Becker's Hospital Review

69 CIO / HEALTH IT Who's afraid of the virtual care boom? By Alia Paavola S mall physician practices view the rise in virtual care models, in- cluding telemedicine and other remote consultations, as a threat to their business, an analysis published in the National Library of Medicine suggested. For the study, University of Colorado-Denver researchers analyzed how 270 small healthcare businesses perceived the shift to virtual care and how it affected sustainability. The survey included responses from 82 medical clinics, 99 small physician offices and 89 pharmacies. The analysis, accessed in April, found that the perception of the remote and virtual care boom varied among the three groups. Small physician offices had the most negative perception of remote and virtual care, believing that the boom came with negative effects, including a de- cline in revenue and a threat to sustainability. "We see small physician offices struggle to keep up with the chang- es COVID-19 has brought," University of Colorado-Denver researcher Jiban Khuntia, PhD, said in a news release. "While they are ready to adapt to the changes virtual care models bring, the revenue stream isn't what it used to be with in-person visits." In contrast, medical clinics had a positive perception of remote and vir- tual care, saying they will support the current business model and that they aren't a threat to sustainability. The researchers said the findings from pharmacies were not statistically significant. The study authors said their findings on the perceptions small health- care businesses have toward remote care will give policymakers a bet- ter understanding of the pros and cons of rapidly adopting remote and virtual care. n Epic, Meditech top EHR vendors during pandemic: KLAS By Jackie Drees F or overall response and support during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers using Epic and Meditech EHRs reported the highest rates of satisfac- tion with their vendors, according to an April 8 KLAS Research report. For its "Vendor Performance in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis" report, KLAS research- ers surveyed 6,300 healthcare professionals to rate their health IT vendor's reactions and support to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's how participants rated their respective EHR vendors on a nine-point scale: • Epic: 8.2 • Meditech: 8 • Cerner: 7.7 • Athenahealth: 7.5 • Allscripts: 6.9 n Viewpoint: Ditch the term 'vaccine passport' and try these messaging strategies instead By Jackie Drees T he term "vaccine passport" has fueled political division, posing the need for an overhaul of the language used to describe COVID-19 vaccine verification, according to Brian Castrucci, DrPH, and Frank Luntz. In an April 7 op-ed for CNBC, Dr. Castrucci, an epidemiologist, public health practitioner and president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, and Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster and communication adviser, argue that the term "vaccine passport" has become politically charged and is contributing to vac- cine hesitancy among Republicans. "e concept of a vaccine passport pushes nearly every partisan political button for Re- publicans who already don't trust their polit- ical leaders and fear government overreach," Dr. Castrucci and Mr. Luntz wrote. "To them, it's a threat to the choice and freedom of those who may choose not to get vaccinated." When it comes to a vaccine passport, 47 per- cent of former President Donald Trump vot- ers were against them compared to 10 per- cent of President Joe Biden voters, according to the op-ed. To get a better sense of Ameri- cans' preferences for vaccination credentials, Dr. Castrucci and Mr. Luntz polled individu- als to analyze the origins of vaccine concern among Black Americans, Latinx residents, Republicans, rural voters and others. Among the groups, Republicans have the most con- cerns with the vaccine. "Mistakes in messaging continue to plague the vaccine rollout within certain communi- ties. e question before us is whether we can rise to the challenge right now, put aside the 'I told you so's,' and move forward intelligent- ly as well as truly united," Dr. Castrucci and Mr. Luntz wrote. Here are the preferred names Americans gave for a vaccine confirmation document, according to the de Beaumont Foundation's survey of 800 adults March 29 to April 1. • Verification: 40 percent • Certificate: 22 percent • Credential: 11 percent • Passport: 11 percent • Permit: 6 percent • Ticket: 6 percent • Visa: 4 percent n

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