HIMSSCast

This isn't a second wave. It's a first wave that never really went away. That's what experts are saying about the current COVID-19 resurgence. And just as the virus isn't going anywhere soon, neither are the financial woes it's creating for hospitals and health systems.On this episode of HIMSSCast, host Jonah Comstock welcomes Healthcare Finance News Managing Editor Susan Morse and Associate Editor Jeff Lagasse to talk about the current state of affairs for hospitals.More related to this episode:Hospitals continue to bear the burden of the COVID-19 surgePrimary care doctors say they're not ready for the next COVID-19 surgeCOVID-19 is forcing rural hospitals to rethink their business modelsHospitals see an increase in jobs for first time in two months, BLS reportsHospitals have received most of the loans from the Paycheck Protection ProgramHHS announces billion-dollar push toward experimental COVID-19 vaccineTelehealth claims increased significantly between April 2019 and 2020, report shows

Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard and Senior Editor Kat Jercich join host Jonah Comstock to recap what went down at the American Telemedicine Association's virtual conference last week. The team also discusses the state of telehealth more broadly, including the trends Kat observed at last week's congressional hearing.This episode is brought to you by AmWell.Subscribe to HITN's new Telehealth Connect newsletter here. Check out our first two editorial webinars here and here.More related to this podcast:Telehealth: ATA president says 'we have a lot more work to do'The successes – and pitfalls – of using telehealth for home-based primary careHow telemedicine can help close the maternal health gapScreeners, navigators and nudgers: The future of conversational AI in healthcareA new COVID-19 wave is coming – how can health systems prepare?ATA CEO: 'Technology can be used to reimagine experiences'Senator Tina Smith: 'We have to learn from our experiences' on telehealthHundreds of industry groups call on Congress to advance permanent telehealth reformSenate HELP Committee weighs the future of telehealthTelehealth's post-COVID challenge: Integrating in-person careAfter initial spike, telehealth visits are on the decline, report finds

MobiHealthNews founding editor Brian Dolan, now founder and lead writer at Exits and Outcomes, joins the host Jonah Comstock, Managing Editor Laura Lovett, and Associate Editor Dave Muoio for a bit of a post-mortem on Proteus Digital Health, the sensor-enabled pill company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.More related to this episode:'Digital pill' maker Proteus Digital Health files for bankruptcyProteus parts ways with Otsuka as it pivots toward oncology, infectious disease treatment adherenceProteus furloughed majority of employees last month after collapse of $100M funding roundThe Proteus Digital Health Report at Exits and Outcomes (subscription required)

Following up on last week's episode, host Jonah Comstock and MobiHealthNews Associate Editor Dave Muoio chat with Dr. Brennan Spiegel, Director of Health Services Research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. As well as picking up on the thread of COVID-19's effect on the burgeoning field of virtual medicine, Speigel also talks about some of his own experiences with therapeutic VR, lays out his vision for the technology's future, and gives a preview of his forthcoming book on the subject.More related to this episode: COVID-19 and therapeutic VR adoption, part 1In-Depth: Despite some hiccups, COVID-19 is VR's time to shineIn-Depth: Therapeutic VR in 2018 is no longer just a distraction (therapy)VRx: How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine (Amazon pre-order)Virtual Medicine event page

VR researcher and advocate Dr. Robert Louis gives HIMSS Media insight on the current state of VR in healthcare, and how the virus has impacted his hospital's rollout of the technology.Digital health spectators have long eyed therapeutic virtual reality's progression from an interesting research concept to an evidence-backed treatment for pain, phobias and other conditions. But with COVID-19 throwing a wrench into healthcare's status quo, will the virtual technology be seen as a key resource, or as a novelty to be sidelined until things can return to normal?In this episode, VR researcher and advocate Dr. Robert Louis, endowed chair and program director at the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute, and director of XR Development at Hoag Memorial Hospital, joins host Jonah Comstock and MobiHealthNews Associate Editor Dave Muoio to discuss how his hospital's VR initiatives have been affected by the pandemic.  (Editor's note: Louis serves as an advisor for Cleanbox Technology, mentioned in this episode)More related to this episode: In-depth: Despite some hiccups, COVID-19 is VR's time to shineXRHealth raises $7M to expand its VR telehealth platform Oxford VR puts patients with social anxiety into virtual scenarios with new programReimagining Brain Surgery (YouTube demo)

Following up on our episode from a few weeks ago, host Jonah Comstock sits down (virtually of course) with Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, medical director and vice president of Mental Health Services at Teladoc Health to discuss findings from a recent survey on COVID-19 and behavioral health as well as his own experiences seeing patients via telehealth during the pandemic.Here's a release from Teladoc about the survey.

In Harry Glorikian's MoneyBall Medicine, he writes about various interconnected trends that have been shaping healthcare for the past few years: value-based care, precision medicine, cost transparency, digital health and big data. Some of those trends have been accelerated by recent seismic shifts in healthcare, others could still be slowed down by regulatory and reimbursement barriers.In today's episode, Glorikian joins host Jonah Comstock for a wide-ranging discussion of healthcare's future.Be sure to check out the book and Glorikian's same-titled podcast.

Telehealth of all stripes has exploded since COVID-19, but one particular subset deserves further examination: telebehavioral health, an area in which the crisis has upended the norms of supply as well as demand as the crisis take's a toll on the world's collective mental health.In this episode, host Jonah Comstock, Managing Editors Laura Lovett and Susan Morse and Associate Editor Dave Muoio discuss some recent trends and developments in this space.Articles mentioned in this episode:Heal kicks off telepsychology service for California residentsOptum reportedly finalizing $470M purchase of virtual behavioral care company AbleToPear rolls out digital therapeutic for schizophrenia, after FDA loosens regulations in COVID-19 responseFDA: Devs can release digital products for psychiatric disorders without 510(k) submission during COVID-19 crisisAkili's digital therapeutic launches early for housebound children with ADHDWellable acquires MeYou Health's Daily Challenge product, Omada's mental health program free for six months and more digital health news briefs

As healthcare systems around the world battle COVID-19, they haven't stopped fighting another battle: the constant struggle against hackers and other security threats. On this episode of HIMSSCast, host Jonah Comstock talks to Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard about cybersecurity in the age of COVID-19. They also catch up on the ONC info-blocking rules that dropped in March, and how the pandemic has illustrated the importance of those regulatory changes.Articles referenced in this episode:As COVID-19 cases increase, so do privacy concerns about EHR snooping Cyberattack on Czech hospital forces tech shutdown during coronavirus outbreak WHO, coronavirus testing lab hit by hackers as opportunistic attacks ramp upCyberattacks continue to mount during COVID-19 pandemic Cyber-attacks on healthcare facilities 'growing threat' during coronavirus pandemic Temporary hospitals are rife with cybersecurity vulnerabilities Penn Medicine CISO offers tips for COVID-19 cybersecurity responseAMA, AHA partner on COVID-19 cyber threats guidance for hospitals, physiciansGoogle says it blocks 18 million COVID-19 related scam emails each dayAnd HIMSS's latest cybersecurity report.

Christopher Kerns, Advisory Board’s Vice President for Executive Insights, joins Jonah and the Healthcare Finance News team, Managing Editor Susan Morse and Associate Editor Jeff Lagasse, for a conversation about what this pandemic means for hospital bottom lines, how they're surviving, and how they should be preparing for a re-opening of elective and nonessential procedures.Articles mentioned in this episode:Hospitals furlough staff, reduce physician salaries waiting for CARES Act fundsHospitals get additional $20 billion infusion of CARES Act fundsU.S. hospitals are suffering financial damage due to COVID-19 pandemic, Kaufman Hall findsCOVID-19 may permanently alter the telehealth landscape, from reimbursement to utilizationAnd be sure to check out Advisory Board's weekly webcast here.