REACH - THOUGHT LEADERSHIP NEWSLETTER Archives

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Edu. Background: Notre Dame of Maryland University, School of Pharmacy.

Occupation: Clinical Pharmacist at Franklin Square Hospital.

The Best Part of the Job: The best part of my job is helping patients feel better, get well, preventing medication errors, reducing costs and improving medication adherence.

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: Technology is the future and in the pharmacy has made the profession much more advanced. Technology allows pharmacists to monitor and track the patient adherence. I’m interested to learn more about technology in telehealth to better care for my patients. I would like to bring my unique perspective as a pharmacist and collaborate with other healthcare providers in the world to enhance patient care.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Yoga and cooking.

Future Plans: At my hospital, we are going to pilot remote work soon, which I am very excited about. I’m optimistic about how technology will play an important role in healthcare by making care easier to access for patients.

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Edu. Background: Notre Dame of Maryland University, School of Pharmacy.

Occupation: Clinical Pharmacist at Franklin Square Hospital.

The Best Part of the Job: The best part of my job is helping patients feel better, get well, preventing medication errors, reducing costs and improving medication adherence.

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: Technology is the future and in the pharmacy has made the profession much more advanced. Technology allows pharmacists to monitor and track the patient adherence. I’m interested to learn more about technology in telehealth to better care for my patients. I would like to bring my unique perspective as a pharmacist and collaborate with other healthcare providers in the world to enhance patient care.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Yoga and cooking.

Future Plans: At my hospital, we are going to pilot remote work soon, which I am very excited about. I’m optimistic about how technology will play an important role in healthcare by making care easier to access for patients.

                   Public Policy and Smart Health 

             Solutions to Improve Maternal Health

Maternal mortality is truly a local-to-global issue and deserves action at every level. It is one of the topics that HIMSS Global Health Equity Network (GHEN) has prioritized. Health equity is essential to the state, local, and congressional public policy discussion because African American and Alaskan Native/indigenous American women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. 

Digital health solutions, improvements in maternal health reporting and data collection, and increased telehealth and remote patient monitoring can improve maternal health outcomes. Our August 10th session explored various barriers and challenges to that, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a guest speaker, Fran uncovered strategies using health information and technology to improve the timeliness of maternal mortality reporting (vital statistics) and interventions using telehealth and remote patient monitoring.

PREVIEW: Physician and medical trainee burnout and mental illness are at epidemic levels and was already the case even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the rates of burnout, depression, substance abuse, and other disorders have soared. The pandemic has publicly revealed many preventable operational inefficiencies and environmental stressors under which Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) are expected to perform. In the service of others, the needs of HCPs are often overlooked, and an adequate support system is lacking.

Unaddressed, the environmental determinants of clinical performance and well-being leads to an alarming rate of providers leaving their field, and many others are left suffering from untreated mental health issues. 

We look at the burden of living with a particular illness and connect this with the person’s lived reality of the disease. This helps us understand how to improve the patient experience, communications, and services. In contrast, research about HCPs can often come with the unspoken assumption that personal issues are off-limits. 

Ipsos and Reach believe that it’s essential to deploy an HCP-centric approach that looks at the pressures of workplace culture, personal experiences, the highs and lows, adrenaline, and stress, all of which impact clinical decision making. This snapshot will hopefully help shine a light on the process and the mechanisms by which brands and services can provide support. 

Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. Unlike traditional user interfaces, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds. By simulating as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell, the computer is transformed into a gatekeeper to this artificial world. The only limits to near-real VR experiences are the availability of content and cheap computing power.

Virtual Reality’s most immediately-recognizable component is the head-mounted display (HMD). Human beings are visual creatures, and display technology is often the single biggest difference between immersive Virtual Reality systems and traditional user interfaces. For instance, CAVE automatic virtual environments actively display virtual content onto room-sized screens. While they are fun for people in universities and big labs, consumer and industrial wearables are the wild west.

With a multiplicity of emerging hardware and software options, the future of wearables is unfolding but yet unknown. Concepts such as the HTC Vive Pro Eye, Oculus Quest and Playstation VR are leading the way, but there are also players like Google, Apple, Samsung, Lenovo and others who may surprise the industry with new levels of immersion and usability. Whomever comes out ahead, the simplicity of buying a helmet-sized device that can work in a living-room, office, or factory floor has made HMDs center stage when it comes to Virtual Reality technologies.

Edu. Background: MD with board certifications in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine.

Occupation: Physician; Chief Executive; Servant Leader.

The Best Part of the Job: Having the privilege to help people and communities to better value health. 

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: I enjoy and live in the intersection of Medicine, Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Transformation. Reach has visions and values that align with my own.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Reading, nonfiction writing, Sherlockian scholarship, traveling.

Future Plans: Continue to be a student. Write more. Scale to create better value health for more communities. 

What is "Health Equity"?

"Health equity” or “equity in health” implies that ideally everyone should have a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential and that no one should be disadvantaged from achieving this potential Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequities, and face worse health outcomes than those who are able to access certain resources. It is not equity to simply provide every individual with the same resources; that would be equality.

Our Approach

We engage with Reach KOL faculty (n=10) who can provide clarity around the key components of Health Equity. Reach Faculty were able to give their insight on the factors that affect health equity and how we can advance health equity in the world today via institutions and individual physicians. Reach Faculty were also able to identify the most affected populations of Health Inequity and whether patients have a role in advancing health equity by looking at the value of self-care. In addition, Faculty also assessed the role of technology in advancing health equity.

Read the entire Health Equity Survey at Survey 3: Health Equity.

Call to Action: Urge your Senators to Cosponsor S. 801!

We have a very real maternal mortality crisis in this country. Mothers and their babies deserve better.

The United States has the worst maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and the problem is only getting worse. Each year over 700 women die due to pregnancy related complications, and countless others face serious injury and illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 60% of these deaths could be prevented. We need your help to tell congress the time to act is now!

Studies have time and again shown the clinical benefits of technology in supporting pregnant women and their maternal health care teams to prevent such tragedies. The use of digital health tools for pregnant and postpartum women, especially those living in underserved or rural communities, can help maximize the health outcomes of mothers and their children. We need policies that support and fully embrace the role of digital health in maternal health care and realize the potential it has to improve care and save lives. 

The bipartisan Connected MOM Act (S. 801) would do just that, by promoting the adoption of remote monitoring devices to check for irregularities in blood pressure, blood glucose, and pulse rates, which are often indicators of potential pregnancy complications. 

Urge your Senators to cosponsor this critical piece legislation and tell Congress to pass the Connected MOM Act!

Have you organization support the national campaign!

Click here: Help Improve Maternal Health Outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an array of new public health issues. However, the pandemic had only intensified national crises that existed long before the virus came into public consciousness. There's no area where this is more apparent than the pandemic's effect on homelessness. 

Experts believe that homelessness has become more prevalent since the pandemic, in part because 22.2 million people were laid off or furloughed in March and April 2020. However, there isn't yet any official data on the pandemic's direct impact on homelessness. 

Reach Radio has launched another ‘social determinants of health’ series, this time examining the implications of homelessness. We spoke with homelessness advocates from all over the globe and discussed topics ranging from adequate housing, social programs, and the alarming rise of homeless youths. 

Listen to the full episode here: https://reachtl.org/reach-radio?blogcategory=June+Series+2021 

Edu. Background: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Occupation: Internal Medicine Physician, Lifestyle Specialist, and Director of Population Health at One Medical.

The Best Part of the Job: Helping people realize their power to control their own health using simple lifestyle modifications that can lead to optimal wellness.

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: We have the same mission of elevating patient care.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Spending time with family and friends.

In recent years, substantial research has been conducted on gender and health, specifically the implications of gender disparities regarding general care. Gender directly impacts how healthcare policies are envisioned and implemented, how treatment is provided for male and female patients, and how issues regarding mental well-being are framed and discussed. Unfortunately, research shows that gender bias in healthcare is still marginalizing women and girls across the globe.

That is why Reach Radio has launched a new series examining the social determinants of health regarding care for women and girls. We spoke with four women's rights advocates from all over the globe on how they aid women everywhere, discussing topics ranging from single motherhood, inequality, future female leaders, and women of color in male-dominated studies.

Listen to the full series here: https://reachtl.org/march-series-2021

After a long-fought battle, we are proud to announce the availability of low-cost clinically validated blood pressure monitors through our partner A&D. We have officially set up the distributor channel on our website, savemoms.us.

We’re also now able to enroll expectant mothers in the Maternal Mortality Prevention Rpm Demonstration Project.Through this project, we can provide remote patient monitoring and free accredited Online Continuing Education courses on telehealth for maternal health care professionals. 

We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without new sponsors coming on board such as the American Heart Association, American Medical Association, American Telemedicine Association, Visual Health Solutions, MedRet Healthcare Academy, the University of South Carolina, and Samsung.

In the U.S., nearly 70,000 women are injured or die each year due to pregnancy related complications. Studies show the clinical benefits of technology in preventing such tragedies. MATCH advocates for policies that enable the safe and equitable adoption of digital health solutions for maternal health and wellbeing.

During this 90-minute program on March 17th, we heard thought leaders discuss advancements in policies and regulations to support the health and wellbeing of pregnant women. At the end of the program, our faculty was able to: 

- List key legislation priorities and considerations for advancing maternal health related policies

- Describe the role of digital health technology in maternal health

- Recall the perspectives and experiences of patients and their support communities

- Identify best practices and lessons learned from leading institutions’ adoption of digital health technology for the maternal healthcare management. 

Through the Save Moms campaign, Reach will be taking similar stance on the state level. Reach is collaborating with HIMSS on a state briefing for leveraging health information and technology to address the current policy research and technology adoption for the purposes of securing the health and safety of women during the prenatal and postpartum periods. This meeting will also seek to raise awareness about the National Save Moms Campaign and the National Remote Maternal Health Monitoring Demonstration Project, which supports the efforts of those states that are willing to adopt digital health technology to improve maternal health and wellness.

Edu. Background: Master's Degree in Applied Sciences at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Occupation: MCH Program Coordinator at the Center for Black Women's Wellness, Inc.

The Best Part of the Job: Being able to help transform the healthcare landscape to advocate for the needs of everyone, but especially disenfranchised communities.

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: Reach and I have the same mission of manifesting social care integration into reality by addressing community level factors.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Listening to music and relaxing.

Future Plans: To become a program director that creates an equitable learning healthcare system for all.

This month, we launched a new series called “Reach Live!”. Reach Live is a once a month, one-on-one conversation between our Rock Star Host, Reena Sangar, and Reach Facility, Associates, and other medical professionals. These are short, yet in depth, discussions on hot topics in healthcare.

Our first webocast was with Dr. Setu Vora, discussing data science in caring for the needs of tribal communities. Vora gave great insight into how provider organizations are counting on technology’s ability to address health equity around the world. 

We have been working the Save Moms campaign into Phase II by introducing the Visual Health Solutions videograms and the Momnibus initiative to our social media. Here's the link to some of our new content: https://twitter.com/i/status/1361305690736836610. 

We are still coordinating meetings with AT&T on boosting our social media channels through getting their employees to share our media kits, and we are still collaborating with Every Mother Counts and Shades of Blue on Save Moms campaign ideas.

In the meantime, we are urging Reach faculty to continue supporting the Save Moms campaign by following, commenting, and engaging with our social media. The growth (especially on Instagram) has been great, but your support goes a long way. 

Digital Doctor 2021: Pre- and Post- COVID-19 comparison

14 country global survey among 1,450 Primary care physicians, looking at the changes in behaviour & attitudes compared to pre-COVID-19, answering the following questions:

• Which digital channels are Doctors engaging with, and where should future investments be focused?
• How many Doctors are actively using telehealth solutions and/or recommending digital solutions to patients?
• Do Doctors have an understanding of digital therapeutics (DTx) and are they willing to prescribe them?
• What outcomes are expected of digital & connected health?

Countries included:

Europe: UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey

North America: USA

APAC: China, South Korea, India, Japan, Australia

Edu. Background: My medical school was in University of Ghana my residency training included Johns Hopkins Hospital, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Toronto general Hospital to name a few.

Occupation: Cardiac surgeon

The Best Part of the Job: Being able to help patients address their cardiovascular health leveraging new technology without open heart surgery.

Why You Chose to Work with Reach: Organization committed to using its platform to address health care equity with a focus on addressing health disparities particularly in underserved communities.

Hobbies Outside of Work: Listening to music, tennis, international travel with family (curtailed by COVID19 pandemic).

Future Plans: Editing a textbook on global cardiovascular surgery with a focus on capacity building in emerging countries and also establishing an innovative cardiovascular research hub in Ghana that leverages North/South collaboration with the Boston Ecosystem.