Courtesy of GrandPad.

Now more than ever, staying connected with family and friends is important, but for older adults, it’s easy to become isolated – especially in the face of nursing home lockdowns and restrictions, and that can have a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of seniors.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (PRWEB)
March 25, 2020

GrandPad announced today that its purpose-built tablet for people over the age of 75 is now available in the UK through a new partnership with TechSilver. The GrandPad is an easy-to-use device that reconnects seniors with family, friends, and caregivers through simple video calling, voice text and email, and straightforward photo sharing. GrandPad also provides a connection to the world and supports personal interests through unlimited music streaming, news, games, and more.

TechSilver, the leading online retailer of technology for seniors in the UK and Ireland, has been working with California-based GrandPad for more than three years to ensure the GrandPad tablet meets the needs of the elderly and their caregivers in the UK. According to Miles Waghorn, CEO and founder of TechSilver, although many elderly people have not grown up with technology, there is no need for them to be excluded from its benefits, if care and attention is paid to their specific needs.

“Loneliness and isolation are damaging not just to physical health, but also mental wellbeing. Simple-to-use technology enables seniors to enjoy a better quality of life by keeping connected with loved ones and the outside world,” said Waghorn.

Scott Lien, co-founder and CEO of GrandPad added that technology is essential during times of crisis to maintain communications, ensure care routines are being followed, and to monitor the health and well-being of seniors.

“Now more than ever, staying connected with family and friends is important, but for older adults, it’s easy to become isolated – especially in the face of nursing home lockdowns and restrictions, and that can have a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of seniors,” said Lien. “We’re thrilled to announce TechSilver as our business-to-consumer distribution partner because they share our commitment to improving the lives of seniors with technology solutions.”

Waghorn established TechSilver five years ago after realizing the elderly were missing out on the safety and connectivity that modern technology brings.

“GrandPad is a natural fit for our carefully curated senior-friendly products including GPS watches, fall detectors, products for the sight and hearing impaired, simple smartphones and more. Our partnership with GrandPad will help deliver a timely solution to socially and digitally disconnected older adults at a time when they and the world needs it most.”

The GrandPad tablet and monthly service comes complete with custom-designed apps for seniors that use large, clearly labeled icons for video and voice calls, photos, email, music, games, news, weather, and online search. There is also a free ‘companion app’ which creates a private social network for family and friends to easily have video calls and share photos directly with the GrandPad – meaning they don’t miss out on family moments.

The GrandPad system also has an optional ‘auto answer’ feature that allows calls from trusted family members within the network to automatically ring through to their older family member, reducing the need for seniors to fumble with a device to answer.

For more information:    

Barbara Tabor, APR / (651) 230-9192 / barbara@taborpr.com

About GrandPad

Based in Orange, California USA GrandPad is a privately held company on a mission to improve the lives of millions of seniors by reconnecting them with family, friends, and caregivers. The GrandPad — the first tablet specifically designed for seniors — comes ready to use out of the box and features a secure private family network and premium US-based customer service. There are no confusing buttons, no passwords or pop-up ads, and wireless connectivity and security are built into the device — eliminating the risks of scams and hacks. Users can play games, listen to music, and enjoy many other exclusive apps on the GrandPad. Additionally, caregivers/family members can video chat, receive voice emails, and share photos with the older person through GrandPad’s companion app on i0S and Android. Visit GrandPad.net. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter @grandpad_social.

About TechSilver

Founded five years ago in Nottingham, TechSilver set out to improve the quality of life for the elderly and connect them with family members through seamless technology. Miles Waghorn via TechSilver has become the online expert and champion of technology for seniors. Clear product descriptions, simplified written instructions supported by video guidance to get you safely up and running, alongside unrivalled support from the UK based telephone helpdesk have all contributed.

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“Our providers have seen the benefits of virtual care and we’re stepping up to help them make the transition faster, leaning on our five years of experience and knowledge to change protocols to be the most responsive possible.”

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
March 24, 2020

As providers are increasingly turning to virtual care solutions to monitor their patients amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Babyscripts, the leading virtual care platform for obstetrics, is dramatically reducing in-person prenatal visit schedules for low risk patients to 4-6 appointments through term (37 weeks), then weekly thereafter, with slightly modified schedules for high-risk patients. The standard amount of in-person prenatal care visits is 12-14. With the help of mobile health and their remote patient monitoring platform, Babyscripts is safely transitioning prenatal care outside the clinic.

For the past five years, Babyscripts has been reducing the need for in-person appointments through their virtual maternity solution. As more states release shelter-in-place advisories and tighten social distancing guidelines due to the coronavirus outbreak, Babyscripts has responded to increased demand from new and existing customers to further enable providers to decrease in-person visits while remaining connected to their patients and delivering the same level of care.

“Our providers have seen the benefits of virtual care and we’re stepping up to help them make the transition faster,” said Juan Pablo Segura, President of Babyscripts. “We are bringing five years of experience and a wealth of clinical data to the table, and our customers are leaning on that knowledge to change their protocols to be the most responsive possible.”

In concert with remote patient monitoring (RPM), providers deliver the same testing typically available during in-office prenatal visits, and rely on RPM to track compliance to weekly measurements and identify elevated risk. Through Babyscripts myJourney, a mobile app, patients are kept abreast of the most up-to-date information available, including symptoms to look for; risk-management information around social distancing and limiting exposure; changing policies around visitation, water-births, doulas, et al.; health system specific information on initiatives like drive-through testing and virtual visits; and local information like library and food bank closures that affect life outside of healthcare. These resources have seen engagement rates between 80-100%, reinforcing the value that pregnant mothers place on trusted provider information in real-time.

Further fueling adoption, telehealth and RPM reimbursements are now available for providers to implement these revised prenatal visit schedules with technology, as both public and private health insurers have taken steps to increase access due to concern over the spread of COVID-19.

Two codes that Babyscripts highlights for their customers are:

• 99453 – Initial set-up and patient education on the use of monitoring equipment
• 99454 – Initial collection, transmission and report/summary services to the clinician managing the patient.

*Providers are recommended to directly contact payers to confirm coverage of the above two codes as it relates to working with Babyscripts.

As new developments around COVID-19 present themselves, Babyscripts will continue to work directly with providers to establish protocols, disseminate information, and deliver the most up-to-date solutions to mothers and babies.

About Babyscripts

Babyscripts is a company delivering a new model for prenatal and postpartum care that is transforming the way expectant mothers use technology to work with their healthcare providers. We’ve spent the last six years delivering the most-implemented mobile clinical solution for remote monitoring in pregnancy, with the mission to eliminate maternal mortality and improve access to care for all mothers. For more information on our virtual care solution and to request a demo, visit http://www.babyscripts.com.

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Andy Palmer, Pivot Point Consulting EHR Practice Director

Andy is a great fit for the direction of Pivot Point Consulting given his deep EHR experience, but he also brings a focus on our COIVD-19 Rapid Response Solutions to address today’s uncertain and evolving healthcare IT landscape.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB)
March 24, 2020

Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company and Best in KLAS healthcare IT leader is excited to continue to bring more value and deep healthcare expertise to its clients with the recent addition of Andy Palmer as its EHR Practice Director.

Palmer will join Pivot Point Consulting’s team focusing on quality measures, strategic initiatives and business development related specifically to the company’s EHR practices and Rapid Response Solutions for COVID-19.

Palmer will lead projects expanding engagements with its consultants and healthcare partners across multiple EHRs, as well as building out comprehensive solutions for candidate matching and knowledge sharing through Pivot Point Consulting’s suite of analytic and collaborative tools. In addition, Palmer will provide advisory services on projects with an emphasis on strategic initiatives like COVID-19.

“I am excited to join a team with deep experience and relentless commitment to quality that led to Pivot Point Consulting winning the 2020 Best in KLAS-Overall IT Services award. I believe that we can help our partners in unique and innovative ways to improve healthcare,” says Palmer.

Palmer has worked with numerous healthcare organizations throughout the country leading multiple projects from full-cycle implementations to large-scale transformative projects. He has helped multiple organizations improve patient access to care and reduce barriers to scheduling leading to substantial improvements in revenue and throughput. He is recognized as a leader and strategist on leveraging analytics to drive process improvements and business intelligence. Palmer began his career as an Implementation Manager and has taken on increasingly more strategic roles in the Community Connect space.

“Andy is a great fit for the direction of Pivot Point Consulting given his deep EHR experience,” says Rachel Marano, Pivot Point Consulting Co-Founder and Managing Partner, “but he also brings a focus on our COIVD-19 Rapid Response Solutions to address today’s uncertain and evolving healthcare IT landscape.”

About Pivot Point Consulting

Pivot Point Consulting, 2020 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, enables healthcare organizations to realize the most value from their technology and data through our Advisory, Implementation, Optimization, Managed Services and Talent Solutions—including our Rapid Response Solutions to accelerate care. We work with providers, payers and life sciences organizations and have 450+ employees serving over 85 clients across the U.S. Pivot Point Consulting has earned many industry and workplace quality awards including: 

Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm (2020) , Top Three Best in KLAS for HIT Implementation and Support (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) , Highest Rated Vendor in KLAS Implementation Services in the Select Category (2017) , #1 in KLAS for Epic Consulting in the Select Category (2016) , #9 in Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work (2016)  

Practices: Epic®, Community Connect®, Cerner®, Siemens®, Allscripts®, MEDITECH®, McKesson®, Centricity®, eClinicalWorks®, NextGen® CPSI®, MEDHOST®, athenahealth®, Greenway®, Workday®, Lawson/Infor®, Peoplesoft®, SAP®, Kronos® and Facets®.  

For more information, visit us at pivotpointconsulting.com. 

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MC-Rx is here to support our clients and their employees during these difficult times. We will work even harder to maintain your confidence as well as keep you informed of any changes

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (PRWEB)
March 24, 2020

Using home delivery pharmacies to obtain prescription medications is an immediate step those who are most at risk can take to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus, according to MC-Rx, a national Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). MC-Rx announces that, effective immediately, it has enhanced several aspects of its services to the company’s clients and their members to ensure medication availability. These protocols aim to adhere to current social-distancing procedures and quarantine actions while reducing the risks of both medication inaccessibility and prescription hoarding.

Details of the MC-Rx announcement include:

• 
  MC-Rx will support clients who are seeking to enact emergency procedures for prescriptions by allowing early refills of maintenance medications or other changes in plan design rules.
• The MC-Rx affiliated Pharmacy Support Center will remain available 24/7 and can assist in finding available medications should any shortages occur.
• MC-Rx will make 30-day prescriptions available at the 30-day retail price with no additional shipping fees in addition to the normal 90-day supply coverage.
• Client support staff and clinical pharmacists will remain available for phone calls and emails from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
• The company’s wholly owned and internally managed data centers, which can be remotely administered by its IT staff, will continue to operate without interruption.

“MC-Rx is here to support our clients and their employees during these difficult times. We will work even harder to maintain your confidence as well as keep you informed of any changes,” pledged Steven Treff, President and COO of MCH.

The American Pharmacists Association (APA) recently called for health insurers and PBMs to implement flexibility into their operating protocols. (3) Specifically, the APA expressed concern about long in-store waits for medicine while pharmacists “address administrative barriers.” APA also stated its support for the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) recent instruction to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans to, among several changes, relax the restriction on home or mail delivery options for prescription drugs.

Few PBMs can offer such extensive depth in coordinating home delivery medication fulfillment, best prices, and medication compliance for its patients—with such skills vital considering the current pandemic. MC-Rx rises to this challenge with two commonly owned pharmacies that can ensure timely nationwide home delivery of critical medications. According to the CDC, just under half of the population has one or more prescriptions. (4) If all prescription holders switched to home delivery, it would support both the current federal and state mandates for social isolation.

Reports of requested increases in 30-day prescriptions to 90-days are rising. However, there is the concern that if this trend continues, it could cause medication shortages. Refills over normal patterns are recommended by the CDC only for “primarily high-risk patients, such as those with comorbidities,” according to a trade source.(5) MC-Rx reminds plan sponsors and their members that they can rely on the well-established mail-order pharmacy fulfillment network already in place in the U.S.

About MC-Rx

MC-Rx is a full-service Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) with corporate offices in Gainesville, Georgia and Caguas, Puerto Rico, focusing on transparency and best-in-class service, and offering clients “lowest net cost.” MC-Rx’s retail network includes more than 65,000 national, regional, and local pharmacies. MC-Rx was formed by combining two URAC certified world-class PBM’s—ProCare PBM and MC-21. The ProCare companies were founded in 1988 with the vision of providing innovative computer software systems and services to various sectors of the healthcare industry. ProCare processed its first pharmacy claim in 1994 using proprietary, internally developed and managed systems and expanded in 1998 to full-service pharmacy benefit management through the acquisition of NextGen PBM. Today, the ProCare companies also include two affiliated mail-order and specialty pharmacies and are one of only five PBM providers that have built and own all of their component systems. MC-Rx now provides comprehensive, industry-leading service to clients in Puerto Rico and the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.mc-rx.com.

1. Andrew, Scottie. “Worried about Coronavirus? If Your Loved One Is over 60, Read This.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Mar. 2020, cnn.com/2020/03/12/health/what-60-older-need-to-know-coronavirus-wellness-trnd/index.html.

2. “Products – Data Briefs – Number 332 – February 2019.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Mar. 2019, cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db334.htm.

3. “APhA Urges Insurers, PBMs to Immediately Remove Barriers on Prescription Drug Refills for Coronavirus Preparedness.” Home, 13 Mar. 2020, pharmacist.com/press-release/apha-urges-insurers-pbms-immediately-remove-barriers-prescription-drug-refills.

4. “Products – Data Briefs – Number 332 – February 2019.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Mar. 2019, cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db334.htm.

5. McCook, Alison. “COVID-19: Stockpiling Refills May Strain the System.” IDSE, 11 Mar. 2020, idse.net/Policy–Public-Health/Article/03-20/COVID-19-Stockpiling-Refills-May-Strain-the-System/57583.

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