News Roundup September 25th, 2020
Today many technology companies have found themselves in a position to readjust their perspective in the marketplace, there is a new sense of purpose from a new wave of investors devoting energy and resources into the health vertical, and for good reason. The need for proper care and health maintenance is growing among the elderly population. Innovators, looking to optimize wellness, have developed monitoring tools to track their progress. What was once seen as high end peripherals to monitor vitals at home will soon become ubiquitous thanks to the accessibility of online markets like Amazon and a wide, expanding network of bolder, newer retailers.
Home Health Care News, an important resource covering all industry updates gives a lot of context here:
“Between the Patient-Driven Groupings Model and the COVID-19 virus, home health providers are arguably facing the most volatile environment in their industry’s history. At the same time, millions of people are now looking for safer and simpler ways to receive care, which only boosts demand for in-home care services.”
Microsoft Cloud announced this week their new initiative for health care delivery will be available as Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare October 20th, 2020.
It will help “[unlock] the power of Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, and our ecosystem of partner healthcare solutions to create trusted end-to-end cloud-based solutions.” Read more from their health industry blog here.
And recently in Medicare and Medicaid new, the CMS announced this week an important development in protecting the elderly and transitioning their care programs from nursing home to home and community based spaces of their choosing. The pandemic has shown the high risk associated with care delivered in nursing homes and to keep cases low.
To date the following states are operating MPF funded programs: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
“the availability of up to $165 million in supplemental funding to states currently operating Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration programs. This funding will help state Medicaid programs jump-start efforts to transition individuals with disabilities and older adults from institutions and nursing facilities to home and community-based settings of their choosing.”