Food Automation Consumption Market Size, Global Future Trend, Segmentation, Business Growth, Top Key Players, Opportunities and Forecast to 2027 -…

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New Jersey, United States,- Market Research Intellect has added the latest research on the Food Automation Consumption Market which offers a concise outline of the market valuation, industry size, SWOT analysis, revenue approximation, and the regional outlook of this business vertical. The report precisely features the key opportunities and challenges faced by contenders of this industry and presents the existing competitive setting and corporate strategies enforced by the Food Automation Consumption market players.

The Food Automation Consumption market report is an amalgamation of the key trends influencing the industry growth with respect to the competitive scenario and regions where the business has been successful. Furthermore, the study discusses the various restraints of the industry and uncovers the opportunities that will set the growth course. In addition, a holistic examination of the industry changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are also tagged in the report to aid investors and other participants in making well-informed decisions.

Key highlights from COVID-19 impact analysis:

Unveiling a brief about the Food Automation Consumption market competitive scope:

The report includes pivotal details about the manufactured products, and in-depth company profile, remuneration, and other production patterns.

The research study encompasses information pertaining to the market share that every company holds, in tandem with the price pattern graph and the gross margins.

Food Automation Consumption Market, By Type

Food Automation Consumption Market, By Application

Other important inclusions in the Food Automation Consumption market report:

A brief overview of the regional landscape:

Reasons To Buy:

About Us:

Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations with the aim of delivering functional expertise. We provide reports for all industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverage, and more. These reports deliver an in-depth study of the market with industry analysis, the market value for regions and countries, and trends that are pertinent to the industry.

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Food Automation Consumption Market Size, Global Future Trend, Segmentation, Business Growth, Top Key Players, Opportunities and Forecast to 2027 -...

Pax8 Gives MSPs Access to Liongard Automation Platform – Channelnomics

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August 6, 2020

By Jeffrey Burt

Channel partners of cloud-based distributor Pax8 are getting access to Liongards Road platform, which enables MSPs to gain better visibility into their end customers systems whether theyre deployed on premises or in the cloud.

The Lowdown: The two companies this week announced a partnership that will give MSPs access to configuration data both historical and up-to-date of a customers entire IT stack to speed up processes and find a resolution.

The Details: The technology from Liongard, a 5-year-old company based in Houston, Texas, enables MSPs to automatically document, audit, and secure customer systems.

Benefits include:

> APIs into more than 30 vendors to ensure documentation is up-to-date.> Capturing historical data to help with troubleshooting.> A custom alerting system that lets MSPs be proactive in dealing with issues.> Data exportability features for reporting.> Integration with Microsoft 365, Azure AD, and Azure public cloud, and with AutoTask, Datto, ConnectWise, Kaseya, BitDefender, StorageCraft, Veeam, and Webroot.

The Impact: The capabilities in Liongards platform help build trust between MSPs and their clients, reduce user errors, and enable IT service providers to more efficiently manage systems at scale.

Background: The partnership with Pax8 comes less than three months after the company raised $17 million in Series B funding, bringing up the total amount raised by Liongard to almost $23 million since its founding in 2015 by CEO Joe Alapat and COO Vincent Tran. The company serves both MSPs and IT companies in more than 20 countries and has seen the number of customers triple over the past 18 months and the number of companies supporting the platform double in that time.

The Buzz: To keep pace with ever-changing IT requirements, we are excited to offer Liongard to MSPs, said Ryan Walsh, chief channel officer at Pax8. Liongards strong, trusted platform enables MSPs to have greater visibility into how their systems are managed. With its capabilities, the solution gives our partners a competitive edge.

Liongard and Pax8 share a similar goal of propelling our partners forward through innovative, intuitive technology that enables greater efficiency and profitability, said Mark Sokol, vice president of marketing at Liongard. Were thrilled with this partnership and what it means for MSPs.

Related Links: CHANNELNOMICS:>Pax8 Hooks Up With RingCentral for UCaaS>Pax8 Bolsters E-Mail Security Services for MSPs>Pax8 Brings CloudJumper, Microsoft Solution to MSPs

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Pax8 Gives MSPs Access to Liongard Automation Platform - Channelnomics

UT incubator takes the lead in health care consortium targeting Covid-19 and future pandemics – Austin Monitor

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The University of Texas Austin Technology Incubator is leading a new consortium of more than 50 health care organizations from around the state working to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future widespread disease outbreaks.

The Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium (TEXGHS) has started connecting medical school, community health care agencies and health care startups to work on pilot projects with issues related to the pandemic. Funded by the Austin-based incubator PandemicTech, the consortium is intended to solve some health care needs caused by the pandemic and will likely receive state or federal funding to expand its network and improve the states health care infrastructure.

Lisa McDonald, director of health care for ATI, said an early survey to gauge interest and potential needs brought responses from 70 companies and groups and led to partnerships between researchers and companies with similar interests. On one such partnership, researchers from the Dell Medical School at UT partnered with the Texas Advanced Computing Center for work on data related to contact tracing.

We used those pilot projects to prove out the model that something like this could be useful both for the company that were assisting and also for the community, she said. From this point on, the way were selecting pilot projects is designed to align with the state of Texas, so when the state tells us that PPE contamination is top priority we go and find pilot projects and companies specifically working on that.

McDonald said the consortium is focused on the immediate need for health care innovation related to the Covid-19 pandemic, while also looking for technologies that will be relevant to future large-scale public health events.

One of our priorities is building resiliency overall, so the tech were working with isnt necessarily around developing a vaccine specific to Covid-19 but creating a vaccine delivery system that could be used in any future mass vaccination of people. Were working to support technologies that can be used to address Covid-19 but can really be used in the future.

Andrew Nerlinger, co-founder of PandemicTech and venture partner at Bill Wood Ventures, said one issue relevant to Austin that the consortium hopes to address is the disparities in infection and recovery from Covid-19 among different demographic groups.

Its been well documented that Covid-19 has really kind of attacked different racial groups or different economic groups more severely, he said. One of the things this innovation consortium is well poised to do is take on that issue of health equity and health quality, particularly with community health organizations that weve been aggressive about getting in front of.

McDonald said that early feedback from health care startups involved in the consortium showed that access to funding, potential partnerships and subject matter experts are the three biggest obstacles preventing their success. Thus far, she said member groups have found success addressing those issues by tapping into the statewide network that could make Texas a national leader in health care security.

Doug Norton, vice president of business development at Inspire Semiconductor and a founding member of the consortium, said the economic development benefits from the connections made will keep medical school graduates in the state.

For years we had too many great talents created here in Texas, whether its at the Dell Medical School or UT Southwestern, and they all end up fleeing to either coast where the biotech startups are, he said. The idea here was to form a medical innovation district its been working well and helps unify the state even more.

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The Austin Monitors work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

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UT incubator takes the lead in health care consortium targeting Covid-19 and future pandemics - Austin Monitor

Consumer Assistance in Health Insurance: Evidence of Impact and Unmet Need – Kaiser Family Foundation

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created new health coverage options and financial assistance to expand coverage and help people remain insured even when life changes, such as job loss, might otherwise disrupt coverage. The ACA also established in-person consumer assistance programs to help people identify coverage options and enroll. A variety of professionals provide consumer assistance, including Navigator programs that are funded through state and federal marketplaces, brokers who receive commissions from insurers when they enroll consumers in private health plans, local non-profit organizations, and health care providers. Recent funding cuts have reduced the availability of Navigator programs.

In the spring of 2020, KFF surveyed consumers most likely to use or benefit from consumer assistancenonelderly adults covered by marketplace health plans (also called qualified health plans, or QHPs) or Medicaid, and people who were uninsuredto learn who uses consumer assistance, why they seek help, and what difference it makes as well as who does not get help and why. The survey also explored differences in help provided by marketplace assister programs and brokers. Key findings include:

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Consumer Assistance in Health Insurance: Evidence of Impact and Unmet Need - Kaiser Family Foundation

Research of regions healthcare reveals several key findings – Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

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Teri Ooms, executive director at The Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development.

WILKES-BARRE Recent research on the healthcare systems response and challenges in the face of COVID-19 detailed in the 2020 Indicators Report compiled by The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development at Wilkes University, revealed a number of important findings.

According to Teri Ooms, executive director of The Institute, and Andrew Chew, senior research and policy analyst, the research showed:

Inadequate stockpiles of personal protective equipment, shortages of COVID-19 testing supplies, and a lack of coordination in allocating available resources hampered the healthcare systems ability to respond.

Shortages in stockpiles of supplies have been intensified by a decline in public health funding and the current fee for service model of the healthcare system.

Limitations in the health IT infrastructure made it difficult to collect and consolidate data on COVID-19 cases and testing results and develop a coordinated response.

Communications from federal and state authorities, including changing guidelines and sometimes contradictory messaging, led to confusion among healthcare providers and the general public.

There is an increased need for testing and contact tracing which will be managed at the state level.

The surge in unemployment is likely to increase the uninsured rate and expand the need for public health insurance as workers lose employer-sponsored health coverage.

The use of telemedicine and other methods for remote access and patient monitoring increased due to limitations on in-person care.

All health care providers, including hospitals, community health centers, and long-term care centers, have faced significant clinical and financial challenges in responding to the pandemic.

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has been perhaps the most immediate public health concern this year, Ooms said. Our region has been significantly impacted.

The report shows that Luzerne County saw a significant growth of cases in early April, which were largely centered around the Hazleton area.

However, the rate of growth in new cases in Luzerne County leveled off and has been gradually flattening since.

Lackawanna County saw a steady growth in cases through May, and the rate of new cases didnt significantly slow there until late May. Lackawanna County has had a particularly large proportion of its cases in long-term care facilities.

Both counties have a higher rate of total COVID-19 cases than the state as a whole.

Health indicators

Ooms said the Health and Health Care section of the 2020 Indicators Report identifies important health indicators in Pennsylvania and Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

These indicators include death from health conditions such as cancer and heart disease, death by suicide, infant and child mortality, childhood lead exposure, teen pregnancy, unhealthy behaviors such as cigarette smoking and excessive drinking, health insurance status, obesity, and the availability of health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes.

The report shows the rate of death from cancer is an indicator affected by behavior (such as smoking, which is known to cause various types of cancer) and by health care (cancer death rates decline as access to the latest treatments improve).

Demographics also complicate these statistics; cancer is more prevalent among older individuals, for instance, Ooms said. The cancer death rate in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties is significantly higher than for the Commonwealth as a whole.

According to Chew, the age-adjusted rate of death by heart disease another leading cause of death in the U.S. is similarly impacted by health-related behaviors and access to health care.

Although the rate of death by heart disease was lower in 2017 than it was in 2009 (for both counties and Pennsylvania), it increased in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties following a decline in the previous year, Chew said. The rate of death by heart disease is significantly higher in both Lackawanna and Luzerne counties than in the Commonwealth as a whole.

The reports also shows that positive test results for elevated childhood lead levels, as identified in screenings of children younger than 72 months, is more common in Lackawanna County than in Pennsylvania as a whole. Screening for childhood lead exposure is not mandated; nonetheless, there was a noticeable increase in the percentage of children tested statewide and in Luzerne County in 2018, while the percentage tested in Lackawanna declined slightly.

Effects of persona behavior

Ooms said personal behavior impacts many health conditions, including, but not limited to, heart disease and cancer. Making healthy lifestyle choices is extremely important.

However, eating healthy can be costly and access to healthy food can be limited, Ooms said. At a time when many area residents are living with low or moderate incomes, healthy choices are not always top priorities.

Ooms went on to say that issues of social determinants and the existence of food deserts in the region also complicate efforts to improve population health. She said the adult obesity rate has stood at around 30 percent regionally and statewide in recent years.

In two key health-related behaviors, this area has performed worse in recent years than the state as a whole, Chew said. Cigarette smoking has been more prevalent in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties than in Pennsylvania, and excessive drinking has been at least as frequent regionally as it is statewide.

Chew also said drug overdose deaths have risen in both counties compared with several years ago, despite drops in the opioid prescribing rate. He said fentanyl is a major factor in persistent deaths from drug overdoses.

The prevalence of these high-risk behaviors is a significant public health concern, Chew said.

Health insurance coverage

The report shows that health insurance coverage of area residents has improved between 2010 and 2018. A considerably larger proportion of individuals had coverage in 2018 than in 2010, largely due to an increase in people covered by public health insurance.

There has indeed been a strong increase in public health insurance regionally, while the percent of the population covered by private health coverage has been slowly declining regionally and statewide, Ooms said. Enrollment in federal marketplace plans has been dropping in both counties and in Pennsylvania overall.

Finally, Ooms said the cost of health care is an important concern. Though Lackawanna and Luzerne counties are homes to multiple health care resources and the number of beds available in hospitals has not declined significantly, cost could impede access for those who are under-insured or uninsured.

The report shows that between 2013 and 2018, for example, the daily private hospital room rate has increased by 29 percent in Lackawanna County and by 58 percent in Luzerne County. The semi-private daily room rate for nursing home facilities has also grown since 2012.

Furthermore, nursing home beds per 1,000 seniors have declined compared with 2012 rates, despite a recent uptick.

This is a concern because the regions growing senior population and increasing life expectancy will likely drive demand for long-term care, Ooms said.

Reach Bill OBoyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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Research of regions healthcare reveals several key findings - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

Darien occupational therapy assistant marks fifth anniversary at Seneca Health Care Center – The Batavian

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August 8, 2020 - 1:50pm

The McGuire Groups Seneca Health Care Center in West Seneca is pleased to announce that Mackenna Fagan, of Darien, celebrated her five-year anniversary with the company.

As a certified occupational therapy assistant --COTA, Fagan provides direct care and therapy to assist patients in regaining their independence and helping them prepare to return home or to a different level of care.

She is a graduate of Erie Community College with an associate degree in Applied Science.

She resides with her husband Joshua and son Declan.

Seneca Health Care Center provides 24-hour skilled nursing care, subacute rehabilitation, Journeys palliative care and respite/short-term services.

The facility continuously receives outstanding five-star ratings from the federal government and finished in the first quintile of New York States quality metric for six out of six years.

For more information, visitwww.mcguiregroup.comorwww.medicare.gov.

(Submitted photo)

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Darien occupational therapy assistant marks fifth anniversary at Seneca Health Care Center - The Batavian

Our view: Who will get the vaccine first? Health care community needs to make plans now – The Winchester Star

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Rationing of medical treatment is viewed by many Americans as unacceptable. Making health care decisions based on anything but need is seen as immoral. That is as it should be.

But as researchers race to develop vaccines against COVID-19, the specter of rationing is being raised by some.

Among the most intelligent strategies adopted by the federal government to battle the coronavirus is that involving vaccines. Developing them safely, yet quickly is a very expensive proposition.

Private-sector researchers whose work shows promise are receiving subsidies to speed development of vaccines. In return, some companies have pledged that once they have products on the market, they will be supplied to the public on a no-profit basis.

Several potential vaccines are showing promise. Normally, decisions on production are not made until after the best candidates are identified.

That could delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine out to the public, perhaps by months. Fortunately, federal policymakers have committed enormous sums, in the billions of dollars, to begin production of the most promising vaccines in advance.

That means millions of doses of vaccine compounds that do not prove safe and effective will be thrown away, at taxpayer expense. But it also means that when good vaccines are found, millions of doses will be ready to go immediately.

Still, it will take most of 2021 to produce enough vaccine to give it to every American who wants it.

In the early stages of distribution, that will mean rationing. Decisions will have to be made about who will receive the vaccine and who will be told they have to wait.

Clearly, older people and younger ones with potentially dangerous pre-existing medical conditions should go to the front of the line.

There, unfortunately, it is likely any agreement will end. What about race? Gender? Location? Any number of other factors?

For example, will New York City residents get preference over Americans in rural areas?

If the health care community has not begun devising guidelines for vaccine distribution, it should, right away. The sooner Americans learn what those guidelines are and have an opportunity to debate them, the better.

Vaccine for COVID-19 could be one of the great public health success stories or it could drive one more spear of divisiveness into the American public. We cannot allow the latter, as dangerous in the long run as the virus itself, to occur.

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Our view: Who will get the vaccine first? Health care community needs to make plans now - The Winchester Star

5 million cases of COVID in the US: Health care professionals warn we are not out of the woods – WTSP.com

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Florida's case rates are shifting in the right direction, but percent positivity rates still remain too high.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. The U.S. passed an alarming milestone of 5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday and while the country leads the world in COVID cases, that might not be entirely accurate.

Well, we're still the world leaders in terms of reported cases and deaths. But we know that many countries are not reporting accurately," said Jay Wolfson, a public health expert with USF Health. "China is not reporting accurately. Iran is certainly not reporting accurately. Brazil is barely reporting.

But either way, he says the new case milestone is alarming: "It's like, I don't really care what other people do at this point. I care about us, and 5 million is a lot of people

In Florida, public health professionals hope we are seeing a shift.

We are kind of hovering in this range of between seven (thousand) and 10,000 cases a day, something-hundred deaths plus a day. If we can push that rate down, it's very important," Wolfson said.

It's moving in the right direction, but far from being out of the woods.

So I'm delighted that the case rate has gone down a bit," Wolfson said. "This is really good news. But let's not get carried away. We're still in the midst of an extremely dangerous pandemics that is highly contagious.

With school around the corner, Wolfson encourages everyone to be flexible.

"There's not an on-off switch. It's a dimmer. So we're going to watch every day every week as we move into the school season as we move into the autumn, he said.

As we see outbreaks in specific areas, experts recommend scaling back movement in those places to prevent our percent positive rate from climbing.

Weve been between eight to twelve percent in Hillsborough County, and we need to be below 5 percent," Wolfson said. "Because that demonstrates that it remains stable below that World Health Organization ceiling level.

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5 million cases of COVID in the US: Health care professionals warn we are not out of the woods - WTSP.com

David Hunter remembered as a ‘giant of healthcare’ – Modern Healthcare

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David Hunter, a former hospital CEO and executive of Voluntary Hospitals of America, died Sunday at the age of 75 after a bout with pancreatic cancer.

Hunter, who started a consulting firm in the late '80s that specialized in turning around embattled academic medical centers, had a way of breaking tough news in an honest and relatable way, said Larry Scanlan, who worked for Hunter at the Hunter Group.

As a former hospital CEO and the son of two nurses, Hunter never lost sight that healthcare was about the patients, no matter the financial and operational pressure of keeping hospitals afloat, he said. That sentiment was reflected by the people he hiredformer hospital executives, doctors and nurses who could personally understand the nuance and responsibility of being part of the healthcare industry.

"Whatever few things I did right in my career I owe to him," Scanlan said. "He was bigger than life."

Hunter is survived by his wife Mary, his five sons Perry, Edward, Seth, Josh and Eli as well as his grandchildren, Charles, Molly, Becca, Anna, Paden, Meredith, Hunter, Christian, Quinn, Olivia, Ben, Lily, Kait, Colin and Charly.

The family asked those who want to offer their support to donate to A Love for Life, which funds pancreatic research in partnership with Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, or the Hunter Group Health Policy and Management Student Scholarship Award (with the code DHUNT).

"As his son, I am personally devastated by his passing as well as incredibly proud of what he accomplished in healthcare," Seth Warren wrote in an email, noting that he followed his father as a CEO of a small health system in Indiana.

Hunter, who grew up in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, began his career as a nursing home orderly. He moved his way up to become a hospital CEO at Nicholas H. Noyes in Dansville, N.Y. and Burlington County Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, N.J.

He later joined the Voluntary Hospitals of America as the chief operating officer for the then-largest national network of not-for-profit hospitals in the U.S. Before starting the Hunter Group, Hunter became the chief executive of VHA Supply, a national group purchasing organization. He was selected as one of Modern Healthcare's Most Powerful People in Healthcare in 2002, the inaugural list.

From his days of teaching hospital administration at Duke University in the mid-70s to his recent affiliation with his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health where he earned his master's degree in healthcare administration, Hunter never stopped mentoring leaders in healthcare, Warren said.

"There are generations of healthcare executives that have benefited from David's insight, wit and friendship," he wrote.

While the Hunter Group had a tough reputation as it guided providers through cost cutting and other thorny scenarios as detailed in a 1999 New York Times profile, it saved a lot of academic medical centers and community hospitals, Scanlan said.

"(David) was a giant in the industry," he said. "He had a way of pulling people together."

Outside of work, Hunter loved fishing, taking trips with his sons and friends all over the East Coast, Florida and Costa Rica. The fishing trips he enjoyed with his grandsons to Key West, Boca Grande and other Florida fishing spot created bonds that will last for generations, Warren said.

"David was a father and grandfather to people that extended well beyond his actual family," he wrote. "His generosity knew no bounds, and if you met him, he likely bought you a beer at Ott's, Buckalew's, The Temperance House, The Black Whale, The Wharf or one of many other bars he loved. There are many bartenders that will miss him (and his large tips)!"

He would command a room, but it wasn't from a place of arrogance, Scanlan said.

"He had a way with handling difficult situations by being honest with people and taking them for what they were," he said. "He would say thingsin a direct but not offensive mannerthat other people may be fired for."

In one instance, Hunter and Scanlan traveled to the West Coast to advise a client facing a difficult turnaround situation. Hunter was speaking to room of about 200 doctors when one of them challenged him.

"What I want is loyalty," the doctor told him.

"You want loyalty?" Hunter replied. "Then go and buy yourself a cocker spaniel."

"The stunning part was everyone in the room got it," Scanlan said. "Whether it was a financial, clinical or operational issue, he had a knack for bringing people together by cutting to the chase."

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David Hunter remembered as a 'giant of healthcare' - Modern Healthcare

Sanders introduces tax on billionaire wealth gains to provide health care for all – Vermont Biz

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Vermont Business Magazine Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a 60-percent tax on the windfall wealth increases of billionaires during this pandemic in order to pay for all out-of-pocket medical expenses for every person in America for a year.

The Make Billionaires Pay Act would tax the $731 billion in wealth accumulated by 467 billionairesthe richest 0.001% of Americaa from March 18th until August 5th, a period in which 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance and 50 million applied for unemployment insurance. The funds from this emergency tax would be used to cover all necessary healthcare expenses of the uninsured and underinsured, including prescription drugs, for one year.

"The legislation I am introducing today willtax theobscene wealth gains billionaires have made during this extraordinary crisis to guarantee healthcare as a right to all for an entire year, said Sanders."At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a fundamental choice to make.We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. In my view, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good."

"As more than 160,000 Americans have lost their lives and millions more have lost their jobs, it is unconscionable that the super-wealthy are getting even richer in the midst of this crisis,"said Markey."Despite overwhelming need, Republicans continue to look for any excuse under the guise of deficit reduction to cut vital support programs like jobless aid and health insurance for the most vulnerable. The American people pay with their lives every day for the criminal negligence of the Trump administration to combat the coronavirus. It is time the countrys wealthiest do the same off with their profits."

"During this unprecedented economic and public health crisis, millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to put food on the table while billionaires are getting even wealthier, said Gillibrand. Requiring billionaires to pay their fair share will help support workers and families dealing with job losses, food insecurity, housing instability and health care. Not only is this a common-sense proposal, but its a moral one and Congress should be doing all we can to assist Americans struggling right now."

According to Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, a tax of 60 percent on the windfall wealth gains among fewer than 500 billionaires from March until August would raise $421.7 billionenough to empower Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months, according to estimates from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The wealth tax would remain in effect until January 1, 2021.

The Make Billionaires Pay Act would still leave Americasbillionaires with more than $310.1 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. However, under the legislation:

As a result of Trumps tax giveaway to the rich, these billionaires currently pay a lower effective tax rate on average than teachers or truck drivers.

"Everyone has suffered during the pandemicfrom lost lives, lost jobs, lost chanceseveryone, that is, except Americas billionaires,"said Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness."Senator Sanderss bill recognizes that a good chunk of the obscene growth in wealth by the richest Americans during a national emergency should be used to help us all survive and recover."

"The Covid-19 crisis further worsens inequality. While the working class struggles with job and income loss, billionaires wealth has already fully bounced back and sometimes greatly surpassed pre-Covid levels,"said Emmanuel Saez,Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. So far, the US government has borrowed from the rich to provide relief. It is only fair to also ask for direct contributions from the richest to the Covid-19 relief effort. Senator Sandersbill takes a bold and innovative step in this direction, paving the way to make billionaires finally pay a fair share of their enormous gains."

"As our country faces vast economic and health needs, billionaires continue to display their appetite for greed,"said Susan Harley, Managing Director of Public Citizens Congress Watch division. The Make Billionaires Pay Act smartly uses our tax code to take on the co-crises of COVID-19 health care disparities and the gaping income inequalities in our nation."

"What makes nations prosperous is not the sanctification of a tiny number of ultra-wealthy individuals; it is investment in health care and education for all, said Gabriel Zucman, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. With the wealth of billionaires at a record high, their effective tax rate at a record low, and tens of millions of Americans lacking good health care, the Make Billionaires Pay Act is a commonsense piece of legislation a much-needed step if America is to emerge stronger from this pandemic."

Read the bill text here.

Read a fact sheet on the legislation here.

See an analysis of the top 467 billionaires pandemic wealth gains and revenues from Sanders tax here.

Source: WASHINGTON, August 6 Sanders

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Sanders introduces tax on billionaire wealth gains to provide health care for all - Vermont Biz

Industry VoicesSimple steps will make a big difference in COVID fight. Yes, that means wearing a mask. – FierceHealthcare

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First, do no harm.

These wordsin some form or fashionare etched in the memory of every individual who pursues a profession in health care.We knowits not a normal workplace mantra.But as health care workers, we dont have a normal workplace.

Health care workers are waging war against an invisible enemy inside the walls of almost every hospital across America. Fortunately, we have a track record of treating highly infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria and polioto name a few.

Coronavirus might be unlike anything we have ever treated before, but the principles that define infection prevention, and the tools we use to protect patients and health care workers, remain the same.

To defeat the coronavirus, we need all Americans to think like health care workers and use those same principles and tools.

Today, that means wearing a mask.

RELATED:American College of Physicians issues new guidance on effectiveness of masks

Since early April, the CDC and other public health experts have urged Americans to wear masks while in publicand still less than half are wearing them regularly.

A new Gallup poll found that 44 percent of Americans always wear a mask outside their homes and 28 percent wear one very often. People who rarely, sometimes or never wear masks make up 29 percent of the population.

Imagine if a third of the people who worked in hospitals decided they would prefer only to follow infection prevention guidance sometimes.

Throughout the country, hospitals and health care workers continue to do their part. The American Hospital Association joined the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association in a nationwide call, an open letter, asking the public to follow three simple steps: wear a mask, practice physical distancing and engage in good hand hygiene.

Hospitals and health systems have implemented social distancing in waiting rooms, required mask use in common areas and limited entrance and exit points. Maintenance staff regularly conduct deep-cleaning throughout hospital buildings. In alignment with CDC guidance, hospitals have also made the painful but necessary decision to place restrictions on visitors.

But in order to defeat the coronavirus, we need our fellow Americans to take a page out of the health care workers handbook and do no harm.

Im a nurse. When I joined the American Hospital Association, I became the spokesperson for thousands of nurses and nurse leaders across the country. I represent the caregivers who provide direct patient care.

RELATED:CVS, Walmart lead retailers adding requirements for face masks in all stores

In this role, I have helped health care providersfrom nurses and doctors to infection prevention experts, supply chain professionals and hospital administratorscome together to leverage every ounce of training and experience among them to care for patients as they fight this pandemic.

But we cant do it alone. If were going to beat this pandemic, everyone must play a role.

We again joined the AMA and ANA to launch a Wear A Mask campaign including Public Service Announcements asking all Americans to think like a health care worker and let science shape your decisions during this time: Wear a mask, keep your distance from others in public and wash your hands frequently.

Taking these three simple steps will alleviate some of the pressure on our health care system. Everyone has a critical role to play and working together we can ease the surge of patients that need to be cared for and to ensure our brave front-line caregivers can win the fight against this virus.

Not taking them will do considerable harm.

Robyn Begley is theAmerican Hospital Association's Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Executive Officer of theAmerican Organization for Nursing Leadership.

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Industry VoicesSimple steps will make a big difference in COVID fight. Yes, that means wearing a mask. - FierceHealthcare

A wave of Post Traumatic Stress may await health care workers and first responders on the COVID fron – Tampa Bay Times

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It has been more than a decade since I shared my diary in these pages about my experiences visiting military troops around the world, counseling them about how to handle the trauma they faced daily in the line of duty. All these years later, one moment I chronicled still stands out vividly. During the summer 2009, I was embedded with the 25th Infantry Division, Camp Marez, Mosul, Iraq led by then one-star (and now retired four-star) Gen. Robert Brooks Brown.

Gen. Brown would have me visit soldiers throughout Iraq and one such visit was to the Camp Diamondback base hospital. While on a tour conducted by a medical staff member, we entered the emergency room. I was introduced to the attending doctor and after a short conversation I asked: 'Who is taking care of you? He responded with a smile and had me follow him to the rear of the hospital. We walked through a back door and there in the middle of the desert was a Zen garden, complete with a small patch of grass and a fountain.

It was a place of solitude, a place where doctors and nurses could clear their heads and emotions, a place that made the ugly facts of war the traumatic events they were facing everyday fade away for a period of time. The garden gave the doctors and nurses an inner peace that rejuvenated them. It was a crucial part of the healing process.

Not all wounds bleed and, at times, invisible wounds cut as deep as the wounds we see. That is certainly the case with a new kind of warrior on the front lines of a brutal fight against COVID-19. The health care workers doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, police and more are heroes, dealing with a constant drumbeat of death while we are asked to sit on a couch, or social distance during a driveway happy hour.

It reminds me of soldiers handmade signs I saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, We are at war while America is at the mall. The battle against COVID-19, like all past wars, carries the potential for the same kind of post-traumatic experiences faced by our combat troops. My good friend, and a true American hero, former Army Ranger Nate Self, shared the 2002 Afghanistan battle of Roberts Ridge in his book titled Two Wars, The One Abroad And The One Within. All wars are different, and all wars are the same, he explained. The COVID-19 battle against an invisible enemy will undoubtedly cause trauma for those on the front lines.

Being aware of the potential war within is vital for self-care. For those who have been waging this new war with the coronavirus, trauma is inescapable, according to Dr. Richard Mollica, director of Harvard Global Mental Health and one of the worlds leading psychological trauma experts.

This past year, I had the good fortune of getting to know Dr. Mollica while participating in the Harvard Global Mental Health Trauma and Recovery Program; I spent two weeks in Italy and had six months of collaborative learning. We studied with trauma experts and learned from their experiences, knowledge and leadership skills on a global stage.

Dr. Mollica, the director of Harvards Program in Refugee Trauma, has received many awards for his work, published more than 160 articles on trauma over 30 years, and is the author of Healing Invisible Wounds: Paths To Hope And Recovery In A Violent World. Dr. Mollica and his Harvard Global Mental Health staff offer a Self-Care Pocket Card for the tool kits of all those serving in the COVID-19 fight.

The truth is that we are all susceptible to post-traumatic stress. It is a human condition that can be triggered by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, accidents and horrific crimes. However, those who serve are in the higher risk group because they go where trauma is. Military, law enforcement, firefighters, first responders and health care workers see what the rest of the world does not.

Post-traumatic stress has been with us forever. Sophocles wrote about the warrior not understanding emotions after coming home from battle. After the Civil War, we called it Soldiers Heart. Then came World War I, when it was known as Shell Shock. The World War II term was Battle Fatigue, while the Korean and Vietnam wars had the flashback terminology. Today, it is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It became a diagnosis in 1980 and, from my view, we have over-medicalized the issue ever since, pushing people away from the conversation due to the stigma attached.

The COVID-19 pandemic will create similar post-traumatic stress experiences for front-line medical workers. Allow me to share the similarities between them and our amazing men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In presenting to members of the military, I quickly came to realize that the title of PTSD Education and Awareness caused some in the audience to react defensively because of the stigma associated with the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. So I decided to rename it Operational Stress Education and Awareness. Words matter. Military, law enforcement, firefighters and first responders relate to operational responsibilities, and using a term that sounded less medical allowed for more honest discussions.

Those in military uniforms like to think they can leap tall buildings in a single bound. But we can never lose sight of the fact there is a human being wearing it.

The uniform called scrubs does the same for the health care professionals. They also serve, protect and save lives. Similar to soldiers, they see death, however, not at the rate they are witnessing due to COVID-19. They are in a fight where they can feel helpless at times yet steel their personal emotions in order to do their job. They have learned to repress feelings and emotions, and being immersed into their work protects them for a period of time.

I share this analogy regarding emotions. I ask folks to imagine I am holding a large balloon in front of the room and ask how can we get the air out. More often than not the words pop it are said and yes, we can take a pin and pop it to get the air out, but we no longer have a balloon. We can let it go and it flies all over the room and goes out the door never to see the balloon again. Or we can turn the balloon upside down and let a little air out at a time it will make a noise we may not want to hear, a noise that hurts our ears, yet at some point we will get the air out and we will have a full balloon we can use again one day. We need to get the air out of our balloons. However, more often than not, we push things down, one after another, and if you take that analogy to its fruition at some point the balloon will burst.

The largest window in a car is the windshield because it allows us to see where we are going, and the small rear-view mirror gives us the opportunity to see where we have been. We need both to navigate the paths we take, and it is no different with COVID-19. We have learned trauma lessons from past battlefields, and we need to prepare for the future care of COVID-19 front line health care warriors. This pandemic shadow will be with us for a time; however, we should never fear a shadow because if there is a shadow that means there is light nearby. It is our responsibility to ourselves, and each other, to get to that light and it starts with self-care because heroes are human.

Bob Delaney is an author and has been a post trauma advocate for more than four decades who presents worldwide. He is a former New Jersey state trooper who went undercover and infiltrated the Mafia in the 1970s. His healing journey with PTS brought him back to the game of his youth, basketball leading to a 30-year career as a referee in the National Basketball Association. He is an NBA Cares Ambassador and advisor to the Southeastern Conference. He has received numerous national awards, including the Presidents Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama and the NCAAs highest award named after President Theodore Roosevelt. His story has been told by numerous media outlets and has been a guest of Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN.

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A wave of Post Traumatic Stress may await health care workers and first responders on the COVID fron - Tampa Bay Times

FROM THE OPINION PAGE Health care transition: Emergency room still available in Bluefield – Bluefield Daily Telegraph

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Rural hospitals across America have been struggling in recent years, and those challenges were furtherexacerbatedwith the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last March.

The Stay at Home orders issued by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and Virginia Governor Ralph Northamearlier this yearfurther added to the challenges faced by rural medical centers. The state-ordered closures included a moratorium on all elective surgeries at hospitals like Princeton Community Hospital and Bluefield Regional Medical Center. At the time, we didnt know a lot about COVID-19, so folks were naturally worried about this global pandemic. So worried, in fact, that many citizens made it a point to stay away from hospitals, with others opting to delay important medical procedures and routine medical treatment. All of this led toa significant decline in patient volume and services at rural hospitals across the nation, including right here in southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia.

This brings us to where we are today. All in-patient and ancillary services have ceased at Bluefield Regional Medical Center, a tremendous loss for the region.

We know many area residents are concerned some are downright alarmed by this development. We have read, and published,many letters from our readers over the past couple of weeks where you have expressed your concerns about the closure of Bluefield Regional Medical Center.

We understand your concerns. However, it should be noted that all of the news isnt bad.

The newly renamedPCHBluefield Emergency Department is now operational at the same location where Bluefield Regional Medical Centers emergency room was.And thePCH Bluefield Emergency Department will be open24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to help meet the emergency needs of residents in Bluefield and surrounding communities. It is staffed by a team ofexperienced and highly qualified emergency physicians and nurses who are ready to provide care to area residents during an emergency.

Services provided by the newPCHBluefield Emergency Department include:

Emergent treatment/stabilization for all illnesses and injuries, including cardiac, stroke, respiratory and traumatic injuries

A full array of laboratory services

A decontamination room

Imaging services with low-dose CT scan, Digital X-Ray and CT scans

Helicopter transport to other facilities

Ambulance transport

Keeping the Bluefieldemergencydepartment open on a full-time basisand fullystaffedis an absolute necessity. This is a good, first step in ensuring that medical services are available to residents in the Bluefield area when they experience an emergency.

But there is still much more work to be done. The city of Bluefield, working in conjunction with Princeton Community Hospital and other community stakeholders, must continuesearchingfor a way to provide expanded health care services to the residents of the two Bluefields. Finding new uses for the Bluefield Regional Medical Centercampus also is a necessity, and already potential partnerships are being discussed with entities such as Bluefield State College.With more than 90 inpatient rooms that could serve as dorm rooms and the possibility of expanding BSCs medical field programs,the educational option is absolutely on the table,according to Princeton Community HospitalChief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lilley.

Lilley says a possible cancer treatment center also is an idea under consideration for the Bluefield facility.

We look forward to learningmoredetailsabout such plans and partnerships in the weeks and months ahead.

But for now the immediate focus must be on health care, particularly in light of the continuing pandemic.

Ensuring the health and well-being of the citizens of Mercer County and surrounding areas should be the priority of all parties involved as we transition through this difficult period.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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FROM THE OPINION PAGE Health care transition: Emergency room still available in Bluefield - Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Four healthcare security lessons learned during the initial COVID-19 surge – Security Magazine

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Four healthcare security lessons learned during the initial COVID-19 surge | 2020-08-10 | Security Magazine This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses CookiesBy closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn MoreThis website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

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Four healthcare security lessons learned during the initial COVID-19 surge - Security Magazine

COVID-19 Underscores Why Certain Aspects of the American Healthcare System Should Change Forever – – HIT Consultant

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Irv Lichtenwald, President & CEO of Medsphere Systems Corporation

In the late 1940s, the United Kingdom was busily reassembling country and what remained of the empire in the aftermath of World War II. Among many revelations, the war had convinced Britains leaders of the need to provide healthcare for all in the event of calamity upending the basic functions of a civilized society. With that, the UKs National Health Service (NHS) was born.

In 2020, all perspectives about quality and the time it takes to see a provider aside, the NHS remains quite popular among UK citizens and is an enduring source of national pride.

With the United States in the midst of its own upheaval, its for a related question: Might the current COVID-19 situation give rise to significant changes to the American healthcare system?

Virtually no one thinks the correct answer is No. Things will change. The question is how and to what extent. The healthcare system in place in the United States now is dramatically more complex than that in use by Britons after WW II. There are so many moving parts, so many things that can break.

So, in which aspects of the current American healthcare system are we likely to see changes after COVID-19 is dealt with?

Telehealth: Someone always benefits in a catastrophe. In this case, that someone may be Zoom shareholders.

From 10 million daily users in December, Zoom rocketed to 200 million in March and nearly 300 million a month later. Much of that was healthcare related.

Of course, Zoom is not the only direct beneficiary of coronavirus as venerable meeting platforms like WebEx and Skype, among others, have also experienced dramatic growth.

Hospitals and health systems were incrementally implementing telehealth services prior to the coronavirus outbreak, but there was no sense of urgency that accompanies a rapidly spreading virus. Since then, the federal government, states and insurance companies have allocated funds and rewritten regulation to expand the use of telehealth.

But there are more telehealth related-issues to address, some of which have thorns. Service and payment parity across insurance companies is an issue. If telehealth is going to be a regular component of healthcare, technology gaps will have to be addressed, especially in rural areas.

This is something the federal government recognizes. The White House recently drafted an executive order oriented around improving rural health by expanding technology access, developing new payment models and reducing regulatory burdens. The EO tasks the secretaries of health and human services and agriculture to work with the Federal Communications Commission to develop and implement a strategy to improve rural health by improving the physical and communications healthcare infrastructure available to rural Americans. But until Congress gets involved and provides funding for something like this, it will probably never get out of the proposal phase.

In fact, there are enough concernsparity, technology gaps, added costsassociated with telehealth to wonder if it will endure after coronavirus is in the rear view. Enough about telehealth benefits both providers and patients for it to stick and proliferate, but that could also be said about any number of healthcare initiatives that seem to languish for lack of coordination and political will.

Health Insurance: This is where the NHS analogy is the most relevant. Many millions of workers are furloughed or simply laid off with the impact of COVID-19 on frontline jobs like restaurant worker, massage therapist and barista. Those who had insurance through work may not have it anymore, leaving them doubly vulnerableno coverage, no incometo illness or accident.

Mass unemployment episodes reveal, each time, the weakness in the patchwork employment-based healthcare insurance system weve sort of made peace with for decades. Sure, Medicaid exists to fill the gaps, but it may make sense to render Medicaid unnecessary, especially since its value is questionable in particular states.

You notice the number of band-aids that Congress is having to apply to help people who have lost their jobs, said former CMS Administrator Don Berwick, MD. What we have now is a whole series of band-aids and special measures. What if instead, we just had universal health insurance?

What if, indeed. Will COVID-19 be the straw that burns the bridge of employer-based health insurance, to mangle a metaphor? That may depend on how long the pandemic lasts, who is president sometime after November 3 and how much damage is done to the national fabric before economy and society start a process of repair.

Payment Models: For years now, hospitals have been in the middle of slow shift from fee-for-service care to value-based care and alternative payment models. That transition didnt happen quickly enough to prevent most hospitals from falling into a financial chasm. If elective procedures are a big part of revenue, it follows that revenue will fall if those procedures disappear.

To be fair, the hit to hospital finances has been catastrophic enoughmore than $200 billion in losses over four months, according to the American Hospital Associationthat federal government support would have been necessary even if a full pay-for-quality model had been in place.

But the pandemic spotlights the downside of treating essential services like healthcare as though they are mere services one selects or rejects. And it exposes the folly of not making sure everyone has insurance coverage (a payer) when the individual costs for COVID-19-related hospital admission can range from $20,000 to $88,000.

End-of-Life Care: According to one analysis, 42 percent of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. The families of those unfortunate souls whove died while in a facility have generally endured the agony of saying goodbye outside a window or over a video link. Its hard to believe, after COVID-19, that the assisted living industry will continue as before.

The crisis surely will lead nursing home administrators to reconsider the way patients are cared for, says Modern Healthcare. Among the ideas Harvards [Professor David] Grabowski believes will get a longer look in the wake of the pandemic are using telemedicine services, creating specialized Medicare Advantage plans for the homes and pursuing smaller settings.

Perhaps. And perhaps a son or daughter that remembers coronavirus will simply choose not to risk everything by putting their parent in a home. Could enough of them make such a decision that the industry contracts? Is forced to take quality care more seriously? Attracts more serious federal regulation?

As the deaths mount, its hard not to give every option serious consideration.

Supply Chain: These days were bickering in public and on social media (looking at you, maskless Karen throwing food in Trader Joes) about whether or not masks should be mandated. Look back with me to February, however, and youll fondly recall concerns about there being enough masks at all.

Back then we learned that the United States had exactly one mask manufacturer, and that all other masks are sourced from overseas. That it takes longer to get stuff from China than from Amarillo creates obvious potential problems when a crisis hits, but it also pits hospitals and government entities against one another and guarantees that the winner will pay more for supplies than they would in less-critical times.

It also creates weird, unnecessary scenarios that could be avoided using coordination and leadership. The governor of Maryland, for example, used his wifes connections to South Korea (her country of birth) to secure 500,000 coronavirus tests, which he then put in an undisclosed location and protected using national guard troops.

Whats the remedy?

Modern Healthcare has called for a national supply chain czar, which in other times may have just been the head of FEMA. The suggestion, however, highlights the need for a coordinated central clearing house where supplies can be ordered, managed and dispersed based on need.

Individual hospitals, clinics and health systems can also help themselves by using a robust supply chain software system that keeps track in real time of available supplies, covers all ordering systems and methodologies, and reacts swiftly to certain thresholds.

The uniquely unfortunate aspect of the American political system among western democracies is that, for the most part, it responds to the demands of special interests. Think about your local representative. Chances are good the shouts of specific business interests are ringing in his or her hears so loudly that little else is audible.

As such, there is a significant danger that the American healthcare system will return, post-COVID-19, to the same dynamic it had when the virus arrived, which will be unfortunate. What we need post-pandemic is not necessarily specific changes to hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, etc., though they could be part of an overall solution. What will be necessary is an examination of where every aspect of the healthcare system overall, inasmuch as there is one, didnt do its job.

Disasters are social sodium pentothal that, while active, force groups of people to take an honest look at their failures. Once the disaster is passed, however, there is a danger that Upton Sinclairs maximIt is difficult to get a manto understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding itwill rule the day.

No one hopes for more dramatic damage to the American economy and social fabric, but the irony is that necessary change sometimes only comes when reality is undeniable, as in a shellshocked Britain instituting the NHS. If COVID-19 doesnt shock us sufficiently into making substantial changes to the healthcare system, its a pretty safe bet the same disaster will occur again.

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COVID-19 Underscores Why Certain Aspects of the American Healthcare System Should Change Forever - - HIT Consultant

Bitcoin vs Quantum Computers: Real and Imagined Fears – CryptoGlobe

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Crypto enthusiasts have long-held fears of the future that quantum computing might bring. But are those fears overblown?

Quantum computers are a near-perfect embodiment of Arthur C. Clarkes third law, Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. A fully functional quantum computer would be orders of magnitude more powerful than any conventional supercomputer in existence.

The positive applications are numerous and include accelerating discovery of cures to diseases to revolutionizing investment management and presenting better and lower-cost trading opportunities.

This could provide a huge boost to the sciences but it also represents a threat to existing cryptographic algorithms. Many crypto enthusiasts are concerned that this could compromise the blockchain and render cryptocurrency worthless. The question is, how real are these fears?

Traditional computers use bits, or 1s and 0s, in order to represent data. Everything youre seeing on your screen right now can be broken down into a string of binary digits. Quantum computers are based on the qubit, a two-state quantum system.

As a result, they are able to perform processes significantly faster than any conventional computer could. This involves quantum physics so well focus on the broad strokes here. For those interested in a deep dive, there is a great series of articles on this at the MIT Technical Review.

A quantum computer is one that is designed to capture and contain qubits in a stable state. They are then able to take advantage of two key mechanics in order to process large amounts of data:

The downside of quantum computers is that they require a significant amount of energy to run and are error-prone because of decoherence. Even slight vibrations or temperature changes can cause a quantum computer to cease functioning.

This had prevented quantum computers from achieving quantum supremacy, which is the ability to outperform traditional computers. But that changed in September 2019 when Google claimed that it had succeeded in reaching quantum supremacy, sending a shockwave through the cryptography world.

The big fear with quantum computers is that they would render all real-world uses of cryptography obsolete overnight. This would make online banking, messaging, and e-commerce completely unsafe and cripple the internet as we know it. It would also render cryptocurrencies inoperable.

Most of the major blockchains, including Bitcoin, rely upon ECDSA (Elliptical Curve Digital Signature Algorithm). This allows blockchains to create a random 256-bit private key and a linked public key that can be shared with third parties without revealing that private key.

Quantum computers could unravel the relationship between these keys thus allowing cryptocurrency wallets to be hacked and a holders funds to be liquidated.

The short answer: Maybe, but not yet. The truth is that, as Peter Todd confirmed, we still dont know how close we are to a viable, scalable quantum computer. It could be 6 months from now, or it could be never.

Another point is that if users follow the standard practice of only using Bitcoin addresses one time, it limits the amount of time a quantum computer has to break the key.

But the threat is still present, if a little distant. The good news is that some projects are actively working to counter it. The Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL) is the first industrial implementation of the eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS). This hash-based signature scheme is significantly more advanced than ECDSA and should be harder for a quantum computer to crack.

In general, cryptocurrency investors shouldnt be too concerned about quantum computing in the short-term. But it would still be prudent to keep an eye on the quantum computing world and projects like QRL.

Featured image via Pixabay.

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Bitcoin vs Quantum Computers: Real and Imagined Fears - CryptoGlobe

Japan science society lures online readers with column on physics applied to virus fight – The Mainichi

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A screen capture of The Japan Society of Applied Physics webpage for the online column on using physics for coronavirus measures.

TOKYO -- An online column on using physics for novel coronavirus countermeasures run by The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) has become a hit with readers, despite its discussion of highly technical details about the virus and the pandemic, garnering some 10,000 pageviews since its July launch.

Applied physics is the study of technological development using physics theories. When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, physics is the foundation for the now well-known polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and the electron microscopes that captured the virus's appearance.

Other examples include non-contact thermometers used at event venues and elsewhere that use infrared sensors to measure heat emissions from the body's surface. Thermo-fluid analysis -- in which a space is divided into grids to measure factors such as temperature, air pressure and air flow -- is used to project how droplets are diffused.

The JSAP started the column on its website in early July as a way for people to learn about the background of how these technologies were developed, as well as to provide information about physical laws related to coronavirus measures. The 25 installments published so far have both a condensed version written at a high school science level, and a main version for those who want to dig deeper. The society has formed an editorial committee for the column, and checks every entry for factual errors.

JSAP president Mutsuko Hatano, a professor of quantum sensing at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, noted that Isaac Newton discovered universal gravitation in the 17th century when he was spending time in his hometown after his university in London closed down due to the plague.

"We too wanted to use this time when we're asked to refrain from various types of activities as an opportunity for the future. We hope that our column serves as a motivator for those who aspire to study physics," she commented.

(Japanese original by Ryo Watanabe, Science & Environment News Department)

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Japan science society lures online readers with column on physics applied to virus fight - The Mainichi

When Will Tesla Be Added to the S&P 500? – TheStreet

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By posting a second quarter profitin late July, Tesla(TSLA) -Get Reportbecame eligible for inclusion in the massive S&P 500 index. But weeks have passed and TSLA hasn't been added, leaving one question echoing around Tesla's corner of the internet: when will Tesla be added to the S&P 500?

First, it is important to remember that changes to the index are made by the S&P 500 selection committee, and while there are guidelines like profitability, they are only guidelines and are subject to change at the discretion of the committee.

"Unlike many other S&P Dow Jones Indices and the majority of indices offered by other index providers, there are no rigid or absolute rules for the S&P 500; the Index Committee have some discretion in selecting stocks or responding to market events," said former committee Chairman, David Blitzer, in a 2014 post.

So there is no guarantee Tesla will be added this quarter, or ever for that matter. For example, maybe the index committee would prefer to wait until Tesla is showing consistent profits without reliance on regulatory credit sales.

If we assume the committee does want to add Tesla, looking at historical changes to the index may give us some clues on timing. Here are key dates for each company added since 2017, further explained below:

From the table, we can see that on average, the announcement of inclusion happened 43 days after these companies' last earnings report, and 39 days after their last quarterly or annual filing. However, because the S&P 500 is a large-cap index, most companies are not added due to achieving profitability for the first time. Generally they are added because their market caps have grown sizable enough to warrant their addition.

TSLA's market cap has been large enough to warrant inclusion for a long time, but the company didn't have the profitability. Only two other companies seem to have been included due to achieving profitability in the quarter before their addition to the index, Twitter and ServiceNow. These companies were announced 32 days and 25 days, respectively, after their quarterly filing.

Tesla published their second quarter 10-Q filing on July 28th. Using Twitter and ServiceNow as benchmarks could suggest an inclusion announcement for Tesla around August 25th. Using the average from all companies would suggest sometime around September 4th.

If we use the total dataset, understanding its imperfections, announcements do seem to appear slightly before the midpoint of the quarter, but there is a lot of variance and announcements can happen at any time. The following chart shows the distribution of inclusion announcements from the time of their last filing, separated in to ten day buckets.

More announcements occur in the first 0-60 days than after 60 days, but the distribution from 0-60 days is relatively even.

There has been speculation that the committee may wait until September due to their quarterly rebalancing meeting that month. Historically, this has seemed to play a role in the first half of the year but not so much in the second. Still, September may be a bit more likely for this reason.

Some have questioned if a particular day of the week is more likely for an announcement to occur. Here is a distribution of the announcements by day of the week. No announcements have happened on weekends.

Distribution by day is relatively consistent, with Friday being most likely and Tuesday being least likely. Generally, changes to the index are announced at 5:15 pm Eastern Time on S&P Global's announcement page. On occasion, some changes have been announced later in the day.

For more analysis, including relative performance of stocks added to the index, please see the included video.

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Disclosure: Rob Maurer is long TSLA stock and derivatives.

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When Will Tesla Be Added to the S&P 500? - TheStreet

Johnny Cash’s ’70 Rolls-Royce Converted into a Stealth Tesla – Car and Driver

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John Friedlander/Shift EV

As the man himself said, if you're gonna buy yourself a new car, you just better hope you're lucky enough to get one made on Wednesday. Failing that, perhaps you'll be lucky enough to get one converted to electric power.

Yes, a classic long-wheelbase 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow once owned by Johnny Cash is back on the road with a new, zero-emission spirit, as first reported by Digital Trends. When the Rolls's powertrain reached its end after 130,000 miles, its owner decided to convert the Man in Black's ride (well, one of them, anyway) into an EV using a Tesla Model S as a donor vehicle. The work was done by Shift Electric Vehicles of Albany, Oregon, which has been converting cars to electric power since 2009. The company mostly works on classic cars and hot rods, so this was an ideal pairing for both company and car. Shift EV has worked on other unusual conversions like the record-setting Streamliner, a 1904 Electric Woods Road Wagon, a 1978 Porsche 911, and a helicopter. Yes, a helicopter.

Shift Electric Vehicles

Given Shift EV's history, it should not come as a surprise that the people involved were able to avoid some of the problems that might have bedeviled less-experienced conversion mechanics. For example, on a short project rundown on the company blog, they mention that the donor EV was a 2016 Model S with a 75.0-kWh battery pack. That's key because Shift EV knew the lump in the pack would be easy to modify and fit better in the Rolls, since that part of the pack was not full of batteries. The pack would hang down below the Rolls, but some things couldn't be avoided. And anyway, there would be more than enough ground clearance to make it work.

Shift EV founder Kirk Swaney told Digital Trends that the anonymous Rolls owner asked Tesla if it would do the conversion, but the offer was declined. Shift EV did not respond to Car and Driver's request for more details about the conversion, but they do write on their blog that they will publish more information in the future, "drawing from the thousands of build pictures, some video, and the endless challenges that had to be overcome."

John Friedlander/Shift EV

There were plenty of these difficult choices to make during the restoration, like where to put the big Tesla infotainment screen (answer: the trunk, to keep the Rolls's interior looking as original as possible) and how to get the original steering wheel to work with Tesla's modern controls. We look forward to learning more about them whenever Shift EV is ready to share.

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Johnny Cash's '70 Rolls-Royce Converted into a Stealth Tesla - Car and Driver

Tesla Haters Need New Lines of Attack if They Want to Keep Betting Against the Stock – Barron’s

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Tesla is a stock that carries wildly divergent opinions between bulls and bears. Despite the companys recent successes, hedge fund manager and longtime Tesla bear David Einhorn is still bearish. And he isnt the only one looking for points of attack.

To quantify the divergence, Wall Street analyst price targets for Tesla shares (ticker: TSLA) range from GLJ Research analyst Gordon Johnsons $87 to Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potters $2,400. The plus-$2,300 bull-bear spread is more than 150% of the current stock price and almost four times as wide as the average bull-bear spread for stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Whats more, only six of 36 analysts rate shares Buy and 15 rate shares Sell. The average Buy-rating ratio for stocks in the Dow is about 55%. The average Sell-rating ratio is about 7%. More than 40% of analysts covering the company rate shares Sell. Thats pretty high.

Einhorn has traded barbs with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over Twitter (TWTR). And in his recent Greenlight Capital investor letter, he says that Tesla vehicles have had reports of unintended acceleration.

The reports arent new and must be balanced by reports that Teslas autopilot software has recorded one accident per 4.5 million miles driven. The U.S. average is one accident per roughly 500,000 miles. Also, the Tesla Model 3 earns a 5-star safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and is classified as a 2020 top safety pick.

Tesla wasnt immediately available to comment about any of the recent safety reports.

In addition to Einhorn, David Trainer, CEO of New Constructs, an investment research firm, said in a Wednesday report that Tesla is the most dangerous stock of 2020. Trainer thinks the shares could hit $250 to $300 as traditional auto makers introduce more electric vehicles.

The threat of new competition also isnt new and, indeed, most auto makers have EV models planned. It isnt certain, however, that more EVs will be bad for Tesla. Electric cars represent roughly 2% of global sales. That has to be closer to 50% in about a decade for Tesla stock to keep gaining. No one on Wall Street assumes Tesla will represent a majority of EV sales far into the future. The industry transition to electric powertrains can be a good thing for all EV makers.

Einhorn and Trainer arent the traditional Wall Street analysts that publish research on Tesla stock. Neither is Gary Black, a former Wall Street analyst and fund manager, who posted the Greenlight letter in a tweet. (Greenlights second-quarter letter is available to review through multiple outlets.) He is a Tesla bull and thinks shares can finish the year north of $1,800. Black is banking on the stock being added to the S&P 500 index, and positive reaction to Teslas September battery technology day, to be catalysts for the stock in coming months.

Tesla qualified for S&P 500 inclusion after reporting another GAAP profit in its most recent quarter. GAAP is short for generally accepted accounting principles.

Whatever happens, Tesla will continue to be a much-debated stock. Stocks with eye popping gains tend to be that way. Tesla stock is up roughly 250% year to date and 550% over the past year, far in excess of comparable returns of the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average over the same spans.

Tesla stock is off 0.1% to $1,483.47 in Thursday trading.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

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Tesla Haters Need New Lines of Attack if They Want to Keep Betting Against the Stock - Barron's