HIMSSCast

NurX CEO Varsha Rao joins host Jonah Comstock and MobiHealthNews Managing Editor Laura Lovett to discuss her telehealth company's journey from a laser focus on contraception to a broader play for women's (and men's) health that includes dermatology and migraines. Along the way, we also discuss broader trends in telehealth, challenges of femtech, and NurX's foray into COVID-19 t...

We know that telehealth can be a tremendous opportunity to expand healthcare access for people who might face barriers to medical services. But it also may be replicating the digital divide. In a recent study, researchers examined data from nearly 150,000 unique patients who scheduled telemedicine visits from March 16 to May 11, 2020. They investigated who completed those visits, and how.  Two of...

Medical groups urge racial data collection efforts for COVID-19 vaccinations; Apple and the University of Michigan share first results from hearing study. Also: Merck and Johnson & Johnson partner with the federal government to ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Links to the stories: Medical groups urge racial data collection efforts for COVID-19 vaccinations Apple, University of Michigan share fi...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse: Operating margins and other hospital metrics are struggling to recover from a winter COVID-19 surge; HHS pick Becerra praises telehealth. Plus: Google launches CareStudio to tackle EHR navigation issues. Links to the stories: U.S. hospitals and health systems face a long road to recovery HHS Secretary nominee Xavier Becerra signals support for virtual...

HIMSSCast host Jonah Comstock welcomes Sheldon Fields, RN, PhD, a researcher, health policy analyst, educator and advocate. He serves as Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion at Penn State, First Vice President at the National Black Nurses Association, and founder and CEO of his own consulting firm, the SDF Group. On today's episode, they talk about some of the current health equity challen...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse: Online platform ClassPass unveils a new COVID-19 vaccine locator, while New Jersey struggles with its Microsoft-powered vaccine registration portal. Plus: Insurers are feeling the financial effects of the pandemic. Links to the stories: ClassPass adds COVID-19 vaccine search feature to its platform New Jersey blames Microsoft for weeks of vaccine roll...

With a small population distributed over a large geographical area, North Dakota doesn't lend itself to the easiest vaccine rollout. But the state has a secret weapon: a robust database called the North Dakota Immunization Information System (NDIIS). NDIIS manager Mary Woinarowicz joins host Jonah Comstock to talk about the early days of the COVID rollout, and how having a robust data managem...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse:  Best practices for weathering the COVID-19 pandemic are emerging among hospital CEOs, while reimbursement restrictions for telehealth have been removed at a rapid pace. Plus: Fitbit introduces blood glucose monitoring. Links to the stories: The top 10 things CEOs got right during the pandemic Report shows 'vast improvement' in state telehea...

Matthew Zachary — cancer survivor, patient advocate, influencer, pianist, and podcast DJ — joins host Jonah Comstock to tell his story and break down his patient's-eye view of the healthcare system and what needs to change for it to serve its consumers better. In a wide-ranging conversation with Matthew's irreverent style, they address topics like patient experience, financial incentives...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse: Google Cloud joins the national COVID-19 vaccination effort with a new tool, while the feds plan on additional doses. Plus: A security breach at a New York health system. Links to the stories: Google Cloud launches vaccine distribution tool for local governments One million COVID-19 vaccine doses are going to 6,500 pharmacies EHR snooping at Montefior...

Omada CEO Sean Duffy and Chris Hogg, former COO at Propeller Health, join host Jonah Comstock to talk about virtual care, remote chronic condition management, and just what healthcare will look like into the next decade. Talking points: What is virtual care? Virtual care in a post-COVID telehealth landscape Adoption curves: virtual visits vs virtual care Multi-modal provider-patient communication...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse: the House of Representatives seeks to safeguard telehealth access beyond the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; DarioHealth acquires Upright Technologies. Plus: the AHA pushes back on a new CMS rule. Links to the stories: U.S. lawmakers reintroduce House bill safeguarding access to telehealth DarioHealth buys into MSK with Upright Technologies acquisition...

Right now, COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the United States is facing supply chain and volume problems. But there's another, thornier challenge lurking beneath the surface once those challenges are addressed: a significant portion of Americans who may choose not to get the vaccine. In today's episode, host Jonah Comstock welcomes Shawna Butler, host of the See You Now podcast, and Melo...

On today's HIMSSCast, host Jonah Comstock and Healthcare IT News Senior Editor Kat Jercich welcome eMocha CEO Sebastian Seiguer to look ahead at the Biden administration and discuss what needs to happen next for telehealth. In particular, we look at vaccine distribution as a medication adherence problem, the important role of finance reform, and much more. This podcast is brought to you by Ka...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse, Joe Biden begins his presidency with an aggressive healthcare agenda, including new appointments and nominations for HHS and CMS positions. Plus: YouTube will push for higher quality medical content on its platform. Links to the stories: President Joe Biden's pan to control the COVID-19 pandemic on day one Micky Tripathi named by Biden Administra...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse, Flo Health lands in hot water with the FTC for allegedly deceitful practices; Feds are no longer holding back on vaccine doses. Plus: a new coalition looking to improve the vaccine rollout infrastructure. Links to the stories: Fertility app Flo Health settles with FTC over sensitive data sharing complaint Federal government tells states not to hold va...

The Orsini Way has been helping train doctors on handling patient relationships for a number of years, and New Jersey's Englewood Health has been a long-time user of the innovative teaching method. But last year, as doctor-patient interactions overwhelmingly went online, already difficult patient-doctor interactions became even more fraught. In today's episode, host Jonah Comstock welcom...

In today's Top Stories: Optum and Change are joining forces to create a new healthcare powerhouse; Haven pulls the plug after a three-year run. Plus: How patient engagement tools can help with the vaccine rollout. Links to the stories: Optum to acquire Change Healthcare Amazon, Berkshire, JPMorgan's employee health joint venture is officially winding down Patient engagement tools can spe...

HIMSSCast is back from a short holiday hiatus with our first annual predictions podcast. In this episode, host Jonah Comstock, Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard, Healthcare Finance News Managing Editor Susan Morse, and MobiHealthNews Managing Editor Laura Lovett engage in a round table discussion of trends and predictions for each of their respective coverage areas. Notes: This epis...

Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard speaks with Matthew Fisher, a Partner at Mirick O'Connell and a specialist in healthcare law, about the new proposed HIPAA rule changes. They discuss the content of the rules, what effect they're likely to have, and the timing of the rules as the Presidential administration changes over. This will be the last episode of the year. We'l...

In today's Top Stories with Jeff Lagasse: Hackers use the SolarWinds platform to target the National Institutes of Health in a large data breach; Vaccine preparedness gets a boost from the federal government. Plus: Apple is rolling out a new low VO2 Max feature on its Apple Watch wearable. Links to this week's stories: NIH among agencies targeted by Russian 'Cozy Bear' hackers,...

Telehealth is here to stay and it's dramatically changing the healthcare landscape. But there is no telehealth, no virtual visits, and no remote patient monitoring without reliable, secure connectivity — and that's not something that can be taken for granted. In this episode, created in collaboration with sponsor Kajeet , host Jonah Comstock talks to Kajeet Director of Strategy Dominic M...

In today's Top Stories: With a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, cybersecurity concerns have emerged; Despite this, the rollout is already underway in the U.K. Plus: Google launches a new app for clinical trial research. Links to the stories: Vaccine distribution pipeline faces serious cybersecurity risks Thousands in the United Kingdom are the first to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Google&a...

Host Jonah Comstock welcomes John Sharp to the show on the occasion of his retirement from HIMSS. Until recently the director of thought advisory at HIMSS, John has worn many hats in his career and become one of the most well-known, respected, and beloved voices in the digital health community. We talked about that community, John's career, and all the ways the space has changed and developed...

On today's HIMSSCast, host Jonah Comstock sits down with Gabe Gumbs, head of product strategy and innovation at Spirion about his experiences with, and views on, data security and privacy. Gabe and Jonah talk about the difference between privacy and security, when to focus more on one or the other, the advantages healthcare has in this realm, and the challenges it is still facing. Click here...