Iowa news
Fostering good mental health is more important than ever before in workplaces, but the challenge has also never been greater, panelists said at dsm Magazine’s latest “Lifting the Veil” forum. The COVID-19 pandemic permanently transformed jobs and where and how work is done. A virtual panel of Iowa experts joined dsm, Business Record’s sister publication, to talk through issues. Lifting the Veil publishes a magazine annually exploring Iowa stories related to mental health, and regular forums help illuminate these topics further. (Business Record)
The Jewel and Jim Plumb Heart Center at Mercy readies to open for patient care
The new Jewel and Jim Plumb Heart Center at Mercy is scheduled to open for patient care Monday, July 17. The public is invited to an open house at 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 12. Just across from the main hospital in downtown Cedar Rapids, the 72,000-square-foot facility will be Linn County’s largest and most comprehensive heart facility, offering integrated, patient-centered care and sophisticated technology. It will bring heart specialists and coordinated heart services under one roof. Additionally, the Plumb Heart Center will feature patient conveniences along the continuum of care – from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The center will include an increasing number of heart-focused specialty clinics designed to provide education, assessments and individual care plans, including clinics for heart failure, atrial fibrillation and heart valve disorders. (Mercy Cedar Rapids)
Free vision screenings for children at Pella Regional
Pella Regional Health Center is partnering with the Oskaloosa Lions Club to offer free vision screenings for children, from 6 months old through kindergarten, 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. The screenings will be conducted by Iowa KidSight, a service project of the Lions Club of Iowa. The screenings provide early detection and treatment of vision impairments in Iowa’s young children. After the screenings are complete, results are interpreted by specialists with the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. If a potential vision problem is detected, parents or guardians receive letters of referral and lists of local ophthalmologists and optometrists. To ensure there are no obstacles in getting to an eye care professional and to ensure the screening program is referring appropriately, follow up will be conducted for any child being referred. (Pella Regional Health Center)
National news
AMA adopts proposal to protect patients from false and misleading AI-generated medical advice
The American Medical Association has adopted a proposal to help protect patients against false or misleading medical information from artificial intelligence tools such as generative pretrained transformers. AMA-affiliated organizations raised concerns in April about the lack of regulatory oversight for GPTs, especially as the technology becomes more prevalent in health care settings and more patients turn to GPT as a medical resource. (Healthcare Brew)
The health care market is expected to skyrocket in the next decade
The health care market is expected to reach the trillions in spending within the next decade now that any aid from the expired COVID-19 public health emergency has come to an end. According to a report conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary, researchers project health care spending growth to pick back up and reach $7.2 trillion by 2031. (Managed Healthcare Executive)
The art of health care recruiting in the digital age
As the health care field continues to grow, technology and data will become increasingly necessary tools for organizations hoping to attract and retain talent with an eye on providing exceptional patient care and outcomes. Software and artificial intelligence can automate many parts of the recruitment process, including candidate screening, resume analysis and job matching. (Forbes)