COVID-19 and Novel Coronavirus Podcasts

People newly diagnosed and living with chronic conditions increasingly turn to technology, the internet and social media seeking information and education, to share clinical information and the latest research, to receive and provide support, and to share solutions and resources. In the spirit of “meeting people where they are,” clinicians are following and joining patients in these social spaces, learning a lot -- and together -- are improving health. In this episode we hear how Nurse Practitioner Michelle Litchman, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, FADCES, FAAN practices and innovates at the intersection of diabetes, digital health, and disparities. Searching digital spaces, online resources and communities she discovers the specific needs and pain points that patients and families are experiencing. Her work to better assess and address the many dimensions of access and accessibility led to an awareness and understanding of why people with diabetes are foregoing basic needs and taking part in "life exchanges'' of trading of insulin and medical supplies just to stay healthy, and to the subsequent passage of legislation offering an important lifeline to those who depend on insulin to survive. In her research and innovation, she shares the value of collaborating with citizen scientists so the patients’ story and experience are reflected in the research, policies, and solutions. Email us at [email protected] For additional resources, visit our website at www.seeyounowpodcast.com.

The pandemic has pushed hundreds of public health officials to leave their jobs. It's also inspired thousands to pursue a career in public health. We listen in on a conversation between two women pushed in different directions by the pandemic.Guests:Jennifer Miller, RN, Former Communicable Disease Nurse Consultant, Montana Department of Public Health and Human ServicesNicole Snyder, PhD, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Davidson College; MPH Candidate, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North CarolinaFind a full transcript and more information about how the pandemic has impacted the public health workforce on our website: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/10/14/public-health-workforce-covid-burnout/Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donateFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tradeoffspod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With Hillsdale Hospital receiving a record number of COVID cases, it's all hands on deck at the hospital. So, we don't have a traditional episode for you this week, but instead we have a small collection of some of our favorite past moments, as well as some outtakes and behind-the-scenes audio.

Dan Skinner talks with Jake Zuckerman and David DeWitt of the Ohio Capital Journal about the state of things at the Ohio Statehouse since the summer. Show notes at PrognosisOhio.com and WCBE.org.

Congressional Democrats’ blockbuster spending bill could include some historic health reforms, but major political hurdles remain. Reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein joins us to discuss the tough health policy compromises facing Democratic lawmakers.Guest: Alice Miranda Ollstein, health care reporter, POLITICOA complete transcript of our conversation with Alice Miranda Ollstein is on our website: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/10/07/house-reconciliation-bill-healthSign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donateFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tradeoffspod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we are discussing one hospital's creative solution to manage the health of their growing number of COVID-19 patients. A system implemented early in the pandemic and used ever since. Our guests today are Kathy Bailey, CEO and Dr. Anthony Frank, CMO, of UNC Health Blue Ridge.

Friends,With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous hospital systems across the country rapidly adopted the hospital at home model in an effort to deal with overcapacity.  Many systems are planning to continue this service - even after the pandemic. The reasoning is simple. It’s a much lower-cost alternative. It’s much more personal and customized care. It’s a lot more convenient and comfortable for patients and their families. And, it’s going to be a major clinical delivery approach in the future; a major source of revenue, as well as a source for patient growth and retention.Our guest today, Raphael Rakowski, is one of the most significant entrepreneurial leaders in this rapidly advancing and transformative trend in healthcare delivery.  In 2010, years before most of us even heard of it, Raphael Rakowski led a team of engineers and clinicians in the creation of Clinically Home, the first commercially scalable model to enable safe hospitalization at home. In 2017, Raphael and his team created a next-gen version called Medically Home and joined forces with Atrius Health (a large multi-specialty medical group in eastern MA) to bring the program to market.  In 2020, after his role as CEO & Founder, Raphael was named Executive Chairman of Medically Home Group, Inc.  Medically Home operates in over 15 states at the time of this interview with a large number of strategic partners, and has most recently partnered with the Mayo Clinic & Kaiser Permanente.  In this episode, we’ll learn about:Why - according to Raphael - the financial and business model for facility-based hospital care is misguided, misaligned and maladapted to the needs and safety of patients and their families.Why the shift to decentralized healthcare is necessary if we are to have a sustainable system, and how it’s consistent with the path that other industries, such as banking and retail have taken.The four operational pillars that allow Medically Home to deliver a much higher acuity level of care in the home than other ‘hospital at home’ models.The superior outcomes that Medically Home is achieving compared to traditional facility-based hospital care.How Medically Home is addressing some of the challenges in delivering high acuity care in the home setting.According to Raphael, the reason facility-based hospital care is suboptimal is that it has been fashioned like an industrial factory. He backs up his statements with powerful observations, compelling data and intelligent reasoning. For example - according to Raphael, 65% of hospital costs are due to the fixed costs of their bricks and mortar infrastructure. This overhead creates a “tax on care”, leaving only 35% for medical care. On the other hand, the cost savings Medically Home is achieving are about 25%.  Patient satisfaction is at or above hospital levels. Mortality and morbidity reductions are 10%, and fall rates and infection rates are dramatically better than facility-based hospitals.Raphael also reframes our notion of acute care and post acute care.  As he puts it, “The point of the Medically Home model is that you’re reliably integrating three things that should never have been siloed - acute care, post-acute care,and population health… There is no such thing as post-acute care. It was invented as an artifact of reimbursement. You should be cared for by the same care team until you’re not sick anymore.  This is one of the reasons for the high readmission rates we see in hospitals across the country…  We combine these together in a single episode called “stay with the patient until they’re well and you understand what it will take for them to stay well…”  At the present moment, the home-based care market in the US is approximately $140B in revenue, and predicted to grow to over $200B within the next 4 to 5 years. One can view this rapidly emerging home-based care market as a threat to hospital systems - or, as an opportunity.  For those hospital systems willing and capable enough to be early entrants - it is a huge opportunity to diversify their business models and revenue stream, and to de-risk the unprecedented market disruption that is almost certain to occur this decade. From a mission-based perspective, it is an opportunity for our healthcare systems to do what we need them to do: improve care and care outcomes, lower costs, and provide a more compassionate and convenient care experience.Until Next Time, Be Well.Zeev Neuwirth, MD

U.S. hospitals are facing a nursing crisis, but experts say it's not as bad as the nationwide shortage of the early 2000s. We talk with two experts about what needs to be done to prevent the current crisis from getting worse.Guests:Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN; Professor, Montana State University College of Nursing; Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce StudiesKaren Lasater, PhD, RN; Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of PennsylvaniaFind more resources on nurse shortages and a full transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/3ol0ROr Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donate See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, JJ and Rachel discuss the challenges posed to rural hospitals from the pandemic as cases increase, and while some hospitals are seeing some of the worst surges their communities have experienced.

This week, are talking about specialty care and how rural hospitals can bring back services and service lines that may have left their communities for one reason or another. Our guest today is Nicholle Mehr, Chief Strategy Officer at Hillsdale Hospital as well as President and CEO of The Mehr Group. The Mehr Group: themehrgroup.com

America’s largest health insurance companies moonlight as obscure middlemen, managing billions in health care spending for many of the country’s biggest employers. What could go wrong? Join us for a wild, wonky journey into the world of third-party administrators.Guests:Christin Deacon, JD, Senior Vice President, 4C Health Solutions; former Assistant Director, Division of Pension & Benefits, New Jersey Department of TreasuryBrian Hufford, JD, Partner, Zuckerman Spaeder LLPKen Janda, JD, Founder, Wild Blue Health Solutions; Adjunct Professor, University of Houston College of Medicine Sandy Peters, retireeHave a look at more of Leslie's reporting on TPAs: https://bit.ly/3CEg6pESign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donateFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tradeoffspod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Friends,This interview is about an organization that is creating a new healthcare category, and whose purpose is to solve the employer healthcare dilemma. But even more fundamental than that, they’re attempting to solve the core struggles that all healthcare consumers are facing. Glen Tullman is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Transcarent.  Tullman is the former Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of Livongo Health  He previously led two other public companies that changed the way health care is delivered - Allscripts and Enterprise Systems. Tullman is also a Founding Partner at 7WireVentures, a socially-minded venture capital fund. He is the author of ‘On Our Terms: Empowering the New Health Consumer’.  Glen was honored in 2019 with a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award for his career focused on improving the safety, empathy, and efficiency of our healthcare system. He also serves as a Chancellor to the International Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and as a Board Member and incoming Chairperson of the American Diabetes Association.In this episode, we’ll learn about:The lack of alignment between payers, PBM’s, healthcare systems and employers.  As Glen points out, if employers spend more, payers, PBM’s and healthcare systems make more. How the plethora of digital healthcare companies and apps are contributing to further complexity in healthcare delivery.Why it makes sense for employers to get rid of copays for preventive care and chronic disease management costs.The three things that people want from healthcare and how Transcarent is delivering on those consumer needs.The 5 most common issues/questions that healthcare consumers call Transcarent about.One of the qualities I most admire about Glen is his blunt but eloquent truthfulness. As he puts it - “After 30 years of promises, we have a healthcare system today that is more confusing, more complex and more costly than it’s ever been”. Supporting this statement, he cites the stat that the average self-insured employer must hire 14 different companies to assist in providing healthcare to their employees.  His solution to curtailing the complexity and confusion is to shift from fragmented point solutions to adopting the approach of other industries - which places the consumer in the driver’s seat, provide ease of use, 24/7 access and low cost.Transcarent isn’t just focused on building a ‘digital front door’ or ‘digital consumer experience’.  It is a wholecloth transformation of the healthcare experience. It is a leader in a new category - part navigator, part health coach, part telehealth provider, part center-of-excellence referral source. Glen is so obsessed with providing a best-in-class consumer experience/journey that his brand promise is personalized, convenient, unbiased, virtual access to coaches, navigators, and doctors - within a few minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!What I respect most about Transcarent is not the technical wizardry or their impressive feat of creating a new market category. What I respect most is the unyielding primacy they place on the care of the consumer. For example - despite their ability to deploy chatbots, Glen insists that there be a live person on the other end of the line. He believes that people who seek healthcare want and deserve a live person speaking with them. Transcarent’s approach is “care over costs”, and while this may seem unsustainable, he points out that providing this type of care ends up greatly lowering the overall costs of care. The key to Transcarent’s approach is the alignment of payment with value based care. Unlike most other healthcare stakeholders, Transcarent does not make its money when healthcare costs and prices increase. Transcarent has completely attached its revenue and business model to cost savings. If your business model is to provide an outstanding consumer experience, deliver markedly improved health outcomes and lower overall total costs - then it makes sense to invest upfront in the way that Transcarent is doing. I truly wish more healthcare organizations would manifest the vision, integrity and courage to implement the business model that Transcarent has. It would save a lot of money for our country, corporate America, our states and towns, our families and our citizens.  But even more importantly, it would save a lot of lives. Until Next Time, Be Well.Zeev Neuwirth, MD 

In the United States, Latinos are 1.5 times more likely than non-Latino whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Right now, the Latino population makes up the country’s youngest racial or ethnic group, and as this population ages, a dramatic increase in cases of Alzheimer’s disease could follow. What are health care professionals doing to prepare for this increase? What other factors might be contributing to their increased risk for the disease? And what can Latinos do to protect their brain health? In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Melissa Hladek and Jason Resendez join the show to discuss these questions and more. Hladek is assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, who is a researcher-clinician studying how stress, self-efficacy resilience, and sociocultural factors influence the biology of aging and chronic disease. She is president-elect for the National Association of Hispanic Nurses-DC Chapter and advisor for the Latinx Health Advisory Group at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Jason Resendez is executive director of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity and chief of staff of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Jason has helped establish UsAgainstAlzheimer’s as a hub for driving brain health equity through public health strategies, community anchored research collaborations, and patient advocacy. In 2020, Resendez was recognized as one of America’s top 20 “Influencers in Aging” by PBS Next Avenue. Podcast References and Resources CDC's Healthy Aging Program MyBrainGuide National Association of Hispanic Nurses National Hispanic Heritage Month Continue the Conversation @melissa_hladek @jason_r_DC @JHUNursing @UsAgainstAlz @NbnaInc @NAHN_DC

In the United States, Latinos are 1.5 times more likely than non-Latino whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Right now, the Latino population makes up the country’s youngest racial or ethnic group, and as this population ages, a dramatic increase in cases of Alzheimer’s disease could follow. What are health care professionals doing to prepare for this increase? What other factors might be contributing to their increased risk for the disease? And what can Latinos do to protect their brain health? In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Melissa Hladek and Jason Resendez join the show to discuss these questions and more. Hladek is assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, who is a researcher-clinician studying how stress, self-efficacy resilience, and sociocultural factors influence the biology of aging and chronic disease. She is president-elect for the National Association of Hispanic Nurses-DC Chapter and advisor for the Latinx Health Advisory Group at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Jason Resendez is executive director of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity and chief of staff of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Jason has helped establish UsAgainstAlzheimer’s as a hub for driving brain health equity through public health strategies, community anchored research collaborations, and patient advocacy. In 2020, Resendez was recognized as one of America’s top 20 “Influencers in Aging” by PBS Next Avenue. Podcast References and Resources CDC's Healthy Aging Program MyBrainGuide National Association of Hispanic Nurses National Hispanic Heritage Month Continue the Conversation @melissa_hladek @jason_r_DC @JHUNursing @UsAgainstAlz @NbnaInc @NAHN_DC

This week, we talk about growing and cultivating our own talent here at Hillsdale Hospital. Our guest today is Chief Nursing Office, Megan Campbell.

As President Biden ups the pressure on businesses to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees, we talk with a preschool owner wrestling with the decision and a researcher with tips on how to make a mandate work.Guests:Lesia Daniel-Hollingshead, Co-owner, Funtime ClintonAshley Ritter, APRN, PhD; Director of Clinical Care Research, NewCourtland; Adjunct Assistant Professor, NewCourtland Center for Transitions in Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; CEO, Dear PandemicFind additional resources and reporting on vaccine mandates and read a full transcript of this episode on our website: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/09/16/employers-grapple-with-fear-uncertainty-and-vaccine-mandates/ Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donateFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tradeoffspod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many families and communities still have questions about what a return to work and school will look like this fall, and how they can help their kids and aging parents navigate the transition. Two experts join the show to discuss—Dr. Debbie Gross, a child psychiatric nurse, and Dr. Valerie Cotter, an expert in aging, dementia, and palliative care. Podcast References What to do when you worry too much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger COVID-19 Risks and Vaccine Information for Older Adults National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Maryland Department of Health Continue the Conversation @JHUNursing @ValCottervt Deborah Gross

Today, we talk about the challenges rural hospitals face when recruiting providers to their communities. We also learn about an innovative program, designed to educate and recruit nurses to rural communities. Our guest today is Nichole Rouhana, Director of Graduate Nursing at the Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University, in Binghamton New York.

The Supreme Court just declined to block a controversial abortion ban in Texas. Now an even bigger case looms on their docket, and it could dramatically alter abortion access across the U.S.Guests:Laurie Sobel, JD, Associate Director, Women’s Health Policy, Kaiser Family FoundationAlina Salganicoff, PhD, Senior Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy, Kaiser Family FoundationThere's more about these two laws and the imminent SCOTUS case on our website: https://tradeoffs.org/2021/09/09/the-next-big-challenge-to-abortion-rights/Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see what research health policy experts are reading right now, plus recommendations from our staff: bit.ly/tradeoffsnewsletterSupport this type of journalism today, with a gift: https://tradeoffs.org/donateFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tradeoffspod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.