Products and Technology
COVID-19 Weekly Insights from hc1
Follow this weekly dashboard for COVID-19 weekly insights driven by the CV19 Lab Testing Dashboard powered by hc1 (@hc1dotcom) and a coalition of laboratories at no charge to public health officials, government agencies, and healthcare providers.
News and Noted
New variant of virus that causes COVID-19 detected
The Mayo Clinic reports there are more questions than answers about the recent news in the U.K. of a new version — or variant — of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. has been linked to this variant of the virus, but health officials say mutation of viruses is common and shouldn’t be cause for immediate alarm.
U.S. Surgeon General Calls for COVID-19 Survivors to Donate Plasma
Surgeon General VADM Jerome Adams is calling on Americans who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP). A CCP donation may benefit people who are newly diagnosed with COVID-19, and gives frontline health care workers an important tool in treating patients. More than 250,000 courses of CCP have been administered to Americans to help prevent severe consequences from COVID-19, yet, health care professionals urgently need a steady, reliable supply of plasma.
HHS Increases and Begins Distributing Over $24 Billion in Phase 3 COVID-19 Provider Relief Funding
The Trump Administration, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is announcing it has completed review of Phase 3 applications from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program and will distribute $24.5 billion to over 70,000 providers.
AMA Announces Additional CPT Codes for COVID-19 Vaccines
The American Medical Association (AMA) (@AmerMedicalAssn) announced that the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set is being updated by the CPT Editorial Panel to include immunization and administration codes that are unique to the COVID-19 vaccine under development by AstraZeneca and University of Oxford.
Surveys and Reports
Latest Surge in COVID-19 Infections Strains Hospitals, Shows Signs of a Difficult Winter Ahead
Rising infection rates and mounting COVID-related hospitalizations rocked U.S. hospitals and health systems in November, continuing months of volatility spurred by the pandemic. Hospital operating margins fell as expenses continued to rise above budget expectations and above 2019 levels, according to the December issue of Kaufman Hall’s National Hospital Flash Report.
To Listen
We have compiled a playlist from all our shows and podcasts on our network that discuss the current COVID-19 pandemic.
To Read
Is COVID-19 the Y2K of Healthcare IT? By Fred Lizza, CEO, Statum Systems – Remember Y2K? The average person may recall it as the countdown to the year 2000 – and the fear that when the clock struck midnight, all computers would go haywire. Those working in technology at the time might remember Y2K as representative of a longer replacement cycle in the ‘90s in which many businesses replaced their core accounting, manufacturing, and supply chain systems.
Pandemic Taking Big Mental Health Toll on Health Care Workers By Healthday (@healthday) – Frontline health care workers have been through tremendous challenges this past year while treating COVID-19 patients throughout the world. It should come as no surprise that many are having trouble emotionally.
Don’t ignore health symptoms amid COVID-19 pandemic By Cynthia Weiss, Mayo Clinic News (@MayoClinic) – With the world preparing to welcome a new year ― and hope of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic on the horizon ― health care professionals say it’s important not to ignore symptoms that may require emergency medical care.
Events
Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers (PRI)
What: COVID-19 Physician Peer Support
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm ET
Register for Tuesday & Thursday Groups
Twitter: @EmPRO_Insurance
COVID-19 Physician Peer Support – PRI has multiple weekly complimentary Virtual Support Groups on Coping with COVID-19 which your fellow physicians have been utilizing and finding great comfort and support from.
COVID-19 Resources
HealthcareNOW Radio rounded up some health IT resources being offered by companies to help healthcare professionals, American citizens and all of those affected in the fight against the coronavirus.
COVID-19 Pharma News
HealthcareNOW Radio rounded up some of the latest news and announcements pertaining to the coronavirus and the pharmaceutical industry.
Latest COVID-19 News from CDC
CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the US. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats.
The CDC is the front line for our safety and information on the Coronavirus. Keep informed about COVID-19. Sign up to get emails or text alerts from the CDC.
Health Center COVID-19 Testing
Updated weekly using data from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey, the Health Center COVID-19 Testing Dashboard provides a high-level view of total COVID-19 tests conducted and the distribution of positive COVID-19 tests by race and ethnicity.