- This is Naomi Diaz
with the Becker's Digital Health Podcast.
Here's your daily industry news briefing
for today, April 22nd.
First, former employees with United Health Groups.
Optum and its subsidiaries took
to social media beginning April 18th
regarding a reduction force.
They say occurred across the company Optum declined
to provide more information.
April 19th. Becker has not confirmed an exact number
or range of employees who may have been terminated
or when layoffs would be effective across LinkedIn.
Former employees with Optum
and affiliated providers have detailed layoffs
enacted at their organizations.
A range of roles appear
to have been affected from RN case managers
to senior director and management positions in 2023.
Many large insurers conducted large workforce reductions due
to financial or operational challenges in certain segments,
along with restructuring strategies.
Optum, Optum also laid off an unknown number
of employees in August.
Affected facilities included the Everett Clinic
and the Poly Clinic in Seattle.
Med Express Urgent Care
and WellMed UnitedHealth is still recovering from the cyber
attack on change Healthcare.
In February. The company had TATed 80% of the functionality
for its claims payment
and pharmacy services as of April 16th.
Second. Telehealth utilization has led
to enhancements in certain healthcare utilization
and quality metrics, but it has also been associated
with a 1.6% increase in healthcare spending.
Health affairs research confirmed April 17th.
In this study, researchers assessed telehealth's effects on
healthcare utilization, quality and spending.
To do so, they compare data from traditional Medicare
patients who received care from health system utilizing
higher levels of telehealth services during the Covid
to 19 pandemic with data from patients
and health systems that predominantly offered
in-person services.
Researchers found that in 2020,
patients receiving care at health systems
with the highest use of telemedicine had an average
of 2.5 telemedicine visits per person making up
26.8% of their total visits.
In contrast, those in health system
with the lowest telemedicine use had only 0.7 telemedicine
visits per person accounting for 9.5% of their visits.
Additionally, from 2021 to 2022
patients in the highest telemedicine use Cortel experienced
some changes compared to those in the lowest cortel.
For example, they saw an average increase
of point 21 total outpatient visits combining telemedicine
and in-person per patient year marking a
2.2% relative increase.
These had a reduction
of 14.4 non COVID-19 emergency department visits per 1000
patients per year, a relative decrease of 2.7%.
However, there was a $248 rise in per patient spending per
year reflecting a 1.6% relative increase.
According to the study,
patients in high tele telemedicine use health systems had
better adherence to taking statins and
- Metformin, but no difference was observed in
hospitalizations or preventative care.
Researchers said more study
of telemedicine's effect on spending and quality is needed,
but the modest cost increases may not be enough
to justify a return to pre covid
to 19 Telehealth funding restrictions in Medicare
and light of the increases in quality
and continued popularity of telehealth.
Third, 40% of US physicians said they are prepared
to use generative artificial intelligence
during patient interactions at the point of care.
In April 16th, survey from Walters Culver found from
February 8th to the 13th, Walters Culver surveyed a
hundred US physicians.
These physicians, according to the survey,
all work in large hospitals or health systems see patients
and are currently using a clinical decision support tool.
The survey found the following, 81% of physicians believe
that gen AI will enhance care team
interaction with patients.
More than half of physicians think
that Gen AI will save them 20% more, 20%
of time or more.
68% of physicians state that gen AI can save time
by swiftly searching medical literature.
59% of physicians believe that gen AI can save time
by summary summarizing patient data from the EHR.
Only 3% of physicians do not believe
that gen AI will improve interactions with patients.
Additionally, the survey found
that physicians sentiments towards gen AI have changed.
Or according to the survey, 60%.
68% of physicians have had a change
of opinion over the last year saying they are now inclined
to believe that gen AI would be beneficial for healthcare.
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