Since Dr. Bottles’ first webinar in our COVID-19 series in April on Lessons Gleaned to Inspire Healthcare Transformations, we have learned so much about the pandemic, how to combat it, and its widespread impact on life as we know it. In this webinar, Dr. Bottles reviews the current status of COVID-19 including: The state of the US and global responses to the pandemic, vaccine development and distribution, testing and contact tracing, economic shutdown and other mitigation procedures, safety of children in public and private schools, progress in understanding the biology of the virus, and epidemiology.
Key Learnings from COVID-19:
Pulse Check, Where Things Stand Now
Presenter: Kent Bottles, MD
Date: August 27, 2020
Q & A with Dr. Bottles:
- Are we going to get worse during the COVID-19 pandemic in winter in the US?
There is certainly the possibility of a surge of COVID-19 cases happening in the winter at the same time that we have an increase in flu cases. This double whammy would be a real challenge for many hospital systems in terms of capacity and ICU bed availability. It would be prudent for all to get a flu vaccine this year to try to help with this possibility.
- It seems that the hospital data goes to the HHS, and now the hospitals go back to report the data to CDC? Is it right?
The problem with reliable data has been a real challenge for health care experts and the general public. In most pandemics we look to the CDC for data about how the problem is progressing. The CDC dropped the ball and the administration transferred data collection to the HHS. This failed to work out. Recently the administration decided to give the data collection back to the CDC. This arrangement has not helped the public have confidence in the data. For this reason, many look to the Johns Hopkins website and the NY Times for data. There is even a well-regarded website out of Seattle founded by a teenager which is more reliable than the CDC. The CDC has failed us in this regard.
- Can you recommend some resources for us non-bioscience people to learn about the immune system?
Ed Yong who is a well-regarded science writer wrote a clear and understandable description of the immune system in The Atlantic.
- I'd like to know how the hot topic of the microbiome factors in to the immune system and its over-response as an autoimmune disease.
We are just beginning to understand the human immune response to COVID-19. I am unaware of any studies about how the microbiome fits into this issue.
- How do we get people to adopt the strategy against Covid-19?
Julia Marcus has written about how public health experts have discovered that shaming does not result in getting people to adopt the actions that we need to take to control the spread of the disease. Please read her article.
- In relation to the slide of the 4 phases of impact of the disease, does anyone who is asymptomatic acquire heart problems and never know until they get an EKG or echo?
I am not aware of a study which shows this but I am very concerned that the long term effects of COVID-19 are not well studied or understood at this time.
- Even if you are asymptomatic, how soon after you have been exposed to somebody with Covid-19 should you be tested?
As soon as you are identified as someone who has been exposed to a person who has the disease, you should be tested with the PCR test for the RNA of the virus. The new Abbott antigen inexpensive tests are designed to test people who have symptoms.
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Dr. Kent Bottles, MD
Developing strategies and tactics to successfully engage physicians in quality, leadership, payment reform, and change management has been the focus of Dr. Bottles' work for over 35 years. He has extensive expertise in federal, state, and local healthcare delivery system reform. Dr. Bottles currently teaches health care policy and payment reform to graduate students pursuing their Master of Science in Health Policy, Applied Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Public Health, and Healthcare Quality and Safety at The Thomas Jefferson School of Population Health in Philadelphia. Dr. Bottles delivers 50 keynotes a year on topics ranging from: Digital Medicine, The Science of Positive Psychology, Social Media, Change Management, Leadership for Chaotic Times, Big Data vs. Tiny Data, The Doctor/Patient Relationship for the 21st Century, and Activation and Engagement of the e-Patient.
Dr. Bottles currently serves as a TLD Group Advisory Board member and has held a number of physician executive positions over the course of his career, including Tenured Professor at the University of Iowa and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Assistant Dean for Grand Rapids at MSU, Chief Medical Officer of the Iowa Health Science, President and CEO of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement in Minneapolis, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center in Michigan, Chief Knowledge Officer and President of the Genomics Repository for a bio-tech startup, and Chief Medical Officer for a medical communications startup.