Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|March 9, 2021

Iowa news

Opinion: Council’s rejection of a new North Liberty hospital was in the best interest of Iowans

As a statewide health care system committed to meeting community health needs, MercyOne appreciates the measured and diligent approach of the State Health Facilities Council’s decision not to approve the proposal by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to build a new, state-owned $230 million hospital in Johnson County. (Des Moines Register)

‘It was scary’: Iowa health professionals share their stories of treating COVID-19

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa health care professionals are still responding to the crisis. MercyOne’s makeshift critical care units are no longer in use, but they’re still there if cases rise again. Today, they’re back to normal critical care capacity still treating COVID-19 patients, but not near the scale of Iowa’s two infection peaks in the summer and fall. MercyOne doctors say they admitted 2,000 patients with COVID-19 this past year. They said 500 needed critical care and 300 were put on ventilators. (KCCI)

Unitypoint nurse urges to still socially distance after becoming fully vaccinated

As the vaccine rollout continues, you might be wondering what activities you can do after your second dose. With more people becoming fully vaccinated, Unitypoint Family Nurse Practitioner, Emily Ball, warns safety measures should still be taken. Ball is among many Iowa health care workers who is fully vaccinated. But with most of the population still unvaccinated, she admits she’s only comfortable doing a few things again. (KWWL)

 

National news

COVID-19 among top US telehealth diagnoses for first time

For the first time since Fair Health started tracking monthly telehealth claims, COVID-19 became one of the top five diagnoses in the US in December as cases surged. Overall, telehealth claim lines increased 2,817% year over year, rising from just 0.22% of all medical claim lines in December 2019 to 6.51% in December 2020. Mental health conditions continue to be the No. 1 telehealth diagnosis nationwide. (Healthcare Dive)

CDC: Vaccinated Americans may gather indoors in small groups but should still wear masks in public

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday issued long-awaited advice to Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19, freeing them to take some liberties that the unvaccinated should not, including gathering indoors in small groups without precautions while still adhering to masking and distancing in public spaces. (The New York Times)

Telehealth is ready for its second dose – introducing virtual care 2.0

After crossing the one-year mark since the onset of the pandemic, there is no question our health care system has undergone transformational change. For the first time in history, consumers stopped visiting their medical providers for fear of their personal health. In return, virtual care was thrusted to the center stage of health care delivery as a panacea for safe, socially distant care. Telehealth adoption spiked at unprecedented rates, with some providers reporting 175 times the number of consultations by telehealth compared to pre-pandemic visits. (MedCity News)

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