Healthcare Industry Actions to Protect Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic – July 14, 2020

The Healthcare Leadership Council is comprised of leading companies from every sector of American healthcare.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be sharing examples of actions these companies are taking to protect and assist the public and combat the virus’s spread.  If you would like assistance in reaching a representative for any of these companies, please contact Kelly Fernandez at kfernandez@hlc.org. 

• An executive with AmerisourceBergen has written an op-ed for PharmExec.com explaining how companies that manage the healthcare supply chain are taking innovative steps during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect in-demand medicines, ensure safe product handling, and support clinical trials while anticipating future demands from providers and patients during these challenging times.

• Amgen is currently testing several of its already-existing drugs to see if they can make an impact treating COVID-19 patients. In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Amgen CEO Robert Bradway said medicines that treat autoimmune disorders like psoriatic arthritis may be effective in containing the immune system overreactions brought on by COVID-19, which lead to respiratory complications.

• The Cleveland Clinic has opened the Florida Research and Innovation Center in Port St. Lucie, FL which will focus in large part on infectious disease, including COVID-19. The Florida site will be integrated with the Clinic’s new Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens Research, which is bringing together top scientific experts to better understand pathogens like coronavirus and expedite treatments and vaccines.

• Two Healthcare Leadership Council members, Cotiviti and Epic, are spotlighted in a Forbes article, “15 Companies That Are Saving the World from COVID-19.” Cotiviti is cited for the Outbreak Tracker it developed, which projects provides weekly forecasts regarding virus hot spots in the U.S. Epic is mentioned for developing software that helps medical professionals predict which coronavirus patients are at greatest risk to become seriously ill.

• An article on the American Medical Association website spotlights Marshfield Clinic’s success in transforming its National Diabetes Prevention Program initiative from an in-person program to distance learning in order to keep participants safe from COVID-19. By utilizing distance learning, the clinic is better able to reach and assist patients with prediabetes to help them with healthy lifestyle changes.

• A physician at New York-Presbyterian has been featured in Variety’s “Power of Women” special issue for her work treating pregnant women who have contracted COVID-19. Megan Savage, a maternal fetal medicine fellow at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, was also highlighted for raising funds to supply meals for members of her unit and behind-the-scenes workers.