Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House To Meet With Big Tech To Discuss Best Ways To Fight Coronavirus
The Hill: White House To Meet With Top Tech Companies About Coronavirus Response
The White House is set to meet with the country's top tech companies on Wednesday to discuss coordinating a coherent response to the new coronavirus, as social media platforms scramble to rein in an escalating wave of online misinformation about the illness. A spokeswoman with the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy confirmed to The Hill that White House officials, including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios, are set to meet with tech industry representatives and federal agencies to "to discuss ways to coordinate on COVID19 response efforts" on Wednesday. (Birnbaum, 3/10)
Politico: White House To Huddle With Tech Firms On Coronavirus
Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Twitter are all expected to participate in person or via teleconference, a spokesperson for the Office of Science and Technology Policy said. U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will lead the meeting. It was not immediately clear whether other White House officials or agency representatives would participate. The internet companies have in many ways found themselves at the epicenter of the outbreak, both in person and online. Most of the major tech platforms restricted nonessential travel for employees and canceled their participation in major technology conferences to reduce the likelihood of community spread. (Overly, 3/10)
The New York Times: Doctors And Patients Turn To Telemedicine In The Coronavirus Outbreak
The man had recently traveled, including a brief stop in Tokyo. He had a fever and cough about a week ago, but was now feeling fine. He called the virtual medical line set up by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recently to help screen patients for coronavirus. “He said all the right buzzwords: cough, fever, fatigue,” said Dr. Meeta Shah, an emergency room physician at Rush. (Abelson, 3/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Prompts Hospitals To Fast-Track Telemedicine Projects
Hospital chief information officers, no strangers to emergencies, are putting in place new systems and workflows to get ahead of a growing coronavirus epidemic that threatens to tax limited resources and staff. Their tasks include greenlighting telemedicine projects to reduce expected patient gridlock, developing digital dashboards to speed triage, and testing and retesting systems expected to allow staff to work remotely. (Shah, 3/10)
