Hospitals on high alert for cyberattacks; Amazon Care rolls out; Primary care lures billions; plus Jobs!

February 18, 2022

Hello NAW Subscribers -

I hope you enjoy this issue of National Accounts Weekly!

Sincerely,

John Pritchard

President of ANAE

Publisher of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

Hospitals on high alert for cyberattacks as international tensions rise

Federal officials issued alerts this week about the increased potential for cyber attacks against critical U.S. infrastructure targets as tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine — and that includes healthcare.

This is particularly problematic as the recently released 2021 HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey showed phishing attacks were by far the most common way health care IT systems are breached, said Lee Kim, director of privacy and security at HIMSS.

(Axios)

Amazon Care plans big health services expansion

Amazon Care is expanding in-person healthcare services to more than 20 new cities in 2022 as the company joins big investments made by retail rivals Walgreens and CVS Health in the outpatient healthcare business.

“Amazon Care’s virtual health services are now available nationwide—and in-person services will be rolled out in more than 20 new cities this year,” the company said Tuesday. “The expansion comes as we continue to invest in growing our clinical care team and our in-person care services to bring convenient, quality care to more customers across the U.S.”

(Forbes)

Telehealth use dropped to 8% last year

New data from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker revealed how the shifts in the pandemic might affect the preferences of in-person health visits for patients. When the pandemic surged in the early months of 2020, the government increased access to telehealth to decrease potential exposure and maintain pandemic safety protocols.

The new study contains data on telehealth use from March 2019 to August 2021, showing trends before and during the different stages of the pandemic.

3M sees less demand for masks

The easing pandemic is expected to reduce demand for medical masks this year, 3M Co. said, joining a group of companies that have forecast a decline in business from COVID-19 prevention.

3M is expecting total sales growth of 1% to 4%, which includes organic sales growth of 2% to 5%, earnings per share (EPS) of $10.15 to $10.65, and robust cash flow. Included in this guidance is an anticipated decline in COVID-19-related disposable respirator demand in 2022, resulting in a headwind to organic growth of 2 percentage points and earnings per share of 45 cents.

Why healthcare company content marketing is even more critical in 2022

Healthcare manufacturers should deliver more than just products and services to their customers. They can also educate their clients through quality content on their website – one of the top marketing channels in 2022. Therefore, if you want to stay ahead of your competitors, then it’s time you stepped up your healthcare company content marketing strategy.

We will explore the top tips for creating engaging yet relevant content for healthcare providers.

Capstone Virtual Forum: Looking Forward, a panel discussion on supply disruption

Please enjoy the panel discussion with John Pritchard, Kevin Ledet, Mark Henderson, David Myers and Peter Bennett.

Watch Here

All the world’s a stage

By Mark Thill, Repertoire Magazine

A year ago, were you aware of the term “dwell time?” Did the word “container” connote anything other than Tupperware? Did you know how many weeks in a typical month an over-the-road trucker is away from home? Had you ever stopped at the Corwith Yards on the Southwest Side of Chicago to see what goes on at a railroad intermodal freight terminal?

How quickly would you have made the connection between a resin factory fire in Texas and the availability and price of medical products? How about a cold spell in the Lone Star State, a hurricane in Puerto Rico, a cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal, a drought in Taiwan affecting microchip production, or a virus causing concern among authorities in a Chinese city named Wuhan?

Medicine’s worst-paying specialty is luring billions from Wall Street

Private investors, retailers and health insurers are pumping billions of dollars into primary-care ventures in a reversal that’s turned one of American medicine’s least-lucrative practice areas into a hot spot.

U.S. companies focused on primary care raised about $16 billion from investors in 2021, according to unpublished research by Harvard scholars. That’s more than four times the amount invested in 2020 and up from just $15 million reported in 2010, they said.

(Bloomberg)

Content Marketing 101 for medical equipment manufacturers

Content marketing might be a foreign strategy for many medical equipment manufacturers who operate a lean organization with limited resources. However, content marketing for medical equipment manufacturers can take your business goals to the next level with the right development and cross-promotion.

Content marketing drives action through engaging, educational, or entertaining content. It is not an ad or sales pitch.
Successful content marketing starts with clear goals, strategies, and keyword research.
Personalization and evergreen content keep content relevant, while follow-up analytical data measures campaign success and helps you plan for future marketing initiatives.

Physician Office Lab: COVID and PAMA

By Jim Poggi, Repertoire Magazine

In the conflict between the irresistible force and the immovable object, which one wins? In this case, the battle is pitting the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) against COVID-19, a formidable worldwide pandemic foe. PAMA is a 2014 law first enforced in 2018 with the goal of aligning Medicare payments for laboratory tests under the Clinical Lab Fee Schedule with rates paid by private insurance. When it was enacted, it caused widespread concern in the U.S. laboratory and healthcare communities. SARS COV-2 came out of the blue in late 2019 and rapidly became a worldwide healthcare concern as it created a pandemic.

How is the battle shaping up? What’s the current score and who is likely to prevail?

Sodexo Healthcare announces David Gillan as chief of client retention and strategy for U.S.

Sodexo, a leader in healthcare food service and facilities management, announced the appointment of David Gillan as the new chief of strategy and client retention for Sodexo U.S. Healthcare. Gillan enters the role having previously served as group senior vice president for Vizient, where he led their non-acute focused business enterprise as well as their supplier management function.

Supplier application process open for Vizient's Innovative Technology Exchange

Vizient, Inc. announced it is accepting applications for its 2022 Innovative Technology Exchange and encouraged suppliers of medical equipment and technology who want to showcase their products to healthcare decision makers from across the country to participate.

The event will take place Oct. 17 in Dallas and the deadline to apply is April 22.