THE HEALTHCARE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LEADER

The second order effects of the pandemic are becoming clearer, even as the second wave of infections begins to sweep across the country, and school districts agonize over the best way to reopen for the coming academic year. A recent survey by the AHA suggests hospital profit margins could slip into as much as negative 7% by the last quarter of this year. And it’s not just hospitals. The looming crisis in primary care, as primary care doctors temporarily close down practices and furlough staff, could have serious consequences for public health.

Can telehealth be a long-term solution for the gaps in primary care brought on by the pandemic? In a guest piece in Health Affairs, CMS administrator Seema Verma acknowledges that telehealth is now an important source of care in the country, however it will never replace the gold standard in-person care. Telehealth has some serious limitations when it comes to rural, indigent and elderly populations, not to mention that certain types of care simply cannot lend themselves to telemedicine.

Further, the lower total levels of reimbursements for telehealth fail to consider all the costs of an in-person visit leaving hospitals with difficult choices and big revenue gaps to fill. Industry groups have been advocating that telehealth reimbursement rules be made permanent, a need that administrator Verma acknowledges.

The role of technology continues to grow in the gradual transformation of healthcare enterprises in the wake of the pandemic. We include insightful case studies from two NYC health systems, and a guest piece by Marc Harrison, the CEO of Intermountain Health, on the learnings from the pandemic. 

Stay safe. Wear a mask.