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In recent decades, many companies have adopted the maxim, “Do what you do best, and outsource the rest.” From the ability to focus on the core of their business to gaining outside expertise to boosting their quality of service, there are many reasons outsourcing may be appealing to an organization.

Hiring an interim executive has long been thought of as a band-aid solution on the heels of an unexpected resignation or a way to give a potential new leader a trial run before committing. But with more businesses and health organizations taking on flexible staffing approaches combined with the ups and downs of the economy over the past 15 years, companies have realized the financial and strategic benefits of engaging an interim executive rather than seeking to make an immediate permanent hire.

As we continue to navigate the unknowns of the current pandemic, it appears we're still a long way off from living in a true post-COVID-19 era. Until then, improved health outcomes can still be realized through effective population health strategies, providing adequate financial resources that are available and encompassing all the determinants of health in communities, including social, behavioral and environmental factors.

Specifically, continuous glucose monitoring has shown incredible promise in the fight against COVID-19 at Rush University Medical Center. At Rush, 34 patients who used glucose telemetry resulted in saving nearly 1,400 sets of personal protective equipment and about 43 nursing workdays by reducing the need for nursing staff to enter patient rooms for fingerstick glucose testing.

The American Medical Association recently applauded California Governor Gavin Newsom and the sponsors of the state’s new mental health reform law, Senate Bill 855, which will require all health insurers and behavioral health management organizations to rely on evidence-based treatment guidelines developed by physicians and health care professionals—and not financial considerations.

The rapidly evolving landscape of extended reality technologies has presented us with unique tools to enhance our virtual interactions and come closer to the therapeutic experience that is so important to successful delivery of effective and high-quality remote care.

This episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite welcomes our first of many episodes part of the new “Meet the Board” podcast series. Listeners will now hear from a member of Managed Healthcare Executive's Editorial Advisory Board once a month at the end of each month. The first guest featured is Physician and former Executive VP of the American Cancer Society, Otis Brawley. Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers compare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease in a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan sponsored by CareMore to patients in traditional Medicare, explains Amol Navathe, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, in this first of two part video series.

COVID-19 is certainly important. But oncologists, people with cancer, and complex ecosystem of cancer care in the U.S. are grappling with other important issues such as reimbursement, distorted incentives, the implications of the massive amount of data that is available, and, of course, high costs and prices. Included are thoughts from five experts on these challenges and how they might be met.

Health systems are struggling as a result of the reduced activity of elective procedures, the loss of health coverage for many employees, and the resultant drop in billings. According to this article, there are seven approaches recommended for immediate consideration to increase revenues and stanch losses.