This Week in the C-Suite

It was all about coping with COVID-19 this week. 

WFH policies were drawn up, polished up, and implemented. IT departments were put on ready to deal with the WFH connectivity woes.

Flights and hotel reservations were canceled as in-person meetings were canceled or postponed.

The medical meetings were among the first to go. AACR, AAD, ACC-all COVID-19ed.

ASCO didn’t make it official, but it is hinting at a virtual version of its annual megameeting in Chicago, currently scheduled for May 29-June 2. “We are planning alternate scenarios that would enable us to deliver the latest cancer science and research to the global community in virtual format if needed,” said the website today.

It will be interesting to see whether these online version of the medical meeting work or fizzle. Meetings and social distancing-that might not be such a good match.  

Telehealth vendors were busy, busy hawking their wares. SteadyMD in St. Louis, which bills itself as providing ” personalized healthcare online with board-certified doctors” said it had developed a “member protocol” for dealing with coronavirus concerns. Hill Ferguson, Doctor on Demand’s CEO, was doing interviews. Amwell tweeted on Thursday that it was looking for doctors. Another COVID-19 supblot: Can the telehealth companies seize their moment and keep up with the putative demand for their services. Will that demand even materialize?  

Now for the non-COVID-19 news.

Speaking of Amwell, the Boston company announced the appointment of Amber Howe as “chief people officer” and Brendan Miller as senior vice president and general manager of health plan solutions. Howe was at Beacon Health Options, where she served as the company's executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Miller was with MultiPlan  where he served as the senior vice president of sales and account management and global head of health plans, employers, providers, TPA's, and worker's compensation.

CERiS, a division of CorVel Healthcare, has appointed insurance industry veteran Mark Johnson as vice president of product management.“Mark’s deep expertise in health care, insurance, and policy issues brings extraordinary value to CERiS, as our clients rely more and more on prospective review of claims to make sure the bills are accurate,” stated CERiS President Corey Albrecht.

OneMedNet Corporation, a data mining and real-world data company in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, announced that it had appointed Jon Freeman as its CFO. Freeman has over 25 years of finance, operations, and management experience spanning several industries including medical technology, industrial manufacturing, and professional services, according to the company’s press release.

OK, that's it for this week. Enjoy your social distance. And wash your hands. Twenty seconds is longer than you think.