At the time of this writing, the majority of HealthTrust member facilities are actively resuming elective procedures and routine care, while others anticipate a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases. The toll of the pandemic remains to be seen, as does the speed at which an efficacious vaccine enters the market. Hardest hit areas of the country will hold their breath in the months ahead as prognosticators suggest additional COVID waves may emerge in the fall and winter.
HealthTrust continues its support of member hospitals by developing, vetting and curating clinical content to help you strategize and plan for the weeks and months ahead. You will find more than 120 COVID-19-related documents on our Education & Clinical Resources website.
To highlight the pandemic response of some of our members, Physician Advisors and those recognized as HealthTrust Clinical Warriors, we initiated a podcast series—Candid Conversations. I recently had the opportunity to talk with:
- HealthTrust Physician Advisor Shaefer Spires, M.D., an infectious disease specialist with Duke Health. In episode 8, Dr. Spires discusses the return to elective surgeries, COVID-19 testing, the effectiveness of antibody testing and medications for treating the virus.
- Sue Shugart, CEO of Kershaw Health in Camden, South Carolina. Kershaw Health was the first LifePoint Health facility to identify and treat a COVID-19 patient. In episode 9, Sue talks about the impact of the pandemic on patients and staff, the necessary response to the disease, management of personal protective equipment (PPE) and how the facility is prepared for a potential second wave.
Read about more of our Candid Conversations in a piece on Clinical Warriors. We anticipate expanding the conversations beyond COVID-19 once the pandemic transitions to the rearview mirror.
John Young, M.D., MBA, CPE, FACHE
Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust
Executive Publisher & Editor-at-large,
The Source magazine
Share Email COVID-19, Q3 2020
