Hi Cindy,

I apologize for the delay and thank you for your response and questions. In my opinion, we have certainly made progress with respect to testing, treatment, and expanding the capacity of our healthcare beds. I believe we are at a critical period right now. It appeared in NY that our cases of newly identified positive cases was on the decline, and hospital cases have been continuing to decrease. I do think, in the context of how quickly and aggressively the virus spread, that it is hard to get a great handle on being far enough into the Pandemic to draw many solid conclusions. Today, I feel that there are many “lessons learned” that have been missed or very quickly forgotten. I believe we still have challenges with respect to appropriate PPE supplies. Further, I am concerned that we are not getting a true capture of the actual data and numbers being reports by local, state, and federal agencies. From what I have been able to ascertain, there were major issues with respect to the quality of some tests kits, laboratory processes, and then the reporting mechanisms. It is not clear that all of the issues and challenges have been addressed. Further, I am not sure that we have expanded testing capacity to the extent that we can confidently identify an accurate picture of the prevalence in the community. Therefore, it is important for us to remain vigilant and focus on the severity of the virus. I believe the next 7-10 days will be important to monitor with respect to potential new cases and community spread.

As far as a new healthcare system, I believe there is tremendous opportunity for us to really take the crisis, and see the potential positive changes that can be implemented going forward. The impact of the virus has certainly highlighted the disparities that exist among vulnerable populations. This can be a moment that we grab and use to balance critical factors related to accessing healthcare services, incorporating key concepts of population health with a focus on the social determinants, and the barriers that exist for individuals in need of care. The core concepts of public health, and health promotion, as opposed to disease treatment should be explored. Additionally, we have witnessed the consequences of not maintaining adequate and even surpluses of key equipment and supplies. This is all on top of the economic uncertainty and fluctuations that are associated with the Pandemic. Early in the response it appeared that certain sectors and even roles were expanding, and just weeks later, there is increased unemployment, in unexpected areas impacting professions that were not anticipated. Therefore, in general, we will have to be cognizant of the costs associated with Healthcare in a very new and precise manner. Issues associated with waste, poor quality, under performance, and inefficiency will have to be addressed as we deal with decreased resources to adequately cover costs. There is also an opportunity to review these costs of care and examine where it is that our healthcare spending actually goes. I am remaining optimistic that we will remember the lessons we appeared to be learning just weeks ago, but I fear we may miss many opportunities as we head into an uncertain future.

Thank you again, I really do appreciate the dialogue and this opportunity you have created for us to speak and exchange ideas and thoughts.

Tim

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Hi Tim:
What do you think that future will look like? Are we far enough along in this crisis that it's possible to think about that?

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