Care Coordination

While the COVID pandemic has witnessed a morbid fascination on the death toll from the disease, the epidemic of substance use has raged on in the background.

Avera Health and Sanford Health, both based in Sioux Falls, S.D., are adjusting surgery plans to accommodate patient and staffing needs as COVID-19 surges, according to officials at the health systems.

University Hospital Summerville, a 231-bed hospital in Augusta, Ga., is converting its emergency department to an urgent care center by the end of the year, according to the Savannah Morning News. 

Humana is adding four retailers to its preferred standalone Medicare Part D pharmacy network for 2021. 

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare will close the emergency department and end inpatient care at its hospital in Natick, Mass, Oct. 25, according to a statement to the community obtained by Becker's Hospital Review. 

One Brooklyn Health System has resumed its consolidation plan, which includes eliminating inpatient beds at one of its three hospitals, the New York health system confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review. 

Comcast and Independence Health Group, the parent company of Independence Blue Cross, are expanding their digital health joint venture Quil through the launch of a new in-home health monitoring platform for seniors, per an Oct. 12 news release.

How one Oregon behavioral health practice helped its youngest clients and their caregivers stayed engaged and healthy during the pandemic.

In September, Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield unveiled a new value-based partnership that the organizations said will save patients $400 million on healthcare costs in the next seven years.

M Health Fairview and CentraCare may no longer be considered in-network for Humana's Medicare Advantage members beginning next year, according to the Star Tribune.