“COVID-19 has put new stresses on millions of already-overwhelmed Americans who are struggling to balance their careers and jobs with the day to day demands of care. We’re encouraged to see new data and research on how COVID-19 impacts family caregivers.”

BOSTON (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Torchlight, a leading provider of employee-caregiver support solutions, today released its client data review of the most pressing family and caregiving concerns of U.S. employees since the onset of COVID-19. The study analyzed the responses of a sampling of Torchlight’s users from March 15, 2020 through May 31, 2020 and found that American families are reporting a steep increase in depression, eating disorders, and legal, financial and estate planning concerns of their elderly family members. The study also revealed a nearly 100-fold increase in elder care scams, and a sharp uptick in mental health and ADHD diagnoses of their children.

The time period of the data capture coincides with the early stay-at-home orders in March through the re-opening of some businesses that occurred by the end of May. The findings were compared against the same employee data during the prior period from January 1, 2020 to March 14, 2020. Currently, more than 1.8 million employees across all industries in the United States have access to Torchlight through their employer-sponsored benefit program.

Shortly before the pandemic hit, the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP released their Caregiving in the US 2020 report which affirmed that more than 20% of all Americans are family caregivers and 23% of caregivers cited worsening health due to caregiving responsibilities. Prior to the pandemic, a growing number of Americans were already challenged with family caregiving responsibilities and their own deteriorating health.

“COVID-19 has put new stresses on millions of already-overwhelmed Americans who are struggling to balance their careers and jobs with the day to day demands of care,” said C. Grace Whiting, JD, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Caregiving. “We’re encouraged to see new data and research on how COVID-19 impacts family caregivers. This type of data can help inform what solutions may best equip families in a post-coronavirus world.”

Key findings from Torchlight’s client data since the onset of COVID-19:

● 13.1% increase in anxiety and depression diagnoses across elder care recipients

● 25.6% increase in eating and nutrition concerns among elder caregivers

● 95.5% increase in elder scam concerns among caregivers

● 33.6% increase in concerns about creating/updating legal documents for elders

● 25.6% increase in financial and estate planning concerns among elder caregivers

● 17.9% increase in child mental health diagnoses

● 12.6% increase in ADHD diagnoses

● 16.1% increase in employee concerns about their children’s screen time (including social media use)

The company has also released its Caregiving in the Next Normal Toolkit which is designed for organizations, businesses, individuals, parents, and caregivers in need of assistance and information during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Available for download today, the kit contains nearly two dozen guides and tools, including articles, podcasts and webinars for eldercare and parent/child resources.

“Torchlight’s intelligent platform uniquely allows us to gain real-time access to the leading indicators of caregiver trends,” said Adam Goldberg, CEO of Torchlight. “With that first-of-its-kind capability, we feel an enormous responsibility to lead the charge in bringing visibility about the evolving needs of caregivers to employers, health plans, healthcare providers, and other partnering organizations.”

About Torchlight

At Torchlight, we believe that caring is everyone’s business and caring is good business. We are the only complete caregiver support solution for employers and member organizations. We offer solutions informed by data and, thus, are built for better results. Our approach includes a user-friendly digital platform and a team of expert advisors. No matter the age, stage or concern, Torchlight’s decision-support tools, caregiving knowledge base, and human expertise combine to reduce stress and enhance outcomes for both families and their sponsoring organizations more cost-effectively than call center or concierge-only solutions. Because getting caregivers the right resources, in the right ways, right from the beginning should be business as usual. Learn more at http://www.torchlight.care, or email press@torchlight.care.

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This paper is grounded in firsthand accounts from organizations and patients and family members who highlight the cause and effect of virtual solutions in medical environments.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Reinforcing its commitment to elevate the human experience in healthcare, The Beryl Institute publishes a new white paper, Maintaining Human Experience in a New Era of Virtual Connection in Healthcare. This paper is grounded in firsthand accounts from organizations and patients and family members who highlight the cause and effect of virtual solutions in medical environments. Participants illustrate the necessity of virtual connection during the COVID-19 crisis in order to maintain the human experience in healthcare.

The virtual connections explored in the paper include the transition to solutions such as telehealth, virtual patient check-in, virtual visits with families, virtual rounding and adaptations to palliative care. Specific examples are provided from individual’s experiences as well as the challenges encountered in making these technology-enabled changes to healthcare practices. Furthermore, the paper depicts how many of these transitions, born from the current healthcare crisis, will be ongoing, changing the nature of human connection in healthcare permanently.

The white paper concludes with the lessons learned and takeaways from this time during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the importance of technology training, the essential follow-up post virtual visit and the fact that technology and new innovations will bolster human experience, but not replace it.

“This moment and this need for virtual connection in healthcare was seeded before the current crisis ever began, but it has been catalyzed in ways that we could not have imagined,” said Jason Wolf, Ph.D., CPXP, President & CEO of The Beryl Institute. “This needed shift and the future path it paints for healthcare reinforces an essential idea for healthcare; it is in our capacity to care for and connect with one another, regardless of the means we use, that we will succeed.”

We would like to thank contributors from the following healthcare organizations:

• 
  AdventHealth
• Barnes-Jewish Hospital
• Baystate Health
• Cleveland Clinic
• InnovaCare Health
• Mayo Clinic Health System
• MD Anderson Cancer Center
• NewYork-Presbyterian
• Northwell Health
• Stanford Health Care
• Sutter Health
• The University of Chicago Medicine
• UAB Health System
• UC Health
• Vidant Health
• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital

To download the white paper, please visit: https://www.theberylinstitute.org/store/viewproduct.aspx?id=16686063

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About The Beryl Institute:

The Beryl Institute is the global community of practice committed to elevating the human experience in healthcare. We believe human experience is grounded in experiences of patients & families, those who work in healthcare and the communities they serve. We define patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization’s culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care.

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In a study published in JAMA Oncology, Dr. Igor Puzanov took a 10-year look at pembrolizumab use in patients with advanced melanoma

“The study reinforces the fact that immunotherapy can significantly extend the life of patients with melanoma and even lead to cures,” said Dr. Puzanov.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

A new 10-year analysis led by Igor Puzanov, MD, MSci, FACP, Director of Early Phase Clinical Trials and Chief of Melanoma at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology provides new insights into an important question: whether BRAF V600E/K mutation status or previous BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) therapy with or without a MEK inhibitor (MEKi) affects response to pembrolizumab (brand name Keytruda) in patients with advanced melanoma.

This retrospective analysis of three randomized clinical trials (KEYNOTE-001, KEYNOTE-002 and KEYNOTE-006) involved 1,558 patients with advanced melanoma and known BRAF tumor status (BRAF wild-type or BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma) who had all been treated with pembrolizumab, some of whom had undergone prior treatment with BRAF inhibitors with or without MEK inhibitors.

Patients with BRAF wild-type and BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma had objective response rates (ORRs) of 39.8% and 34.3%, respectively, and similar respective rates of both 4-year progression-free survival (PFS; 22.9% and 19.8%) and overall survival (OS; 37.5% and 35.1%).

Patients with BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma who received previous BRAFi with or without MEKi had baseline characteristics with worse prognosis — lower ORR (28.4% vs 44.2%), 4-year PFS (15.2% vs 27.8%), and OS (26.9% vs 49.3%) — compared to those who had not received earlier targeted therapy.

The results of this study support the use of pembrolizumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma regardless of BRAF V600E/K mutation status or prior BRAF inhibitor, with or without MEK inhibitor therapy.

“Our findings confirmed the long-term, lasting benefits of pembrolizumab for patients with unresectable advanced melanoma and show that the effect is seen regardless of BRAF mutation status — and regardless of earlier treatment with a BRAF-targeting therapy,” says Dr. Puzanov, who is first author on the new publication. “Coupled with what we know from separate studies about nivolumab, we see a clear picture of the benefits immune checkpoint inhibitors have had for thousands of people with advanced melanoma over the last decade.”

Some 40% of patients with metastatic melanoma have BRAF mutations, meaning a particular gene and protein in their tumor cells is modified. Of that group, 90% have an activating BRAF mutation.

“Our long-term view provides evidence to support giving immunotherapy early in a patient’s treatment, before turning to targeted therapies. This course of treatment is now the standard of care, but this is important affirmation for this approach, which was not standard at the time these patients were treated,” Dr. Puzanov notes.

These study findings may help explain the striking decline in deaths from melanoma reported by the American Cancer Society (ACS) a few months ago. A January 2020 report from the ACS documented a 7%-per-year decline in the overall melanoma death rate between 2013 and 2017 in people ages 20 to 64.

“The study reinforces the fact that immunotherapy can significantly extend the life of patients with melanoma and even lead to cures,” Dr. Puzanov says. “But importantly, we also still see a role for targeted therapies. Having both of these treatment options at our disposal has helped to drive incredible progress against in a cancer type that was almost universally fatal a decade ago.”

The authors note that ongoing randomized controlled trials should support clearer and more specific conclusions about the optimal sequencing of these treatments.

Co-authors on this work include Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy, Paris-Sud University, and Omid Hamid, MD, of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute. A full list of contributors can be found at the study link.

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For an online version of this release, please visit: https://www.roswellpark.org/newsroom/202007-use-pembrolizumab-provided-long-term-benefits-patients-metastatic-melanoma-10-year

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.

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This era of surgical downtime is the ideal moment for SPDs to refine their processes and prepare for the reopening of elective cases.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Surgio HealthTM, a surgical logistics and instrument tracking management software company, was featured in an article posted by Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. at OrthoSpineNews related to the proactive steps Centura Health is taking to stay ahead of the bioburden curve in their 17-facility network serving Colorado and western Kansas.

Daniel Whetten, Supply Chain Manager at Centura Health, states, “This era of surgical downtime is the ideal moment for SPDs to refine their processes and prepare for the reopening of elective cases. Instead of furloughing SPD staff, hospitals can have them engage in thoughtful planning so that they can approach cases in a methodical manner instead of always putting out fires.”

This is a critical topic highlighted by an example of a sterilization technician working at Goshen Health in Indiana that skipped one step in a multi-step cleaning process of surgical equipment resulting in more than 1,000 patients potentially being exposed to HIV or hepatitis.

Chris Stewart, CEO of Surgio Health, states, “Like the rest of us, hospital administrations are feeling significant pressure these days. The immediate impact Surgio provides is a sense of control over SPD processes and vendor interaction with your facility…and that extends to a heightened sense of control over patient safety. Since elective surgeries have slowed or have been canceled due to COVID-19, this is the perfect opportunity for SPDs to address ways to improve on departmental processes, workflows and procedures. Vendors dropping off dirty and incomplete instrument sets, SPD staff rushing through the decontamination, cleaning and sterilization process because the OR calls and needs instrument tray’s ASAP…all of that can become a thing of the past with Surgio’s suite of interdepartmental solutions.”

Surgio Health is aware of the complexities and vulnerabilities present in hospital SPDs and the wider surgical supply chain. The Surgio Platform transforms your SPD from a necessary cost center to an OR optimization tool that positively impacts your healthcare value equation.

Chris Allen: “The Surgio platform is nimble and able to respond to what we need. In developing it with Centura, they did not just do an overlay of a computer program on top of what we were already doing. They forced us to take a step back and think, ‘If we can have the moon what would that look like?’”

About Surgio Health

Sterile Processing Departments (SPD) are the lifeblood of the OR’s they support; constantly in motion and under pressure to respond to OR needs at a moment’s notice. One misstep in workflow could lead to a sentinel event that can be detrimental to a hospital, their system, and worst of all: the patient.

Enter Surgio Health — a managed software solution that applies modern technologies to digitally govern process, track instruments, educate and measure Sterile Processing Departments best practice. Surgio is a management hub unique to the healthcare space that brings every influencer, from manufacturer to the operating room, into alignment under one simple, easy-to-use platform. Raise the standards of protection for your hospital and the patients you serve and transform your SPD from a necessary cost center to a department that positively impacts the healthcare value equation.

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“For the Health™ is a webinar series creating a dialogue on racial and economic disparities in food allergy. It is my hope that words will move to action and we will see real lasting change.” Emily Brown, CEO

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Food Equality Network (FEI), a nonprofit with the mission to improve health and end hunger in individuals diagnosed with food allergies and celiac disease announced the second of it’s “For the Health” webinar series, A Conversation on Race & Food Allergy.

The webinar will be moderated by Karen Palmer of Karen Palmer Coaching. She is a Certified Professional Coach, school operations consultant, and an advocate for food allergy families.

The expert panelists include industry leaders Susie Hultquist of Spokin Inc., Dan Waters of Enjoy Life Foods, Louis & Joanne Giorgi of Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation & Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Northwestern Medicine Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR).

This free webinar is FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 at 11:00 am EST/10:00am CST. Register to attend at “The For the Health™

The “The For the Health™ webinar series was inspired by this Open Letter to the Food Allergy Community written by Emily Brown, CEO of Food Equality Initative, after the murder of George Floyd that has focused the nation’s attention on the public health crisis of police brutality, which targets black men and women.

Emily Brown says this, “The For the Health™ webinar series is creating a dialogue on racial and economic disparities in food allergy. It is my hope that words will move to action and we will see real lasting change.”

Research shows that Black children are 7% more likely to have food allergies compared to white children, are diagnosed less frequently, receive less medical care, and are more likely to experience anaphylaxis.

This For The Health™ webinar is sponsored by Enjoy Life Foods, Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation, the Northwestern University Center For Allergy and Asthma Research and Spokin.

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Our partnership with HealthTrio will provide our members with the state-of-the-art tools they need to better manage their care through their providers and Sendero, and get the information they need to improve their health.

AUSTIN, Texas and TUCSON, Ariz. (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Sendero Health Plans announced today a new initiative to bring the latest web- and mobile- based healthcare solutions to improve the healthcare experience for its members. The local non-profit community-based health plan, providing personalized care to the Central Texas region, contracted with HealthTrio, a leading healthcare digital experience provider. This partnership will implement innovative solutions that deliver better healthcare access, inform healthcare consumers, and improve provider performance and quality care outcomes.

“We worked with our members to identify how we could improve their care. As a direct result, we are investing in solutions to improve member interaction and engagement with the healthcare system and Sendero,” said Wesley Durkalski, CEO of Sendero Health Plans. “Our partnership with HealthTrio will provide our members with the state-of-the-art tools they need to better manage their care through their providers and Sendero, and get the information they need to improve their health.”

Sendero Health Plans selected HealthTrio for its innovative, user-focused approach and streamlined single sign-on solutions that increase transparency, communication and collaboration to tackle complex challenges impacting the healthcare industry. Those solutions include:

• 
  Member Portal: Providing members a central hub for all activity to connect Sendero members to all of the personalized tools they need in one place – from paying their monthly bill to getting answers on their coverage, copays and deductibles and managing claims.
• Provider Portal: Connecting Sendero, providers, and members in one central, secure location ensures consistent, real-time health information that supports everything from eligibility requests to claims data to tools supporting patient care.
• Cost Transparency Tool: Enabling members to find and compare providers and treatments based on cost, quality and other key factors.
• Provider Search: Giving members access to an easy-to-use, intuitive directory to locate a provider that meets their exact needs from one of the largest networks of doctors and specialists of any health plan in the area.
• Mobile App: Providing a mobile application so members, who live in a vibrant tech community and the start-up Capitol of the country, can to securely access health information via a mobile device.

“We are so proud to partner with Sendero Health Plans and provide their members an excellent online digital experience,” said Dominic Wallen, President and COO, HealthTrio. “Sendero is dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing affordable, quality healthcare and we committed to helping them deliver on that mission.”

Sendero Health Plans’ new online experience powered by HealthTrio will be live in the Fall of 2020.

About Sendero Health Plans

Formed in 2011, Sendero Health Plans, Inc. is a community-based nonprofit Health Maintenance Organization supported by the Travis County Health District, known as Central Health, dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing affordable, quality healthcare coverage, especially for Travis County residents with low income. Sendero offers its IdealCare and SelectCare plans on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace and is available in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, Fayette, Lee and Caldwell counties.

About HealthTrio

HealthTrio provides digital engagement solutions that optimize self-service, value-based care, healthcare consumerism and real-time data integration. Our selection of tools is as broad as the markets we serve – from everyday tools such as eligibility, benefits and claims to advanced features supporting provider quality performance, cost transparency and automated authorizations. With in-depth security capabilities, HealthTrio’s Smart Series platform extends beyond the traditional member, provider, employer and broker access to include guests, caregivers, community-based organizations and a variety of other user types. For over twenty years, HealthTrio has supported health plans, administrators and integrated delivery networks to decrease costs, increase access and improve health outcomes.

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Heather Smart Joins Precision ADM as Director of Engineering

“Ms. Smart’s strong track record of proven success in leading teams to deliver innovation and success and will build on our Advanced Digital Manufacturing™ platform.” – Martin Petrak, CEO, Precision ADM.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (PRWEB)
July 16, 2020

Precision ADM Inc. (Precision ADM or “the Company,”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather Smart, MSc., P. Eng. as Director of Engineering effective July 6, 2020.

Ms. Smart is a Professional Engineer with over 10 years of Aerospace engineering experience with expertise in the repair and overhaul of gas turbine engines. She earned a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017, specializing in behaviour of aerospace metal alloys. Her most recent professional role involved facilitating procurement and installation of major capital equipment within the Centre for Aerospace Training and Technology, a collaborative industrial campus between Red River College and StandardAero in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As well, she was instrumental in the successful setup of a new Advanced Composite Manufacturing Centre that is remotely linked to Red River College’s Smart Factory in demonstrating the Internet of Things. Ms. Smart is an active member of Engineers & Geoscientists of Manitoba, and sits on the Advisory Board of Red River College’s Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing.

“I am very pleased that we have attracted a high calibre leader with significant engineering expertise and deep experience in highly regulated Advanced Manufacturing sectors,” stated Martin Petrak, CEO, Precision ADM. “Ms. Smart’s strong track record of proven success in leading teams to deliver innovation and success and will build on our Advanced Digital Manufacturing™ platform.”

“I am excited to join Precision ADM during a time of growth and in this emerging area of technology,” said Ms. Smart. “I look forward to leading our talented engineering team to deliver value to Precision ADM’s customers and shareholders.”

For more information on Precision ADM’s additive manufacturing solutions, please contact the Company via email at: info@precisionadm.com or visit online at: https://www.precisionadm.com

About Precision ADM Inc.

Precision ADM® is a medical device company and global engineering and manufacturing solutions provider that uses Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing, to manufacture high value components and devices for the medical, aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial sectors.

Precision ADM® has its roots in the orthopaedic medical device industry and has created a comprehensive Advanced Digital Manufacturing® process which includes Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing. Precision ADM® possesses ISO 13485:2016, AS9100 Rev D, and ISO 9001:2015 certifications.

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