tends to lead doctors to then ignore the underlying rare diseasean unnecessary medical expenditure, in the triage system framework.

I am one of the people living with a rare disease.

I was born with a number of symptoms and signs that put my life at risk a collapsed lung, a premature exit from my mothers body after only six months, and malnutrition from a hole in my amniotic sac. These problems were all treated and resolved over a multiple month stay in the hospital dictated by the triage system. I was allocated hospital resources for my life-threatening conditions until I was deemed stable enough to go home: the point at which I wouldnt die if I left the care of the hospital.

But there was another problem that was overlooked, and which wasnt diagnosed until I was five years old.

Every bone in my body was bent and every muscle atrophied or non-existent. I couldnt move my neck away from shoulder; I couldnt straighten my legs, knees, arms, wrists, ankles, toes, hands, or fingers beyond fixed, fully bent positions.

The triage system worked at saving my life, but never addressed how I would live day to day or even physically move from a single location by myself. It never addressed the underlying issue and root of the problem: a rare orthopedic genetic disease.

The life or death triage standard is one of the primary reasons that it takes, on average, seven years for people with a rare disease to get a diagnosis in the U.S.and

I am one of the lucky ones. Serendipitously, a Because of these surgeries, and additional ones Ive had since, I could feed myself, live free from a wheelchair, go to school through the post-graduate level, and hold a full-time job.

The orthopedic surgeries I neededover 29 of them in less than 30 yearshave cost millions of dollars. And these costs grow each year as I undergo additional exploratory surgery in the absence of any cure. However, these costs are still lower than what I would have incurred had I been left as the triage system deemed stable as an infant. I would have required 24-hour in-home care my entire life. I would never have been able to use the bathroom alone, to get dressed alone or to even leave the house alone. The lifetime value of a working individual according to the US Office of Management and Budget is on average $7 million to $9 million. The cost of a full-time caregiver is on average $40,320 a year; if a rare-disease patient reaches the average US life expectancy of 78 years old, the lifetime cost of full-time care is at least $3 million.

Our healthcare system needs to weigh the long-term costs of leaving behind people with rare disease, and, more specifically, evaluate the economic consequences that follow at a global scale.

Even more so, we need to weigh the costs of creating a pipeline to fill the treatment gap facing people with rare disease., Using genomic sequencing, clinicians can holistically understand the genetic roots of rare disease and even potentially cure rare disease through gene therapy, which modifies and permanently fixes abnormal genes that cause a specific rare disease at birth.

Nonetheless, identifying the root genetic cause of rare disease is the only way to begin to cure a rare disease rather than just treating the symptoms in an ad hoc fashion. While certain pharmaceutical drugs can be developed from the findings in a genomic sequence to help mitigate or lessen symptoms, the science suggests the only way to cure a rare disease is to administer an even newer science called gene therapywhich modifies and permanently fixes genes that are abnormal. Considered to be the most expensive option, a However, this nascent science is costly: gene therapy costs around $2 million for current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved options.

Insurance plans in the US rarely pay for clinical-grade whole-genomic sequencing (which can carry a price tag of up to $9,000)let alone gene therapies. Yet if the most expensive cost to cure a rare disease is $2 million, thats still far less than $3 million for a lifetime of full-time care (which excludes additional expenses). And new studies, like one the World Economic Forum released in the lead up to this years International Rare Disease Day, show that we can ultimately save money in the long term by funding more treatments and, as an added benefit, potentially develop more cures by learning when treatments work and when treatments dont work.

We cant create clinical pathways for the more than 7,000 rare diseases overnight, but we need a standard of care that goes beyond using death as the primary barometer of focus, over-simplifies the complexity of what it means to be healthy, and only considers short term costs. An economically effective, new model could center on allocating resources with the end goal to allow people to reach a level of health that provides basic mobility or basic independencea level of health allowing economic productivity. We are living in a time of unprecedented medical innovation, and our system of coverage needs to catch up. We can do better than just keeping people alive.

Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Contact us at editors@time.com.

Excerpt from:

The Bad Economics of the U.S. Health Care System Shows Up Starkly in its Approach to Rare Diseases - TIME

Opinion: Jake's Law won't solve every problem with Arizona's mental health-care system. But the wide-ranging bill makes some critical, positive steps.

Gov. Doug Ducey (center) signs Jake's Law at the state Capitol on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The wide-ranging mental health bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate.(Photo: Gov. Doug Ducey's Office)

Receiving mental health care in Arizona is like pulling teeth.

Actually, scratch that. It can be a lot harder than pulling teeth, because insurance companies dont put nearly as many restrictions on that kind of care.

Thats why Jakes Law is so consequential.

The wide-ranging measure named after Jacob Machovksy, who died by suicide at 15 aims to remove some of the insurance limits on mental health care and, with any luck, help reduce the rising suicide rate that is taking far too many Arizonans.

Senate Bill 1523 passed unanimously in the House and Senate and was quickly signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, who had previously made suicide preventiona priority in his State of the State address.

Federal law has long required insurance coverage to be no more restrictive for depression, anxiety and addiction than for other illnesses. But insurers often put up barriers by adding pre-authorization, medical necessity and in-network requirements, which can delay care or cut it off prematurely.

Thats what happened to Machovsky, who was discharged from a hospital before doctors thought he was ready. His parents couldnt afford to keep him in without insurance coverage.

He died a few months later.

The bill boosts state enforcement of federal law by forcing insurers to regularly report how they are complyingand makingit easier for patients to file complaints.

It requires improved discharge protocols for patients who are admitted for a suicide attempt or ideation, to ensure they get the referrals and risk assessments they need.

And it creates a team that can study suicide deaths with more speed and depth, so more detailed strategies can be put in place to prevent them.

RELATED: Loneliness is a public health issue, and Arizona is treating it like one

As importantly, Jakes Law makes it easier for students to get mental health care within schools.

It prohibits insurers from denying coverage solely because services were provided ata school. And it establishes a fund, so students whose parents cant afford their insurances deductibles or copays can more easilyget services at school.

Lawmakers agreed to pump $8 million into the fund this year.

All of this is important, because half of those with mental illnesses begin exhibiting symptoms by age 14. Most go years before receiving any treatment.

Improving early intervention can help students cope, reducing the risk of them acting out when illnesses go untreated. Which, in turn, can improve school safety, reduce the dropout rate and help avoid problems later in life, such as incarceration.

SB 1523 recognizes thatschools play a critical role in helping identify at-risk students and connecting them with the help they need during the school day even if they dont provide every servicein-house.

Critically, the legislationrequires the Department of Education to study the adequacy of behavioral services offered in schools. That will undoubtedly highlight the chronic lack of school counselors a related problem that the state also must tackle.

But dont let that diminish the significance of what lawmakers have done. They have sent the message unanimously that mental health care matters. And that schools play an important role in coordinating this care, especially for children.

The states mental-health system still faces monumental challenges to providing consistent, quality care. Jakes Law doesnt solve all of them.

But it is a meaningful step toward breaking the stigmas that keep many from getting this care.

Mental health is not something to ignore. Thats a messagewe all need to hear.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, or text 741-741 to connect with a crisis counselor in your area.

Reach Allhands at joanna.allhands@arizonarepublic.com. On Twitter: @joannaallhands.

If you love this content (or love to hate it hey, no judging),why not subscribe to get more?

Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/joannaallhands/2020/03/04/mental-health-care-got-big-boost-arizona-thanks-jakes-law/4946104002/

The rest is here:

Every lawmaker in Arizona just voted for better mental health care. That's a big deal - AZCentral

Philips Azurion augmented-reality platform makes use of Microsofts HoloLens headsets to guide surgeons through an operation. (Philips Illustration)

Virtual reality? Augmented reality? Mixed reality? Today at a Seattle symposium, experts settled on extended reality, or XR, as the catch-all term for devices that put computer-generated visuals in front of your face. And they settled on health care as one of the most promising frontiers for XR.

I believe health care is going to drive the mass adoption of XR, Vinay Narayan, vice president of platform strategy and developer community at HTC Vive, said at XR Day, an event presented by the University of Washingtons Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering.

Why does Narayan believe that? He pointed out that health-care applications tend to be enterprise-level applications in a high-friction environment, where employees have to deal with loads of data as they make decisions. Health care is also an industry that touches everyone, amounting to $3.5 trillion in annual spending.

Narayan said thats an attractive frontier for technologies like XR, which can streamline operations and bring about better outcomes.

As an example, he pointed to the University of California at San Francisco, which is using HTC Vives VR system to teach medical students how to operate on virtual-reality patients.

Surgeons could soon be using XR to operate on real-reality patients as well. For example, Microsofts HoloLens team has been working with Philips on an image-guided therapy platform called Azurion. The mixed-reality system matches up a patients flesh-and-blood anatomy with a computer-generated model that uses X-ray and ultrasound imaging to guide surgeons through medical procedures.

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared HoloLens-based medical systems for use in pre-operative surgical planning, and HoloLens also figures in a Cleveland clinical trial aimed at guiding surgeons through procedures to treat tumors.

On Thursday, the FDA is planning a public workshop in Washington, D.C., to discuss best practices for virtual and augmented reality in medicine.

I think this is going to be really interesting, said Bernard Kress, partner optical architect on Microsofts HoloLens team.

During his time at Google X Labs, Kress played a leading role in the development of Google Glass, the camera-equipped smart glasses that sparked a sensation (and scorn) when they came out in 2014. The scorn eventually forced Google to phase out its mass-market Glass prototype, but the glasses live on as an enterprise product.

Kress said the optics of smart glasses and headsets have come a long way since then. Among the innovations on tap are light-field smart glasses that let users shift their focus from far to near as they take in an XR scene. Thats very important for surgical applications, Kress said.

Reducing the bulk of XR headsets, and designing the lenses so that other people can see the eyes of the wearer, will be particularly important for applications in the operating room. If you have an Oh My God moment, its really difficult to share this data with nurses. If you cant see the surgeons eyes, well, somethings really missing there, Kress said.

The design of XR environments will also have to be fine-tuned to suit the operating room rather than the gaming arcade. Designers should start to focus on making systems that are calm, smartly fading into the background, said Evie Powell, virtual reality engineer at Seattle-based Proprio.

Proprio is working on an XR platform that can guide a surgeon through an operative procedure, and let medical interns and other observers watch over the surgeons shoulder. Surgeons are able to quickly and precisely integrate their pre-operative plan, and perform the procedure entirely in XR, Powell said.

Perhaps the most important technology coming to the XR marketplace is eye-tracking, which opens the way to true hands-free interaction. You will see it in every single headset, Kress said.

Narayan agreed that eye-tracking is important, and not just for surgery. For example, its hard to imagine being able to work the controllers while youre swinging at virtual balls in MLB Home Run Derby VR. Thats why his company developed Vive Pro Eye, which adds gaze-oriented menu navigation and hands-free control to the game.

With eye-tracking, you stay in position, and actually cycle through the menus and take action with your eyes, Narayan said.

He said eye-tracking will usher in whole new types of applications, such as biometric scanning, identity verification and banking in XR.

The advent of 5G mobile communication networks is also likely to enhance wireless XR experiences. A true AR headset has all these different technologies that are built on top of that. Theres a challenge in building a good headset, Narayan said. What 5G allows you to do is decouple some of the complexities into the network.

XR devices could look a lot different once the next big wave of technology arrives, and perhaps the biggest challenge facing companies in the XR space is building the right surfboard for riding that wave. What were going to see three years from now is being worked on today, Narayan said.

See the rest here:

XR experts see health care as the killer app for VR, AR, MR or whatever you call it - GeekWire

Welcome to Monday's Overnight Health Care.

The number of coronavirus patients in the U.S. continues to climb, with more deaths being reported. Meanwhile, Congress is getting closer to unveiling a supplemental funding bill for virus relief efforts. And, the Supreme Court has decided to hear the ObamaCare lawsuit this year.

We'll start with the news from the Supreme Court:

In some big non-virus news: The Supreme Court is taking up the ObamaCare case

What it means: The case will loom over the November elections and could make the Affordable Care Act an even bigger issue in the presidential race.

The case will be heard during the court's next term, which starts in October, meaning that a decision is not expected until after the elections. It is unclear when the court will hear arguments, but those could come in October, before the election.

Democrats jumping on the case: Democrats immediately seized on the decision with a flurry of press releases to highlight the stakes for the election, while Republicans were mostly silent.

"This case is a stark, life-and-death reminder how much is at stake this fall and what's on the ballot right now: Democrats must nominate the candidate whom they know can beat Trump and bring along the Senate, to ensure we can protect our health care for generations to come," former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenThe Memo: Biden shakes up Democratic race with Super Tuesdaywins Van Jones: Warren should get credit for having 'destroyed' Bloomberg Biden wins Texas, capping off major Super Tuesday victories MORE said in a statement.

A spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee called the lawsuit the "single most important issue in Senate battlegrounds across the country."

Read more about the case here.

And in the latest on the coronavirus...

Washington state confirms 4 more coronavirus deaths, bringing death toll to 6

Health officials on Monday confirmed four additional coronavirus deaths in Washington, bringing the state's total death toll to six.

There are 18 confirmed cases in Washington, including the six deaths.

Most of those who have died were elderly or had underlying health conditions.

"Unfortunately, we are starting to find more COVID-19 cases here in Washington that appear to be acquired locally," said Dr. Kathy Lofy, a health officer for the Washington State Department of Health.

All of the cases are in two adjacent counties: Snohomish and King, which is home to Seattle.

Lofy said the virus could be spreading in other areas of the state, which is ramping up testing to better understand how widespread the virus is in Washington.

Of the six deaths, four had been residents of a nursing home, illustrating the danger the disease poses to the elderly and those who have underlying health conditions.

Officials noted that the vast majority of people who get infected will fully recover.

Read more here.

FDA expects 1 million coronavirus tests to be available by week's end

The U.S. will have the capacity by the end of the week to perform nearly 1 million coronavirus tests, public health officials said Monday.

That would mark a significant increase in the number of people able to be tested for the coronavirus in the U.S. after issues with a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led to delays in diagnosing new cases.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn told reporters at the White House that new regulatory guidance will allow academic centers and private companies to more quickly develop and verify their own tests for public use.

Why it matters: Flaws in a test developed by the CDC has led to testing delays. Experts believe there are likely hundreds of cases in the U.S. in people who have not been tested. As state and local health departments ramp up testing, it's likely new cases could be identified.

Read more about the testing here.

Trump urges pharmaceutical executives to accelerate coronavirus vaccine efforts

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDems unlikely to subpoena Bolton Ratcliffe nomination puts Susan Collins in tough spot Meet the adviser shaping foreign policy for Sanders MORE on Monday said he is urging pharmaceutical executives attending a White House meeting to accelerate their efforts to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

"We've asked them to accelerate whatever they're doing in terms of a vaccine," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with the president of Colombia.

The president and members of the White House coronavirus met with pharmaceutical executives. Ten pharmaceutical executives were in attendance, including the CEOs of Novorax, Gilead, CureVac and Inovio. Officials from Pfizer, Sanofi and Johnson and Johson were also at the meeting.

Trump said the meeting was previously arranged to discuss drug pricing as the White House and Congress weigh legislation aimed at curbing costs.

Read more here.

White House adds VA secretary, CMS chief to coronavirus task force

The Trump administration's coronavirus task force keeps expanding: Trump on Monday added Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert WilkieRobert Leon WilkieOvernight Health Care: Supreme Court to hear ObamaCare appeal | Washington state confirms 4 more coronavirus deaths | FDA expects 1M coronavirus tests by week's end | White House expands virus task force White House adds VA secretary, CMS chief to coronavirus task force Overnight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds 'not helpful' MORE and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to its ranks.

The office of Vice President Pence, who is overseeing the White House's response to the disease, announced their additions on Monday.

Wilkie and Verma will join a handful of officials, many of them focused on health and national security issues, already on the task force led by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

Pence's office announced Sunday that the task force would also add Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben CarsonBenjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonHUD has become an obstacle to fair housing Overnight Health Care: Supreme Court to hear ObamaCare appeal | Washington state confirms 4 more coronavirus deaths | FDA expects 1M coronavirus tests by week's end | White House expands virus task force White House adds VA secretary, CMS chief to coronavirus task force MORE, a former brain surgeon; Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn and White House science adviser Kelvin Droegmeier.

Pence has been leading the administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak and briefed reporters Monday evening at the White House alongside Ambassador Deborah Birx, a State Department health expert who is coordinating the response to the virus.

Read more here.

What we're reading

As coronavirus numbers rise, CDC. testing comes under fire (The New York Times)

Major airlines, U.S. officials clash over passenger tracking related to coronavirus cases (The Washington Post)

CNN, NYT, Cond, WSJ, and other media giants implement coronavirus restrictions (Daily Beast)

A detailed guide to the coronavirus drugs and vaccines in development (Stat News)

State by state

Coronavirus in New York.: Outbreak will spread in city, officials warn (The New York Times)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) demands CDC improve protocols after release of San Antonio patient who tested 'weakly positive' for coronavirus (KSAT)

Oklahoma lawmakers divided on how to pay for Medicaid expansion (The Oklahoman)

The Hill op-eds

Coronavirus, respiratory droplets -- and you

Protecting Americans from infectious disease threats, today and tomorrow

Link:

Overnight Health Care: Supreme Court to hear ObamaCare appeal | Washington state confirms 4 more coronavirus deaths | FDA expects 1M coronavirus tests...

Despite best efforts from health authorities across the world, it's possible the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak could continue to get worse in the weeks to come. Although the growth rate of confirmed cases in mainland China has slowed, other countries, such as Italy, South Korea, and Iran, have seen an explosion of incidents.

While the financial markets around the world have responded negatively to this news, smart investors can find a few good investment opportunities in the midst of the situation. In particular, companies that provide health services could have tremendous upside potential as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to unfold.

Here are three companies you should consider adding to your portfolio before the COVID-19 outbreak spreads further.

Image source: Getty Images.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) has been a bit of an underperformer over the past couple of weeks, shedding about 12% of its market value during the second half of February. While the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic could have played a role, it's just as likely (if not more so) that investors are worried about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who won the Nevada Democratic caucus back on Feb. 22. With Sen. Sanders advocating for a single-payer national health insurance system, health insurance companies face a significant threat to their business should he end up winning the presidential election.

Despite this, management remains quite optimistic for 2020. In CVS's recent fourth-quarter results, the company raised its guidance, projecting annual revenue of $262.0 billion to $265.5 billion, up 2% to 3.5%. The healthcare giant also handily beat analyst estimates for the fourth quarter, bringing in $66.9 billion in revenue as opposed to the $64.0 billion expected by Wall Street.

While the long-term position for CVS looks good, there's a strong case to be made that the company can benefit from the short-term COVID-19 situation as well. Recently, CVS and Walgreens warned Americans that there could be major shortages of hand sanitizer and other cleanliness products as the COVID-19 outbreak gets worse. Short-term sales of products at CVS's retail pharmacies could quickly shoot up over the next few weeks, while visits to its 1,100 or so medical clinics could rise as COVID-19 fears grow.

Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC) has been one of the big winners in February, with shares ending the month up about 23%. The company has emerged as one of the premier telehealth service providers, allowing doctors and other healthcare professionals to provide medical appointments via videoconferencing technology, whether from a smartphone, computer, tablet, or otherwise. Right now, about 40% of all Fortune 500 companies have a partnership with Teladoc to provide telehealth benefits to their employees.

Revenue has been growing substantially, with 2019 sales coming in at $553.3 million, a 32% increase from the $417.9 million reported for 2018. It's not surprising that investors are excited about the company, and the COVID-19 outbreak has only further fueled the rise of its stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

Officials from both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that communities, hospitals, and clinics should increase the use of telehealth service providers as COVID-19 spreads. With medical facilities in countries where outbreaks have worsened -- such as Italy and South Korea -- becoming increasingly crowded, Teladoc could see a surge of appointments from new users in the upcoming weeks and months.

Wall Street analysts have already responded with significant upgrades to Teladoc's stock. Analysts from Cowen and Piper Sandler have increased their price targets for the company by 50% and 63% respectively.

1Life Healthcare (NASDAQ:ONEM), also referred to as One Medical, went public back on Jan. 31 with a lot of fanfare. Shares of the newly minted healthcare stock jumped almost 60% on its first day of trading, but since then, they've given back some of their value.

One Medical charges a $200 annual fee to members, who then have access to over 70 clinics across the country, as well as 24/7 access to the company's digital health services, which include telehealth appointments. As the demand for telehealth services increases, One Medical, like Teladoc, could see a significant boost in new users.

Like most early-stage healthcare technology companies, 1Life Healthcare is reporting a significant loss as it grows. But it's backed by a number of major investors, includingCarlyle Group and Alphabet's Google Ventures; the latter is one of 1Life Healthcare's biggest clients, accounting for 10% of its revenue.

Following the confirmation of the first COVID-19-related death on American soil, which occurred in Washington state, U.S. health authorities are becoming increasingly worried about further outbreaks on the West Coast. Concern is increasing because the first patient who died contracted the virus neither from traveling, nor from contact with someone who had traveled recently.

1Life Healthcare has a heavy West Coast presence, headquartered in San Francisco with in-person clinics in Seattle, San Diego, and soon Portland. Should a surge of COVID-19 outbreaks occur in the U.S., 1Life Healthcare is in an excellent position to see a significant surge in customers.

See original here:

3 Healthcare Stocks to Own Before the Coronavirus Outbreak Gets Worse - Motley Fool

For the first time, CRISPR gene editing technology has been used directly inside a patient, doctors say. Though it could take a month to see if the move was a success, scientists are optimistic.

The CRISPR technique has previously been used on cells that were removed from a patient's body, modified, then infused back inside the body. But this time, doctors at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland used the gene-editing technique directly in a patient blinded with Leber congenital amaurosis, with the hopes of restoring their vision, reports NPR.

Doctors injected the patient's eye with fluid containing copies of the virus carrying the CRISPR gene-editing instructions, which should remove the defect that caused blindness, restoring vision.

The patient is the first in a study that hopes to determine whether it is safe to inject CRISPR into the eye. The study is still in its early stages, and will eventually involve 18 patients, per NPR. If successful, a similar approach could help treat various brain disorders and muscle diseases.

"We're helping open, potentially, an era of gene-editing for therapeutic use that could have impact in many aspects of medicine," Eric Pierce, study leader and professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, told NPR.

Read more at NPR. Taylor Watson

See more here:

Coronavirus is making some Republicans reconsider the merits of free health care - The Week

Some legislators particularly those who support expanding public health insurance argue that the government ought to help pay the bills of any patients tested for the coronavirus. There is some precedent for this: In 2015, Congress appropriated millions to reimburse hospitals for the care they provided to Ebola patients.

If youre going to get tested for coronavirus, and youre getting a battery of tests and doctor bills, then the government should pay, said Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California. If were overinclusive and end up paying for a few people we shouldnt have, thats fine. Its worth it to have everyone incentivized to get tested.

When Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, told Congress last week the administration could not control the price of any potential coronavirus vaccine, he set off a firestorm among some lawmakers and advocates for the poor.

Insurers should be required to cover the cost, just as they do now for the annual flu shots. some argued.

We know how to make flu vaccines available to everyone, said Cheryl Fish-Parcham, the director of access initiatives at Families USA, a consumer group. Others contended that Mr. Azar and other administration officials should guarantee that any vaccine for this virus should either be made affordable or free.

So far, however, people seeking testing and treatment for respiratory illnesses are at risk for large unpaid bills. In late January, a Miami resident complained he might be liable for the bulk of his $3,271 hospital bill from Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to a Miami Herald article. He was never tested for the virus but underwent other testing to determine what might be wrong.

In thinking about any potential pandemic, it really seems like, unintentionally, the high deductible structure is designed to impede a public health response, said Ted Doolittle, a former Medicare official who is now the health care advocate for Connecticut.

Continue reading here:

Waive Fees for Coronavirus Tests and Treatment, Health Experts Urge - The New York Times

BUFFALO A Westfield woman pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

Alicia Raynor, 42, entered the plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to U.S. Attorney John D. Fabian, Raynor was hired as a business manager for Compassion at Home Inc., with duties including managing company finances and payroll. At various times during the companys operation, payroll and other financial payments were made from different company bank accounts.

While working as a business manager for the company, Raynor opened an account with Intuit Inc., a payroll and payment processing service located outside New York. The Intuit account enabled Compassion at Home, by way of wire transfers, to direct deposit payroll into employees bank accounts and otherwise make other direct deposit payments related to Compassion at Homes business expenses. The payments were made using an accounting software package known as Quickbooks, which linked to Compassion at Homes bank account.

While employed with Compassion at Home, Raynor diverted money from Compassion at Homes bank accounts to accounts that she controlled. In order to avoid detection, Raynor disguised Quickbook entries to make it appear that the payments were to Bank of America, Capital One or Compassion at Home employees.

Between August 2015 and June 2016, the Westfield woman fraudulently diverted approximately $238,871.58 from the companys bank account. For example, on May 19, 2016, Raynor caused a wire transfer in the amount of $2,978.19 from Intuits account to a joint checking account with her husband, with an entry in Quickbooks indicating that the payment was to Bank of America.

In addition, for the tax years 2013 through 2016, Raynor received $1,214,444 in payments from Compassion at Home that she did not report as income on her tax returns for those years. The Internal Revenue Service estimates tax owed for these tax years is $370,005. On May 15, 2017, Raynor caused the filing of a U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, for the 2015 tax year, falsely claiming a total income of $52,290, and income from Compassion at Home in the total amount of $29,615.14.

Raynor is scheduled for sentencing July 8.

The Dunkirk City Charter may see some changes. At the citys Common Council meeting Tuesday, two new resolutions ...

OBSERVER Staff ReportEffects of the coronavirus are moving closer to the local area. On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew ...

More:

Woman pleads guilty to health care agency theft | News, Sports, Jobs - Evening Observer