Flattening the Curve while Raising the Bar: Reducing Barriers to Care Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jackie Gerhart, MD, Clinical Informatics, Epic.  In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations and clinicians are ramping up care on two fronts. As part of expansion and surge efforts, they are adding beds to existing facilities and setting up temporary hospitals and pop-up screening sites to deal with the influx of new infections. Under social distancing guidelines, they have transitioned the bulk of primary care and many specialty interactions to telehealth.  Dr. Gerhart discusses innovative ways to leverage technology for white-tent clinics, pop-up hospitals, drive-through testing, and public health partnerships, along with how data and AI can help predict surges, and capacity needs.