18 May Health Data News Roundup: Payer SDOH Investments and COVID-19; Rise of Virtual EHRs; and Reliance Podcast About New Pandemic Use Cases

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

How Payer SDOH Investments Balance COVID-19 Relief Versus Recovery
Humana’s $50 million COVID-19 relief and recovery funding provides insight on the challenges of supporting community partners during the uncertainties of pandemic.

How Medicaid Managed Care Plans Address SDOH, Expand Care Access
Medicaid managed care plans are innovating telehealth solutions and telehealth coverage, addressing social determinants of health, and improving access to care and informed provider selection for patients, according to a new study.

How COVID-19 Triggered a Remote, Virtual EHR Implementation
The COVID-19 travel ban has created the opportunity for virtual EHR implementations for hospitals like Macon Community Hospital (MCH).

How Interoperability, Patient Data Exchange Can Mitigate COVID-19
Effective patient data exchange can help trigger an effective response to COVID-19, according to a manuscript written by medical professionals in the Journal of Informatics in Health and Biomedicine.

CMS Releases Final 2021 Payment Notice, Extends QHP Timeline
CMS has released the final 2021 payment notice along with news that it will extend the qualified health plan timeline by one week to account for coronavirus uncertainties in premium rate setting.

Payers Offer Premium Credits for Cash-Strapped Members, Employers
Surplus funds that would normally go toward nonessential health services will instead be used to extend premium credits and waive cost-sharing for hard-hit populations, Priority Health announced.

3 Ways Providers Use EHRs to Treat COVID-19 Patients
The EHR telehealth boom due to COVID-19 has been a gamechanger for clinicians and patients alike, according to this recent EHR intelligence article.

PODCAST: Reliance eHealth Collaborative Leverages IMAT for COVID-19 Response
In the this new IMAT podcast interview, Erick Maddox, Executive Director, Reliance eHealth Collaborative; and Scott Tse, Healthcare Data Analyst at Reliance eHealth Collaborative, discuss how they are using the IMAT platform to develop and implement a wide-range of use cases for enhancing its stakeholders’ COVID-19 response.