# Vulnerable Patients * **Definition:** Patients who are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes due to factors such as age, socioeconomic status, chronic illness, mental health conditions, or social isolation, which may limit their access to healthcare services and their ability to engage in self-care. * **Taxonomy:** Healthcare Topics / Vulnerable Patients ## News * Selected news on the topic of **Vulnerable Patients**, for healthcare technology leaders * 2.7K news items are in the system for this topic * Posts have been filtered for tech and healthcare-related keywords | Date | Title | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 5/9/2025 | [**Hospital issues 'do not' warning if you experience five symptoms**](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hospital-issues-not-warning-experience-084429298.html) | [[Yahoo News UK]] | | 5/1/2025 | [**West Virginia Recognizes Autonomy of CRNAs with New State Law**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/west-virginia-recognizes-autonomy-of-crnas-with-new-state-law-302444601.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 4/24/2025 | [**Most hospital emergency rooms ask patients about food or housing insecurity**](https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/most-hospital-emergency-rooms-ask-patients-about-food-or-housing-insecurity) | [[Chief Healthcare Executive]] | | 4/23/2025 | [**Accountable Care Organizations Join Forces To Protect Critical Medicare Programs**](https://homehealthcarenews.com/2025/04/accountable-care-organizations-join-forces-to-protect-critical-medicare-programs/) | [[Home Health Care News]] | | 4/21/2025 | [**Large pharmacies continue to exploit federal program; consumers suffer - Opinion**](https://www.aol.com/large-pharmacies-continue-exploit-federal-210000060.html) | [[AOL]] | | 3/19/2025 | [**Pediatrix Medical Group (NYSE:MD) Vs The Rest Of The Pack - Yahoo Finance**](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/look-back-healthcare-providers-services-090348421.html) | [[Yahoo Finance]] | | 2/4/2025 | [**Partnering with Community Organizations and Ensuring Equitable Access to ... - Healthcare IT Today**](https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2025/02/04/partnering-with-community-organizations-and-ensuring-equitable-access-to-healthcare-services-for-marginalized-and-vulnerable-populations/) | [[Healthcare IT Today]] | | 1/26/2025 | [**Weekly Roundup - January 25, 2025 - Healthcare IT Today**](https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2025/01/25/weekly-roundup-january-25-2025/) | [[Healthcare IT Today]] | | 1/7/2025 | [**AccurKardia Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for AI-powered Hyperkalemia Detection Solution Using Lead I ECG Data**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107507232/en/AccurKardia-Receives-FDA-Breakthrough-Device-Designation-for-AI-powered-Hyperkalemia-Detection-Solution-Using-Lead-I-ECG-Data/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-Q-tiwWZwkcswR1UZtV7eGe24xL9TZOyQUMS3J72mJlQ7fxFuNFTHSunhvli30RlBNXya2izy9YOgHlBiZQk2LOzmn6JePCpHPCiYGaEx4DL1Rq8pNwkf3AarimpDzQGuQ==) | [[Business Wire]] | | 1/7/2025 | [**AccurKardia Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for AI-powered Hyperkalemia Detection Solution Using Lead I ECG Data**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107507232/en/AccurKardia-Receives-FDA-Breakthrough-Device-Designation-for-AI-powered-Hyperkalemia-Detection-Solution-Using-Lead-I-ECG-Data/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-RLXHJgazfQJNuOVHefdHP-D8R-QU5o2AvY8bhI9uvWSD8DYIYv4TIC1g1u0AKcacnnViVjtb72bOP4-4nHK5ieT3WxPE8m_kWI77F87CseT) | [[Business Wire]] | | 1/7/2025 | [**AccurKardia Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for AI-powered Hyperkalemia ...**](https://www.businesswire.com/news/aptechnologynews/20250107507232/en/AccurKardia-Receives-FDA-Breakthrough-Device-Designation-for-AI-powered-Hyperkalemia-Detection-Solution-Using-Lead-I-ECG-Data) | [[Business Wire]] | | 1/3/2025 | [**Interspecies mitochondrial research could improve organ transplantation viability**](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-interspecies-mitochondrial-transplantation-viability.html) | [[MedicalXpress]] | | 1/3/2025 | [**LPOXY Therapeutics, Inc. Acquires Key Assets from Xeno Biosciences Inc. to Advance C ...**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lpoxy-therapeutics-inc-acquires-key-assets-from-xeno-biosciences-inc-to-advance-c-difficile-prevention-therapy-302342156.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 12/23/2024 | [**How Medicare Advantage Programs Can Address Social Risk and Improve Health Outcomes**](https://hitconsultant.net/2024/12/23/how-medicare-advantage-programs-can-address-social-risk/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 12/20/2024 | [**4 Ways to Help Vulnerable Patients Engage with Primary Care**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/12/4-ways-to-help-vulnerable-patients-engage-with-primary-care/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 12/18/2024 | [**SafeRide Health Opens New San Antonio Headquarters, Helping Vulnerable Patients ...**](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20241218da82937/saferide-health-opens-new-san-antonio-headquarters-helping-vulnerable-patients-nationwide-access-life-sustaining-care) | [[Morningstar]] | | 12/18/2024 | [**SafeRide Health Opens New San Antonio Headquarters, Helping Vulnerable Patients ...**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/saferide-health-opens-new-san-antonio-headquarters-helping-vulnerable-patients-nationwide-access-life-sustaining-care-302335268.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 11/22/2024 | [**Closing America's Diabetes Divide: A $412 Billion Opportunity to Transform Diabetes Care**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/11/closing-americas-diabetes-divide-a-412-billion-opportunity-to-transform-diabetes-care/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 11/14/2024 | [**Angels for Change Announces Key Update on Project PROTECT Grant Award: Fagron to ...**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/angels-for-change-announces-key-update-on-project-protect-grant-award-fagron-to-supply-critical-dextrose-amid-predicted-shortages-302305760.html) | [[PR Newswire]] | | 10/10/2024 | [**The Power of “Techquity”: How Telehealth Can Help Promote Health Equity**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/10/the-power-of-techquity-how-telehealth-can-help-promote-health-equity/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 8/5/2024 | [**Meeting The Needs Of Socially Vulnerable Patients: Views Of ACO Leaders On Moving From Intent To Action**](https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00673) | [[Health Affairs]] | | 7/9/2024 | [**HarmonyCares Secures $200M to Expand Access to In-Home Primary Care**](https://hitconsultant.net/2024/07/09/harmonycares-secures-200m-to-expand-access-to-in-home-primary-care/) | [[HIT Consultant]] | | 7/8/2024 | [**Data-Driven Devices: Powering Healthcare's Digital Revolution**](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2024/07/09/data-driven-devices-powering-healthcares-digital-revolution/) | [[Forbes]] | | 1/3/2024 | [**Aetna Better Health of Kentucky, Avesis and MapHabit Launch Pilot Program for Vulnerable Patients**](https://medcitynews.com/2024/01/aetna-better-health-of-kentucky-avesis-and-maphabit-launch-pilot-program-for-vulnerable-patients/) | [[MedCity News]] | | 9/19/2023 | [**Behavioral health system's illegal sober home kickbacks endangered vulnerable patients, DOJ alleges**](https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/doj-behavioral-health-systems-illegal-sober-home-kickbacks-endangered-vulnerable-patients) | [[FierceHealthcare]] | ## Topic Overview (Some LLM-derived content — please confirm with above primary sources) ### Key Players - **Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)**: A federal agency that is increasingly focusing on social drivers of health and their impact on vulnerable patients. - **HarmonyCares**: A provider of value-based in-home longitudinal care, focusing on vulnerable patients with complex clinical and social needs. - **Johnson & Johnson**: A pharmaceutical company that has faced scrutiny over its drug pricing policies affecting vulnerable patients. - **HealthTap**: A tech-enabled virtual physician practice enhancing healthcare access for vulnerable populations, including incarcerated individuals. - **CVS Health**: A healthcare organization leveraging digital health technology to identify and support at-risk patients, particularly during extreme weather events. - **Clearway Health**: A healthcare organization that enhances specialty pharmacy services to improve medication access for vulnerable patients. - **L.A. Care**: A health plan serving Medi-Cal patients that faced penalties for systemic failures impacting patient care. - **Medical Home Network (MHN)**: Partnering with Instacart to combat food insecurity among vulnerable populations. - **Sanofi**: A pharmaceutical company implementing a rebate model to increase access to medications for vulnerable populations. - **Agilon Health**: A company that partners with physicians to transition to a value-based care model, focusing on senior patients. - **UnitedHealth Group**: A major health insurance provider that has faced scrutiny for denying mental health care coverage and using algorithms to limit access for vulnerable patients. - **PointClickCare**: A technology platform that connects siloed data to enhance discharge visibility and reduce readmissions. - **FeelBetter**: A startup offering an AI-based medication management platform aimed at reducing medication-related risks in seniors. - **Dispensary of Hope**: An organization that improves access to quality medication for uninsured and low-income individuals. - **SafeRide Health**: A non-emergency medical transportation company dedicated to improving healthcare access for vulnerable populations. - **Cityblock Health**: A healthcare provider focusing on integrated medical and behavioral health care for vulnerable populations. ### Partnerships and Collaborations - **Sonata Software**: Selected as a strategic IT outsourcing partner to enhance personalized care for vulnerable patients. - **FeelBetter and Americare**: Expanding AI-based medication management into long-term care to identify patients at risk of adverse medication events. - **HarmonyCares and General Catalyst**: Collaboration to expand in-home care services for vulnerable patients, addressing access gaps in primary care. - **Mount Sinai Medical Center and HealthSnap**: This collaboration enhances remote patient monitoring and chronic care management for Medicare patients. - **Dispensary of Hope**: Works with various sectors to improve healthcare access and outcomes for vulnerable populations. - **Medical Home Network and Instacart**: Integrating a SNAP eligibility screener into care management to address food insecurity. - **Integra Connect, Jaan Health, Sweeten Health**: A strategic collaboration to enhance chronic care management for oncology patients. - **HarmonyCares and Medicare**: HarmonyCares partners with Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare ACO programs to provide care for vulnerable patients. - **HealthTap and NaphCare**: A collaboration to provide virtual primary and urgent care in federal correctional systems, addressing healthcare needs for incarcerated individuals. - **Clearway Health and Sinai Chicago**: Partnership aimed at improving medication options and adherence for patients with chronic conditions. - **Essen Health Care and ACO REACH**: Improving care access and health outcomes for vulnerable populations through coordinated care. - **Alliance Health and Cityblock**: Collaboration to enhance healthcare access for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. - **Arbital Health and HarmonyCares**: A strategic partnership to enhance management of value-based care contracts for in-home primary care services aimed at seniors. - **Angels for Change, Fagron, Children's Hospital Association**: Collaborative effort to secure a supply of Dextrose to combat drug shortages affecting pediatric patients. - **Podimetrics and HTEC**: Collaborating to modernize healthcare platforms and improve diabetic foot care technology. - **Bamboo Health and WakeMed**: This partnership aims to integrate real-time care intelligence solutions to improve patient outcomes and care transitions. - **CareSource and Communities In Schools**: Providing essential support services to reduce chronic absenteeism among vulnerable students. - **Saint Francis Foundation and Delta Dental Community Care Foundation**: Collaboration to enhance healthcare access for vulnerable populations in San Francisco through funding for behavioral health services. - **Brookings Center for Technology Innovation**: Established The AI Equity Lab to promote responsible AI design in healthcare, focusing on inclusivity for vulnerable communities. - **Hughes Holden Foundation and Columbia University**: Funding for research on AI-based mental health screening tools for marginalized communities. ### Innovations, Trends, and Initiatives - **Telemedicine Integration**: Advocated as a solution to ensure vulnerable patients receive necessary care amidst climate change impacts. - **Social Vulnerability Index**: A tool used in studies to assess the impact of social factors on cancer treatment outcomes, highlighting disparities in care for vulnerable populations. - **Virtual Care Models**: The shift towards virtual care, including telehealth services, is enhancing access to care for vulnerable populations. - **Hospital-at-Home Model**: A care model allowing patients to receive acute care at home, beneficial for vulnerable patients. - **Telehealth Expansion**: Increasing telehealth coverage to improve access for vulnerable patients facing social determinants of health challenges. - **Age-Friendly Hospital Measure**: A new CMS measure mandating hospitals to implement protocols for timely transfer of older patients, emphasizing the 4Ms Framework. - **AI in Healthcare**: Utilizing AI to enhance medication management and improve patient outcomes for vulnerable populations. - **340B Drug Pricing Program**: A program aimed at providing financial support to safety net hospitals for vulnerable patients, facing scrutiny for effectiveness. - **PC Flex Model**: A new reimbursement model promoting health equity and integrated care for underserved populations. - **Simmar®ESTE-SIM**: A training simulator developed to enhance nursing education for caring for vulnerable pediatric patients. - **Home-Based Care Models**: Programs like Johns Hopkins' Neighborhood Nursing and UW Medicine's Community Heart Failure Program demonstrate the effectiveness of in-home care for vulnerable patients. - **Real-time Monitoring Technologies**: Advancements in devices that allow for continuous health monitoring, particularly for chronic conditions among vulnerable populations. - **Predictive Analytics**: Utilizing historical and real-time data to forecast patient readmission risks, enabling proactive care measures. - **Specialty Pharmacy Program by Clearway Health**: Aims to eliminate barriers to medication access and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. - **SafeRide Health Expansion**: Plans to significantly increase ride services to restore access to healthcare for vulnerable patients. - **InstantQT by AliveCor**: A technology enabling remote ECG recording for vulnerable patients, enhancing cardiac health monitoring. - **CVS Health's Digital Health Program**: A program utilizing data analytics to identify at-risk members before extreme weather events, directing them to necessary resources. - **Value-Based Care (VBC)**: A shift in healthcare organizations to improve health equity and reduce costs, focusing on managing both VBC and fee-for-service models. ### Challenges and Concerns - **Disparities in Cancer Outcomes**: Vulnerable cancer patients experience worse outcomes, with studies showing significant mortality differences based on social vulnerability. - **Remote Monitoring Risks**: Concerns regarding the safety and effectiveness of remote monitoring systems potentially delaying care for vulnerable patients. - **Drug Shortages**: Ongoing issues affecting vulnerable populations, particularly pediatric patients, due to supply chain vulnerabilities. - **Climate Change Effects**: Extreme weather conditions are causing vulnerable patients, particularly older adults, to miss medical appointments, necessitating innovative solutions. - **Data Integrity in Medicare Advantage Plans**: Challenges in utilizing data effectively to identify social risks and tailor interventions for vulnerable populations. - **Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage**: Increasing use of prior authorization is leading to coverage denials for vulnerable patients, complicating access to necessary care. - **Mental Health Resource Allocation**: Challenges in optimizing mental health resources for vulnerable groups, including adolescents and the elderly. - **Opioid Access Issues**: Patients with serious illnesses face challenges in accessing necessary pain management medications amid the ongoing opioid crisis. - **Cybersecurity Threats**: The healthcare sector faces a significant increase in cybersecurity incidents, impacting patient care and safety. - **Access to Mental Health Care**: UnitedHealth Group's practices have limited access to necessary mental health treatments for vulnerable patients. - **340B Program Exploitation**: Some hospitals have raised prescription costs significantly, undermining the program's intent to support vulnerable populations. - **340B Program Oversight**: Concerns about the lack of oversight and potential abuses in the 340B program, impacting the support for vulnerable populations. - **Digital Divide**: Challenges in equitable telehealth access, particularly affecting vulnerable populations due to lack of resources and technology. - **Access to Placental Allografts**: Proposed restrictions could eliminate 93% of currently allowed products, increasing risks for vulnerable patients. - **Medicaid Cuts**: Concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid and their impact on healthcare access for low-income individuals. - **Access to SDoH Data**: Healthcare providers struggle to incorporate patient-reported SDoH data into clinical decisions due to barriers in data accessibility. - **Johnson & Johnson's Pricing Policy**: Concerns over new pricing policies affecting 340B hospitals and their ability to provide affordable medications to vulnerable patients. - **Drug Pricing and Access**: Johnson & Johnson's new rebate model raised concerns about access to medications for vulnerable patients, leading to potential federal action. - **Healthcare Access Disparities**: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access, particularly for patients with liver cancer. - **Quality of Care in For-Profit Hospices**: Concerns raised about the performance of for-profit hospice care compared to not-for-profit agencies, impacting vulnerable patients.