Shahab Vagefi, managing director at investment firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, specializes in healthcare information technology. He paints the landscape, talks how he "picks his spots" and reveals what's top of his mind on the sliding market.

There is a need to bring non-traditional organizations into value-based efforts, says Lynn Carroll, COO HSBlox

Firstsource uploads contract information to give patients a bill estimate, says Randall Shafer, executive VP and Global Head, Hospital Business.

Health Systems and Life Sciences organizations continue to be exposed to ransomware attacks during the global pandemic with increased impact to patient care and exposure to large global integrated health delivery systems. Patients have recognized significant patient care impacts such as rescheduled surgeries, increased patient wait times, delayed COVID-19 test results, and challenges filling prescription medications.  This presentation will provide healthcare executives a guide to understanding how their organization is positioned to protect against emerging ransomware threats.

The connection between EHRs and physician satisfaction – and, by extension, clinician burnout – is one that has been well-explored over the past few years. And the COVID-19 pandemic has only made those issues more relevant. 

Dr. Richard Baron, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM foundation, joined Healthcare IT News Senior Editor Kat Jercich to discuss his recent JAMA Network Open commentary about why some physicians may be happier with their EHRs than others – and what organizations might do about it.

Talking points:
-People in physician-owned practices report higher EHR satisfaction
-Clinicians feeling technology is done to them, not for them
-The clinical purpose of an EHR gets lost
-How owning a practice makes a difference
-The burnout from "inbox overload"
-Using EHRs to answer broader population health questions
-Connecting technology to physician success
-The effect of COVID-19 on burnout
-What organizations can do

More about this episode:

EHRs are still a mess for physicians, but change is coming

Patient messages via Epic increased during COVID-19, raising burnout concerns

Female physicians spent 33 more minutes per day in EHRs

EHR satisfaction: A better way is possible

Mayo Clinic study links EHR usability with clinician burnout

KLAS: Clinician burnout is a worldwide problem

Sponsored: Dan Dennis, Hyland Software’s senior vice president and chief information security officer, outlines how organizations can navigate the ever-changing cyber threat landscape and keep staff engaged through talent retention and training.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had spillover effects on screening and preventive care. But even before the novel coronavirus, adequate screening for disease, especially among vulnerable people, was still a public health concern.

A recent study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University found that even though screening rates have improved, about one in five women still do not receive a test for syphilis during pregnancy –- which is recommended by the CDC given the serious threat syphilis can pose to the health of the fetus. 

Brian Dixon, study senior author and director of public health informatics at the Regenstrief Institute, joined Healthcare IT News to speak about the research and the role IT can play in informatics.

Talking points:
-Rates of congenital syphilis have been rising
-Previous studies have largely only used claims data
-The benefits of syphilis screening during pregnancy-Disparities in syphilis screening rates, and what might be behind them
-The potential effects of COVID-19 on screening rates
-How public health leaders could use information like this
-More ways health IT can be used to support public health objectives
-The next projects on deck at Regenstrief

More about this episode:

Regenstrief, IU launch public and population health program

Regenstrief launches initiative to disseminate SDOH data

How HIEs can enable public health reporting when EHRs fall short

Hospitals facing big hurdles to public health data reporting

CIOs plan big investments in EHR optimization and pop health IT

Patients in rural parts of the United States often face specific and numerous barriers to care, including financial hurdles, logistical concerns and trust in the healthcare system.

As the founder of Caravan Health and Chief Innovation Officer at Signify Health, Lynn Barr is deeply involved in rural health policy. She joins Healthcare IT News Senior Editor Kat Jercich to discuss her journey of working with health systems, what role population health programs and value-based payment can play in inequities, and what policy changes are necessary for safety-net providers.

Talking points:

-60 million people live in rural America
-What data measurement can reveal about quality 
-The divide in life expectancy between rural and urban Americans
-Population health programs and value-based payment addressing inequities
-The HITECH Act's effect on independent physicians
-Small numbers don't work for judging cost
-Leading indicators of success for population health
-Why regional benchmarks may not be useful for safety-net providers

More about this episode:

Rural hospitals face growing sustainability threats on multiple fronts, AHA says

Rural hospitals need more than telehealth to survive the pandemic

CMS announces a new value-based payment model for rural healthcare providers

HHS puts $48M toward rural public health IT, workforce expansion

The fee-for-service model of healthcare has been reexamined over the past few years, with alternative models increasingly gaining traction. Zak Holdsworth, CEO and co-founder of Hint Health, tells Healthcare Finance News Executive Editor Susan Morse he believes the status quo payment models are on their way out – and the question isn't "if," but "when."

Talking points:
-How Hint Health got started
-How the direct primary care model works
-The benefit for health systems
-What about specialty care?
-Employers are starting to explore new options 
-Should insurers be scared?
-The difference between this model and the ACO REACH model
-The future for Hint Health

More about this episode:

Employees want direct primary care from their employer plans

Flat-fee primary care model helping fill a niche in Texas, but it isn't insurance

Fueled by health law, 'Concierge Medicine' reaches new markets

Hint Health rolls out value-based primary care direct contracting network

How a direct primary care model provider benefits from an easy-to-use EHR

Physician Partners of America has agreed to pay $24.5 million for allegedly billing for unnecessary services, while the American Hospital Association says CMS’ proposed rule doesn’t increase payments enough.