17 Mar Innovation Digest – March 2020 Vol. 2

Amidst the hailstorm of important information about COVID-19, let’s not forget that there are plenty of pressing issues in healthcare that have a more universal and longer-lasting impact on this nation’s well-being. The relationship between clinician and patient is imperative now more than ever. Issues related to what and how patient-related data are used to make decisions from payment to coverage affect a host of conditions, both episodic and chronic. And we shouldn’t forget other health situations that are frankly at epidemic proportions even before the unseen virus: loneliness, addiction, and suicide to name a few. I have enormous respect for the frontline caregivers and especially the infectious disease expert-heros who are being taxed extra right now. I wish good health to all (now go wash your hands!)

In this issue:

• Improving Physician Communication About Treatment Decisions
• Hub providers can be the source of the best real-world evidence
• Battling the Modern Behavioral Epidemic of Loneliness
• It’s Now or Never for National Data Strategies
• Are Clinical Trials Doing Enough to Assess Patient Quality of Life?