Population and Public Health

Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they’d consider using telehealth to be remotely screened for COVID-19, and two-thirds said the pandemic has increased their willingness to try virtual care, a Sykes survey found.

The app – accessed by texting "COVID" to 64722 – enables New York City residents to easily enroll to help the health system monitor coronavirus symptoms across the five boroughs, informing care decisions and pointing the way toward possible cures.

The agency's Interoperability Proving Ground is becoming a hotbed of coronavirus projects. Meanwhile, HIMSS Healthbox has launched a digital think tank to cross-pollinate ideas that work.

Just-released coronavirus-specific chatbots are delivering test results quicker and checking in on quarantined patients.

The industry already has seen some startups working with social determinants of health. Their number will only increase as healthcare moves to value-based care and needs more data.

Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital is one of many across the country adding sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) information to its clinical systems.

During National Health IT Week, three experts put the focus on how digital technologies and smart care approaches are already transforming population health and helping address social determinants.

Providers nationwide need to make an organizational commitment to addressing social needs and health disparities, says the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – and policymakers need to sort out IT infrastructure and reimbursement.