Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Some Hospitals Are Finding Success With Their COVID Testing Labs
Modern Healthcare: 4 Ways Hospitals Are Improving COVID-19 Testing Lab Efficiency
Clinical laboratories were quickly overwhelmed by increased demand as COVID-19 swept the U.S., leading public health departments and private labs to suffer long delays in returning results. Several hospitals decided to rely on their own in-house labs to expedite the process, and those decisions came with their own growing pains. (Johnson, 9/9)
Stat: Is The Covid-19 Pandemic A Tipping Point For Digital Health?
Covid-19 may turn out to be digital health’s tipping point, two Silicon Valley venture capitalists said Wednesday. The industry’s rapid shift could be beneficial for patients, providers, and some industry players — but it also might prove detrimental to companies that swerved toward Covid-19 and away from the bedrock of their businesses. (Cooney, 9/9)
In other health industry news —
Billings Gazette: Billings Hospitals Cope With Surge In Cases, St. V's Brings In Extra Nurses
Just a week into September and Yellowstone County is still seeing high numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. More than half of all coronavirus cases in the county happened in August. St. Vincent Healthcare and Billings Clinic are both struggling to cope with the demand. (Sukut, 9/9)
Raleigh News & Observer: For The First Time In 28 Years, Chatham County Has Its Own Maternity Center
Defying a national trend, the small hospital in rural Siler City has begun delivering babies again. Chatham Hospital’s new Maternity Care Center opened Tuesday morning, restoring a service the hospital discontinued 28 years ago. Chatham closed its maternity ward in 1992 in part because it had become too expensive to operate for such a small number of new mothers, said UNC Health spokesman Alan Wolf. (Stradling, 9/8)
Modern Healthcare: Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Partners With One Medical
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and One Medical have partnered to coordinate primary care for central Ohioans, the organizations announced Wednesday. Ohio State's physicians, ambulatory facilities and hospitals will support One Medical's primary care model, which employs a team-based, "high-touch" approach via same-day appointments, workplace clinics and telehealth, among other services. (Kacik, 9/9)
Modern Healthcare: Zocdoc Co-Founder Sues Execs, Seeks Reinstatement As CEO
Zocdoc co-founder and former CEO Cyrus Massoumi wants to be reinstalled as the company's CEO, alleging a set of executives organized an "elaborate, multi-step scheme" to oust him from his leadership role in 2015, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Massoumi is suing Oliver Kharraz, the company's co-founder, CEO and a member of the board; Netta Samroengraja, chief business officer; and Nikhil Ganju, co-founder and a member of the board for alleged fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. The complaint was filed Tuesday in New York state court. (Cohen, 9/9)
In nursing home news —
Politico: Nursing Homes Fret Over Trump's Testing Mandate
The Trump administration’s efforts to scale up rapid coronavirus testing in nursing homes is running into a set of hurdles – just as the White House moves to a new pandemic strategy that stresses shielding the most vulnerable. Machines that process rapid tests are sitting idle in some nursing homes because of confusion and fears the results are less accurate than widely used lab-based tests. Other nursing homes worry about being able to quickly obtain more of the fast-turnaround tests. And conflicts between state and federal regulations over which tests can be used on nursing home staff are complicating the situation. (Roubein, 9/8)
Kaiser Health News: Hospitals, Nursing Homes Fail To Separate COVID Patients, Putting Others At Risk
Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center were on edge as early as March when patients with COVID-19 began to show up in areas of the hospital that were not set aside to care for them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had advised hospitals to isolate COVID patients to limit staff exposure and help conserve high-level personal protective equipment that’s been in short supply. (Jewett, 9/10)
