Chapel Hill, N.C. (April 13, 2020) — A panel of experts convened by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and its affiliated Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise held a press briefing via webinar on the effects of COVID-19 on the healthcare system, its providers and supply chains.
UNC Center for the Business of Health Faculty Director Professor Brad Staats provided an overview of the impact COVID-19 has had on the U.S. healthcare system, with a particular focus on bottlenecks in testing for the virus and the resulting implications of such delays.
Tackling the question of why the healthcare system is facing such significant PPE shortages, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Jay Swaminathan offered guidance on what can be done to improve the situation now—and how we can guard against a similar dearth in supply in future.
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Vinayak Deshpande shared new research on how the existing limited PPE supplies may be utilized more effectively, as well as how to source additional supplies amid the crisis.
Covering the effects of COVID-19 on frontline providers and impact on care delivery, UNC Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation Director Professor Cheryl Jones discussed policies currently under evaluation to address surge staffing capacity issues—including the prospect of relaxing nursing licensure requirements.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Chief Strategy Officer Bryony Winn shared how insurers are supporting both consumers and health care providers alike through policy changes, promoting new modalities of care (such as telehealth), easing providers’ administrative load and helping to work through fiscal challenges caused by COVID-19.