18 Aug Innovation Digest – August 2020 Vol. 2

It’s an understatement to say that trust is lacking in our current healthcare environment. But the lack of trust predates COVID-19 and is an ingrained characteristic of our disjointed healthcare system.  Part of the issue is the lack of transparency across the spectrum: clinical research, medical record data, pricing information and even the factors used to determine payment and coverage decisions are for the most part still opaque to the patients and consumers that such information is meant to serve. We see glimmers of hope in open access to clinical trial results, wider access to one’s own patient records, calls for transparency in pricing information at the point of care. Will the pandemic serve a purpose and finally push us to a more transparent and thus more trustworthy system that focuses on knowledge and shared decision-making? What a tragic missed opportunity if not.

In this issue:

• Coronavirus statistics: tracking global public sentiment over time
• Debate begins for who’s first in line for COVID-19 vaccine
• Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die
• As mindfulness app Headspace booms, its popularity outpaces its scientific evidence
• Health officials are quitting or getting fired amid outbreak
• 4 reasons you shouldn’t trash your neck gaiter based on the new mask study
• Smarter Health Care Deductibles Are a Win-Win for Employers and Employees
• Earning Trust in the Era of Covid-19