Strategic coronavirus response plan leverages testing and safeguards physical and mental health of workforces during and after the pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Healthstat, Inc., a leading provider of onsite, nearsite and virtual employer-sponsored health centers, has formulated a return to work strategy for its more than 250 health center locations and 500,000 patients.
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Driven by data analysis, the strategy identifies patients most at risk of developing COVID-19 complications, helping employers manage employee health as workplaces across the country slowly reopen their doors.
Healthstat’s return to work strategy and collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine are part of its larger COVID-19 response plan that:
- Immediately mitigates the spread of the virus at the work site
- Deployment of FDA approved Antibody and PCR testing
- Supports best practices to keep essential critical infrastructure employees on the job and manage the health of onsite, remote and furloughed employees
- Implements a staggered return approach guided by Healthstat’s methodology and the Johns Hopkins ACG health risk stratification database
- Integrates effectively with companies’ larger return to work strategies
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Utilizing both Johns Hopkins’ ACG® System and Healthstat’s proprietary methodology conceived and vetted by Dr. Eric Hart, Chief Medical Officer of Healthstat, and Dr. Ilene Klein, FAAFP, Chief Population Health Officer of Healthstat, that approximately 160,000 of Healthstat’s client population is at highest risk for COVID-19 complications, such as those with asthma, cancer, or diabetes. In addition to identifying this high-risk group, Healthstat was able to also identify individuals who need access to resources to help maintain good mental health and stability during this time. Understanding the individuals at risk and its clients’ overall employee population stratification gives Healthstat the ability to proactively protect the health and safety of the entire workforce. The company is working closely with clients to create customized data-driven return to work recommendations while its providers proactively engage individuals at the highest risk, offering solutions to help them manage existing conditions and learn how to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure.
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Testing will continue to be an integral part of Healthstat’s return to work strategy. This includes deploying PCR testing through partners at Quest and LabCorp with a turnaround of no more than four days. FDA approved antibody blood testing is also a focus for the organization as an important piece of the strategy.
“Leadership at every company in the U.S. is focused on a dual task: protecting the health of their employees, and at the same time ensuring a timely return to work for those who have quarantined due to COVID-19 illness, exposure or stay-at-home orders,” said Crockett Dale, CEO of Healthstat. “To help accomplish these goals, Healthstat remains committed to serving as a strategic advisor and implementation partner that provides meaningful, timely care, and supporting employers’ roles as civic and economic leaders in their communities.”
Other highlights of Healthstat’s strategic COVID-19 response plan, in place since mid-February, include:
- Ensuring all clinical teams have continued and uninterrupted access to PPE and sanitizing products, and implementing additional safety protocols in all health center settings.
- Instituting healthcare personnel COVID-19 exposure protocols and symptom self-monitoring forms, including twice-daily temperature checks for early detection and self-isolation of any Healthstat healthcare personnel with signs and symptoms suggestive of a COVID-19 infection.
- Creating a COVID-19 call line and expanding virtual alternatives to in-person health center service via telephone and video virtual care to support patients from the safety of their homes.
- Expanding service line options in mental health, medication consultation, and diabetes and cancer management for 24/7 virtual access to care during and after the pandemic.
Healthstat’s strategy is guided by daily updates and critical new information and guidelines issued by leading, credible sources in medical and public health, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and others. To ensure adherence to guidelines that protect patient and employee rights, the Healthstat Clinical Team also regularly monitors and shares guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Americans with Disabilities Act, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.