COVID-19 – TelemedGuide.com

01 Sep

Vaccines for COVID-19: Public Health VS Personal Liberty

Editor's Choice, PoliticsCOVID-19, Pandemic, Public Health

Just when it seemed as if the public health issues regarding schools were becoming clearer, the equation changed because of the emergence and predominance of the delta variant. The variant’s increased spread makes the need for more precautions at schools even more important than before, especially now that there is more in-person learning. The solution isn’t state mandates or threats — it is local policy, compliance and wisdom. Pre-delta, multiple studies showed that children were far more likely to spread COVID-19 outside of schools than in school, that mitigating measures (masks, distancing, ventilation) along with regular testing were factors in…

30 Aug

Masks are now Optional for Bay County Employees

Lifestyle, PoliticsCOVID-19, Mask Mandates, Schools

I am sure, by now, you’ve heard that the School Board recently voted to make masks optional for employees. The conversation with the board was NEVER about masking for students, the Governor’s Executive Order prohibits mask mandates for students, but we did start the school year with a two-week mask requirement for employees at my direction. Masks continue to be optional for students and are now optional for all employees. Early in the summer, we were hoping that this school year would give us an opportunity to return to some of our “normal” operating procedures, but as the Delta variant…

06 Aug

Tackling the Pandemic: Providers, Payers & Pharma Come Together

PharmaCOVID-19, HIMSS21, Pfizer

Nothing brings healthcare stakeholders together like a pandemic – from a speedy vaccine rollout to setting up telehealth platforms within weeks, providers, payers and the pharmaceutical industry had to work together to weather the changes brought on by COVID-19. So what’s next for these healthcare industry partnerships when the pandemic is over? In the HIMSS21 Digital panel, What's Next: Payer-Provider-Pharma Relationships in a Post-Pandemic Landscape, Dr. Shantanu Nundy, chief medical officer at Accolade, and Saira Haque, senior director for clinical informatics at Pfizer, discuss how the pandemic has changed partnerships and what the industry can learn from the past year. VACCINE ROLLOUT Nundy…

04 Aug

Specialty Prescribing Habits Affected by COVID-19

Editor's Choice, PharmaCOVID-19, Pharma, Pharmacy, Prescribing

The remote and virtual way of treating patients is becoming the new norm. Specialty providers have to adapt to provide the most streamlined solutions. COVID-19 has impacted many industries including health care. These impacts were seen in specialty and HUB operations early on, but it has become increasingly apparent that COVID-19’s effects are long-lasting. Patient service providers and specialty pharmacies are facing challenges to facilitate prescribing of specialty medications, knowing that prescribers are looking for new and easy ways to refer their patients for products and services. In the early phase of the pandemic, a drop in referral volume was…