COVID-19 has wrecked havoc on health care at all levels, from the bedside to the supply room. It has adversely affected patients and clinicians alike and stretched resources to the breaking point. Yet, lessons from the pandemic are emerging, and this two-part series examines in-depth what clinicians and health care organizations can take away from this crisis.

Guest speaker:

Moderator:

Show Notes:

Resources:

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Welcome to Modern Practice. This episode will focus on the effect of the COVID-19 crisis on pharmacy practice, which has magnified challenges already existing and caused new ones. We’ll look at lessons learned and consider strategies for the future.

Guest speaker:

Steven Lucio, PharmD

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Show Notes:

[01:08] Main pharmacy areas of focus

[02:43] Working together

[03:08] Repurposing legacy drugs

[04:44] Continuing to deal with drug shortages

[07:01] Changed FDA regulations

[08:54] Virtual care

[09:55] The new norm

[11:10] Dealing with a secondary surge

[12:56] What to do right now

Links | Resources:

Essential medications and managing drug shortages: Click here

Vizient’s disaster-preparedness site: Click here

Pharmacy Readiness for COVID-19: Click here

6 federal pharmacy policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Click here

Pharmacy Technicians Rise to Meet Patient Needs During Coronavirus Pandemic: Click here

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This episode features the voices of patients and family members who share their feelings about safely resuming elective procedures. We’ll examine the role those attitudes play in the strategy of health care organizations to ramp up surgeries in the COVID-19 era.

Guest speakers:

Kellie Goodson, MS, CPXP

Director, Programs

Vizient

Mark Larson, MBA

Vice President

Sg2

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Associate Vice President

Clinical Resources

Vizient

Special thanks to these patient and family participants (and their organizations):

• Katherine Nyholm – Beth Israel Deaconess

Show Notes:

[00:00] Patients voice their concerns

[02:40] PFAC definition and role

[04:50] Care strategies with patients in mind

[07:12] Survey: what patients are saying about elective surgeries

[08:08] More patient comments

[12:20] Four waves

[14:50] Personas

[17:40] Importance of engaging patient and family advisors when reopening services

[21:42] More patient comments

[24:01] Physician communication with patients

Links | Resources:

Connecting with patients during COVID-19: Click here

Key talking points from patient and family advisor webinar (May 1, 2020): Click here

Restarting elective surgery in the COVID-19 era (Dr. Joe Geskey, Medical Economics): Click here

Vizient’s Guidance for Resumption and Management of Electively Scheduled Surgery and Procedures in the COVID-19 Era (White Paper): Click here

Patient and family engagement at UCLA (PowerPoint): Click here

Vanderbilt Patient and Family Involvement: Click here

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During this pandemic, we’ve have had to suspend almost all elective procedures. This has negatively impacted patients needing or desiring those procedures, organizations depending on those procedures for revenue and clinical staff who have suffered pay cuts due to fewer work hours available.

On this episode, we’ll discuss steps and considerations organizations should make to resume elective procedures effectively and safely.

Guest speaker:

Jay B. Prystowsky, MD, MHPE, MBA

Principal, Solution Architecture

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Associate Vice President

Clinical Resources

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:53] Vizient/Sg2 approach to resuming elective procedures

[03:50] Strong and expanded governance

[09:21] Testing, surveillance and screening

[14:55] Clinical prioritization

[17:36] The perioperative process

Links | Resources:

Vizient/Sg2 Guidance for Resumption and Management of Electively Scheduled Surgery and Procedures in the COVID-19 Era (White Paper): Click here

Restarting elective surgery in the COVID-19 era (Dr. Joe Geskey, Medical Economics): Click here

Ten Considerations for Resuming Elective Surgery: Click here

State Guidance on Elective Surgeries: Click here

Vizient’s clinical workforce well-being playbook: Click here

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As health care organizations adjust to the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new normal it represents, they are beginning to consider resuming elective surgeries. Winning back patient confidence is a key to this process. This episode focuses on engaging patients when resuming electively scheduled surgeries and procedures.

Guest speaker:

Joseph Geskey, DO, MBA, MS-PopH

Principal

Data Science and Member Insights

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Associate Vice President

Clinical Resources

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:03] Looking at resuming elective procedures

[02:28] Importance of gaining or re-gaining patient trust

[03:43] Resuming elective procedures effectively and safely

[06:22] Communicating the limitations of testing and surveillance

[09:47] Techniques for effective communication with patients

[11:25] Shared decision-making (SDM)

[09:42] Factors to consider when communicating with patients and families

[17:32] Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs)

Links | Resources:

Vizient’s Guidance for Resumption and Management of Electively Scheduled Surgery and Procedures in the COVID-19 Era (White Paper): Click here

Restarting elective surgery in the COVID-19 era (Dr. Joe Geskey, Medical Economics): Click here

Ten Considerations for Resuming Elective Surgery: Click here

State Guidance on Elective Surgeries: Click here

Vizient’s clinical workforce well-being playbook: Click here

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Returning to normal in the era of COVID-19 may not be possible. Instead, we are likely heading toward a new normal, the disease having taken a huge toll on our lives and forcing a changed approach to health care. For caregivers, the toll has been devastating. Some clinicians have faced an overwhelming surge of coronavirus patients while others a dropping census and corresponding drop of hours and pay. Reports of caregiver PTSD are on the rise, and this episode will cover ways health care leaders can support their caregivers in this challenging time.

Guest speaker:

Moderator:

Show Notes:

[02:00] Impact of COVID-19 on clinician workforce

[03:37] How leadership matters

[05:15] Four keys to establish a favorable environment

[07:30] Effects of quality of leadership

[08:48] Vizient’s clinical workforce wellbeing playbook

[10:53] What clinical staff members need most right now

[12:27] “Compassionate leadership”

[16:33] Investing in the engagement, resilience and retention of clinicians

Links | Resources:

Caring for our caregivers during COVID-19: Click here

Outbreaks can be stressful: Click here

Vizient’s clinical workforce well-being playbook: Click here

Addressing staff resilience and PTSD during COVID-19 (PowerPoint—including presentation from Steve Swenson of Mayo Clinic): Click here

Vizient’s disaster preparedness page: Click here

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Discharging patients that have had a known or suspected COVID-19 infection has become a crucial undertaking for hospitals straining for resources during this crisis. This episode will provide guidelines for patient discharge, including symptoms to look for, testing procedures, precautions and patient mental acuity.

Guest speaker:

Moderator:

Show Notes:

[01:12] CDC and AHA guidelines on discharges

[01:47] Test-based approaches

[03:21] Non-test-based strategies

[05:25] Transmission-based precautions

[07:20] Discharge planning

[09:19] CMS waivers for transfers

[11:45] When a patient no longer requires transmission-based precautions

[12:30] Cooperation to deal with surges

[13:15] Three-midnight rule and the 30-day discharge waiver

Links | Resources:

Vizient COVID-19 Resource Page: Click here

CDC Guidelines on Discharging Hospitalized Patients: Click here

Post-Acute Care for Vulnerable Populations with COVID-19: Click here

Hospitals: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19: Click here

Accepting Admissions from Hospitals during COVID-19 Pandemic: Click here

Patients from Nursing Homes Are Stuck in Hospitals After Contracting COVID-19: Click here

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COVID-19 has shattered restrictions on Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), resulting in expanded scope of practice in states across the country. On this episode, two leading experts return with an update on the sweeping changes occurring in just the last couple of weeks, including expanded waivers and increasing scope of practice.

Guest speakers:

Susan Cymbor, MD

Moderator:

Show Notes:

[01:30] Changes to expanding the scope of practice

[03:56] Changes with processes regarding locum tenens

[04:43] What organizations can do in changing scope of practice

[06:25] New waivers and effect on MIPS reporting and telehealth

[08:07] How long will these scope-of-practice changes be in effect?

[09:42] New flexibility regarding beds and patient placement

[11:02] Waivers regarding patient discharge

[12:25] Two types of waivers

[13:06] Challenge of getting out of emergency operation plans in future

Links | Resources

Vizient’s disaster preparedness page: Click here

AANP: COVID-19 State Emergency Response: Temporarily Suspended and Waived Practice Agreement: Click here

CMS Waives Certain Requirements to Expand Healthcare Workforce, Put Patients over Paperwork: Click here

Trump Administration Makes Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge: Click here

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The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the financial and operational aspects of care delivery. Looking ahead, health care organizations will face even more changes.

Join Dr. Tom Villanueva as he leads a discussion with two leading experts on strategies to prepare for the next stages of the crisis and even for the aftermath. They will look at maximizing capacity, the impact of payer mix operationally, patient issues and restarting the business side of care.

Guest speakers:

Brian Esser, MBA

Associate Principal

Intelligence

Vizient

Ryota Terada

Director

Intelligence

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Associate Vice President

Clinical Resources

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:42] Financial impact health care organizations are experiencing

[02:49] Getting back to normal

[05:13] Patient attitudes/preferences as a factor in capacity

[05:53] Need for discussions among hospital leaders before restoring capacity

[08:32] Areas for testing before procedures undertaken

[09:47] Payer mix

[11:46] Communicating that safe care is available; building trust

[13:18] Virtual care

[16:00] Role/re-emergence of the independent practitioner

Links | Resources

Vizient COVID-19 Resource Page: Click here

University of Wisconsin: Financial and Operational Impacts: Click here

The COVID-19 impact on the revenue cycle for hospitals and other healthcare providers: Click here

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To support providers during the COVID-19 crisis, Congress has passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion stimulus package designed to provide funds for health care organizations across the country.

Join Dr. Tom Villanueva as he discusses this law with a colleague from Sg2, who will describe how organizations can access the funds provided through the CARES Act.

Guest speaker:

James Reilly

Senior Principal

Sg2 

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Associate Vice President

Clinical Resources

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:10] What the federal government has made available to health care organizations

[05:34] Accessing funds

[07:39] Eligibility for funding

[09:23] Special considerations for public hospitals

[11:00] Considerations for severe-outbreak areas

[11:49] Expenses covered and not covered

Links | Resources

Sg2 crisis page: Click here

Fact Sheet: Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program: Click here

A Look at the $100 Billion for Hospitals in the CARES Act: Click here

CARES Act: Provisions to Help Rural Hospitals: Click here

CARES Act fund to reimburse providers for uninsured patients: Click here

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