News Day – 10 stories in 20 minutes

June 15, 2020: We're back with another Tuesday News Day! This episode, host Bill Russell challenges himself by giving you ten news stories in 20 minutes. Along with detailing each story, Bill adds his insights to each article, ensuring that you are on top of the latest health IT news. A subject that’s on every healthcare professional’s mind — the future of telehealth is discussed in a few of today’s articles, with two articles focusing on how telehealth might be funded under Medicare. Another critical topic is the financial stresses that have been placed on the healthcare system by COVID-19, along with a few pandemic silver-linings. While many are hyping the potential of 5G, Bill provides his take on why it shouldn’t be your immediate focus. Looking at an article about how a COVID-19 survivor was charged over one million dollars, Bill talks about why hospital costs are a political issue and why it’s been an odd election year. In industry news, Cerner has a new CFO — hear why Bill feels uneasy with their choice. A lot is going on right now, especially in the world of telehealth, and as Bill says at the close of the episode, “It is going to be an exciting time in healthcare. Isn’t it always?”

Key Points From This Episode:

• There are many COVID-19 silver-linings, including a new focus on telehealth. 
• Health systems have faced resource strain as a result of the pandemic. 
• Why Bill reserves his to comment on Cerner’s new CFO.
• While 5G is exciting tech, there’s no reason to rush into it. 
• The predicted rise of contactless experiences. 
• Why contact tracing won’t be adopted in the U.S.
• The importance of remote monitoring and remote communications in the future.
• Increasing calls for expanded Medicare telehealth access. 
• Where the money for increased telehealth access may be coming from.
• Why healthcare cost is still a political issue — particularly in an election year.
• Bill highlights that it will take time for healthcare systems to recover. 
• Bill shares more ideas on how telehealth can be funded.