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The use of digital devices has surged significantly as people spend more time at home, with Americans logging an average of 13 hours per day watching screens. That compares to between seven and 10 hours per day before the COVID-19 pandemic started, with the increase in screen time likely contributing to more exposure to blue light.

Cost pressures may increase as the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund runs low, but the reliance on telehealth that the pandemic wrought is likely to continue, especially for mental health services.

Briana Contreras, editor of Managed healthcare Executive, spoke with Dr. Ian Tong, chief medical officer of Included Health in today’s episode. The two discussed telehealth use vs. in person care, and more specifically, the racial and ethnic differences in this use of care. They concluded the conversation with how telehealth use has continued to expose more benefits for all patients and for the industry through examples like improvements in reimbursement policies and in addressing health equity issues.

Smaller doses are recommended for people with moderate renal impairment and the treatment should not be taken by people with serious kidney disease. There are also drug interactions to be aware of because Paxlovid is an inhibitor of CYP3A.

As the need for rapid tests increase, the nation's largest non-profit patient safety organization evaluated seven COVID-19 rapid tests and found serious gaps in their usability. Results shared that none of the tests were rated as excellent and some had noteworthy usability concerns.

In this interview, Briana Contreras, associate editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, spoke with Shara Cohen, CEO of Carallel, an organization built to support caregivers. Cohen not only spoke about who caregivers are and the vital role they play in healthcare, but the challenges they face. She also discussed ways health plans can do better to meet the needs of today’s caregivers.

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