#electronic health records in hospitals in washington

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Enhancing Behavioral Health with DrCloudEHR in Washington

Enhancing Behavioral Health with DrCloudEHR in Washington

In the rapidly evolving landscape of mental health care, having the right tools to manage patient information and clinical workflows is essential for delivering high-quality care. In Washington, mental health providers are increasingly turning to behavioral health EHR solutions in Washington to streamline operations, improve patient outcomes, and ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. Among the leading providers of EHR platform in Washington, DrCloudEHR stands out for its commitment to excellence, affordability, and customer satisfaction.

The Importance of Behavioral Health EHR Solutions in Washington

Behavioral health EHR solutions in Washington are designed to meet the unique needs of mental health clinics, providing a comprehensive platform that supports the management of patient information, treatment plans, and clinical documentation. These systems are essential for improving the efficiency of mental health services, allowing providers to focus more on patient care and less on administrative tasks.

DrCloudEHR is a leading provider of electronic health records platform in Washington, offering a robust and user-friendly platform that is tailored to the specific needs of behavioral health clinics. Our mental health solutions in Washington are designed to optimize clinical workflows, improve patient outcomes, and ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Tailored EHR Solutions for Mental Health Clinics in Washington

Mental health clinics in Washington face a variety of challenges, including the need to manage complex patient cases, maintain accurate records, and comply with strict regulations. DrCloudEHR offers tailored digital health records in Washington, designed to address these challenges and support the delivery of high-quality care.

Our electronic health records in hospitals in Washington are built with the needs of behavioral health providers in mind, offering features such as clinical decision support system in Washington, electronic prescribing for controlled substances, and quality management systems. These tools help providers make informed decisions, streamline workflows, and ensure that patient care is always the top priority.

In addition to our comprehensive medical electronic record system in Washington, DrCloudEHR also offers telehealth solutions that enable providers to deliver care remotely. This is particularly important in Washington, where access to mental health services can be limited by geographic and other barriers. By providing mental health solutions in Washington that support both in-person and remote care, DrCloudEHR is helping to improve access to services for patients across the state.

Why Choose DrCloudEHR?

When it comes to choosing the best medical EMR systems in Washington, DrCloudEHR is the clear choice for mental health providers. Our platform is designed to be both comprehensive and user-friendly, making it easy for clinics to manage patient information, treatment plans, and clinical documentation. But what truly sets us apart is our commitment to customer satisfaction.

At DrCloudEHR, we understand that every mental health clinic is unique, and we are dedicated to providing personalized attention and support to meet your specific needs. From seamless integration with existing systems to ongoing training and technical assistance, we are here to ensure your success every step of the way.

Our driven electronic medical record vendor in Washington is also designed with compliance in mind. We know how important it is for mental health providers to maintain compliance with state and federal regulations, including HIPAA. That’s why our electronic health record in Washington is built with robust security features and undergoes regular audits to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of patient data.

The Best EHR Solution Providers in Washington

As one of the best clinical support system in Washington providers, DrCloudEHR is committed to helping mental health clinics succeed. Our EHR platform in Washington is designed to be flexible and customizable, allowing clinics to tailor the system to their specific needs. Whether you’re a small community clinic or a large healthcare organization, DrCloudEHR provides the tools you need to deliver high-quality care.

Our platform is also designed to be scalable, making it an ideal choice for clinics that are looking to grow and expand their services. With DrCloudEHR, you can be confident that your electronic health records platform in Washington will continue to meet your needs as your practice evolves.

Conclusion

In Washington, mental health providers face a variety of challenges in delivering high-quality care. With DrCloudEHR, you can overcome these challenges and focus on what matters most: your patients. Our comprehensive behavioral health EHR solutions in Washington are designed to meet the unique needs of behavioral health clinics, providing the tools you need to streamline operations, improve patient outcomes, and ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.

As one of the best electronic medical record vendors in Washington, DrCloudEHR is committed to helping you succeed. With our user-friendly platform, personalized support, and robust security features, you can trust that your practice will be in good hands. Whether you’re looking to improve your clinical workflows, enhance patient care, or expand your services, DrCloudEHR is here to help you achieve your goals.

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Enhancing Healthcare with Modern EHR Platforms

Enhancing Modern EHR Platforms Healthcare In the ever changing domain of health care, patient information must be managed well. These up-to-date electronic health record (EHR) systems have been constructed to smoothen operations in a bid to enhance patient treatment and make sure that health providers can access accurate data that is current. Let’s see how this software is making a difference in different states focusing on particular characteristics and advantages.

Mobile Responsive EHR Platform in Louisiana

Healthcare providers In Louisiana get lots of advantages from EHR systems that are responsive to mobile devices. They help doctors retrieve patient information while attending to their needs wherever they are for prompt treatments that save time effectively. Doctors need to be able to manage patient records, make appointments among others through mobile phones relatively quickly as it is described in the current healthcare speed.

Healthcare Information Systems in Oregon

In Oregon, efficient healthcare information systems that are advanced, enhance result of patient becoming being the important role of things. ⁤⁤For instance all other systems of healthcare information are at one with each other so as not to experience data exchange problems and to improve general efficiency ⁤⁤Such systems enable those working in the health sector to offer better services while at the same time making sure that patients’ records are not only accurate but also available. ⁤

Electronic Health Record Systems in Illinois

Electronic health record systems in Illinois, which are electronic, have made a huge difference in patient care. For health care providers to manage patient records well, the systems give them interfaces that are easy to use. Documenting all interactions with patients correctly with EHRs helps in enhancing care quality and simplifying administrative work.

Patient Appointment System in Oregon

Efficient appointment scheduling is vital to minimizing wait times as well as to increasing customer satisfaction throughout patient’s treatment time. In Oregon, health care providers are now able to better manage their schedules and reduce instances of missed appointments thanks to the emergence of sophisticated patient appointment systems. These innovative systems make sure that booking for appointments is done conveniently by patients, making them have better health care experience.

QMS Management in Oregon

Quality management systems (QMS) will be helpful in controlling the caring quality of the caregiving scenario related to healthcare settings. This will help in making the health provision procedure in Oregon streamlined and effective by integrating with an EHR platform. This integration will make sure that healthcare providers are being consistently quality-assured and are in compliance with administrative regulations.

Health Information Management in Oregon

Effective management of health information (HIM) will be very paramount for the optimal execution of patient care. Advanced EHR systems do feature way better tools of patient data handling in a secure and accurate manner, hence easy access to any health information by those allowed, therefore improving service provision in general quality.

Mental Health Solutions in Washington

Special tools that would help effectively manage the treatment of mental health solutions in Washington are provided for managing the patient's records in departments that are dependent on the solutions available for mental health. Comprehensive mental health care is supported, which pretty much ensures that the patients are treated and taken care of rightly.

Electronic Medical Record Systems in Washington

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems are at the core of handling patient information. This system in Washington is one of the most reliable and easy-to-use answers for health providers when it comes to health care facilities. In making patient record access and accuracy more reliable, the EMR systems improve patient care and the workflows of the medical processes.

Electronic Patient Record in Washington

In so far as the health care delivery in Washington is concerned, the switch over to electronic medical record has really proven to be helpful. Repetitive for patient records, the system guarantees a sort of security, and data can be retrieved easily and fast by only authorized personnel. The utilization of such systems hence enhances patient outcomes more because it offers more comprehensive and accurate information to health care providers.

Digital Health Records in Washington

Digital health records are the future of health care, and now Washington is leading the revolution for this transition. Enhanced electronic health records platforms advance efficiency and patient care by enabling information regarding patient health to be accessed easily and kept very securely. Enhanced information systems will do away with all the paper load, and there will be high accuracy of data.

Electronic Health Records in Hospitals in Washington

Hospitals in Washington have well succeeded in implementing Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems in integrating care coordination and patient outcomes. They assure accurate documentation for all the patients and the easy accessibility of information from any department. Integration helps the service providers to carry out services in a consistent and high-quality manner.

Conclusion

Modern EHR platforms are transforming healthcare across various states by improving efficiency, enhancing patient care, and ensuring accurate data management. From mobile responsive solutions in Louisiana to advanced healthcare information systems in Oregon and comprehensive electronic health records in Washington, these platforms are setting new standards in health information management.

For more information please contact.www.drcloudehr.com

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Transform Your Healthcare Operations with Dr. Cloud EHR

At Dr. Cloud EHR, we’re dedicated to transforming the way healthcare professionals manage their practices with cutting-edge electronic health record platforms. Our advanced Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is designed to streamline your operations, improve patient care, and enhance overall efficiency.

Why Choose Dr. Cloud EHR?

1. User-Friendly Interface: Our EHR Platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it simple for healthcare providers to access and manage patient information, whether you're using our electronic health record in Illinois or elsewhere.

2. Comprehensive Features: Our billing module in hospital management system ensures seamless integration of financial operations with patient care. From appointment scheduling to patient records and billing, Dr. Cloud EHR offers a wide range of features to support all aspects of your practice.

3. Secure and Compliant: We prioritize the security of your data, ensuring that all information is protected and compliant with industry standards and regulations. Whether you're utilizing electronic medical record systems in Idaho or managing mental health solutions in Washington, our platform guarantees the highest level of data security.

4. Cloud-Based Access: Access your EHR from anywhere, at any time. Our cloud-based solution provides flexibility and convenience, allowing you to stay connected to your practice on the go. Ideal for practices needing EMAR medication system in Maryland or similar solutions.

5. Dedicated Support: Our team of experts is here to provide you with exceptional support and training, ensuring you get the most out of our EHR system and electronic health record platforms.

Enhance Your Practice Today

Join the many healthcare professionals who have already experienced the benefits of Dr. Cloud EHR. Contact us to learn more about how our EHR Platform can elevate your practice and improve patient care.

Get in Touch: Visit our website at Dr. Cloud EHR to schedule a demo or speak with a representative.

Transform your practice with Dr. Cloud EHR – where technology meets excellence in healthcare.

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Also preserved in our archive

A large multistate study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) VISION Network, has found that COVID-19 vaccination given during pregnancy offered 52% protection, cutting risk of a COVID-19-associated emergency department or urgent care visit in half. This is especially significant because there is an increased risk of severe COVID-19 during pregnancy requiring hospitalization and potentially causing adverse pregnancy outcomes.

However, if received less than six months prior to pregnancy, vaccination effectiveness declined providing only moderate protection against COVID (28%). If received more than six months prior to pregnancy, vaccination provided little protection (6%) against COVID. The research is published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Similar to findings in previous VISION studies of those who were not pregnant, protection provided by vaccination against COVID for those who were pregnant waned over four to six months. Also, similar to COVID vaccines for individuals who are not pregnant, effectiveness was comparable to that of the flu vaccine.

The study looked at geographically and racially diverse data from electronic medical records captured during routine health care delivery. There was no difference in the protection provided by COVID vaccination by age or race in the study population of 7,677 pregnant 18- to 45-year-olds.

The authors of this study note that their findings, derived from real-world data, indicate the protection provided by either monovalent or bivalent COVID vaccination for those who were pregnant or became pregnant was lower as compared with previous studies, likely due to changes in virus subvariant predominance in 2022-23. Other VISION Network studies have had similar findings in non-pregnant populations.

"The VISION Network did this study to examine the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals who were pregnant, because there have been a lot of questions as to whether pregnant people should be vaccinated or not," said study co-author Brian Dixon, Ph.D., MPA.

"Our data show that for COVID-19, vaccines are protective of pregnant persons, supporting CDC guidelines that recommend COVID vaccination." Dr. Dixon is director and a research scientist with the Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics at Regenstrief Institute and a professor at the Indiana University Indianapolis Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.

Significantly, deidentified data contributed to the study by Regenstrief Institute indicated that pregnant persons in Indiana were half as likely to be vaccinated for COVID-19 than pregnant persons in the other states, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, from which data was analyzed. Approximately 65% of those in Indiana who were pregnant were unvaccinated, compared to 30 to 45% in the other states.

"COVID-19 vaccination remains essential for pregnant women's health," said study co-author Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., vice president for data and analytics at the Regenstrief Institute and professor of family medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

"As a physician and data scientist, I encourage women to discuss with their doctors the benefits of getting vaccinated or revaccinated to stay protected during pregnancy. Our findings aim to spark vital conversations between physicians and pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy about the safety and protection that the COVID vaccine provides.

"We also hope this work will inspire public health leaders and policymakers in Indiana and across the nation to promote vaccination, reaching women, families, and communities. Ultimately, it's crucial for pregnant individuals to remain current with CDC-recommended COVID-19 vaccinations to safeguard their health."

The study was a collaboration among CDC and seven geographically diverse U.S. health care systems and research centers with integrated medical, laboratory and vaccination records—all members of the CDC's VISION Network.

In addition to Regenstrief Institute, which contributed both data and scientific expertise, VISION sites participating in the study were Columbia University, Health Partners, Intermountain Health, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Northwest and University of Colorado.

More information: Allison Avrich Ciesla et al, Effectiveness of the Original Monovalent and Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters in Pregnant Persons Who Were Not Immunocomprom

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Week 3 Blog 9/12

How do algorithms correlate to anti-black racism?

As discussed in Nicole Brown’s “Race and Technology” Youtube video, predictive policing technology has been used in the past decade to create strategic “hit-lists” to predict who would be most likely to commit or be involved with violent crimes in the area. These innocent civilians and children with no criminal past were on high surveillance in real life, as well as their data. Anything put into their algorithms would count as incriminating evidence. Sociologist Simone Brown’s book “Dark Matters” is briefly summarized through the video. It is noteworthy to acknowledge the racial and Black surveillance themes. As technologies continue to use bias and objectification against Black communities society must create and advocate for safe and inclusive spaces within the virtual world.

How has social media proven to encourage social justice and hate at the same time?

What immediately comes to my head is the BLM movement during 2020. After the unjust arrest and murder of George Floyd, uprisings in Black communities led to protests being broadcasted. With every scroll through social media and flip through news channels we were seemingly seeing the same content with different headlines and reactions. If we circle back, the death of George Floyd itself was unfortunately a trending topic with everyone’s biased opinions rather than a call of action for an act of abuse of power. Things such as his past criminal record were brought up through the media to justify what had happened to him, others used plain excuses such as his race. The Black Lives Matter movement had already gained traction years prior due to another murder of a young Black man. Black communities weren’t feeling heard or supported and the BLM movement was once again brought to headlines to advocate for Black voices and consequences to the police force. Now as this progressed and protests made way, lootings, attacks on protests, and curfews were put into place in many areas across the country. Depending on your algorithm you probably saw an array of discourse about the matter, so much so that it had taken away from the point of what was being advocated for in the first place. WIth the freedom of speech we have the right to voice our opinions on these heavy topics surrounding social justice, but society should practice proper and respectful netiquette so we use our voices with purpose.

How much does the healthcare system really depend on technology and how are people of color affected by this?

As society progresses, so do the systems within such as healthcare. Hospitals are actually quite dependent on technology as it is now considered an essential. Some technological advancements used in the healthcare system include data and analytics, diagnostic tools, telemedicine, and electronic health records. All sounds great so how would these pose as issues to people of color? With Electronic Health Records, hospitals are able to transfer patient data for improved treatment and coordination but when it comes to patients in areas with limited digital resources they are left with outdated medical treatment. “Racial bias in a medical algorithm favors white patients over sicker black patients” headlines The Washington Post as seen on Nicole Brown’s “Race and Technology” Youtube video. So yes, the use of data, algorithms, and technology has been proven to create a progressive era for healthcare and its patients, but we as a society must be aware of how this affects minority communities due to embedded bias and properly advocate for change.

Is AI ruining the future of students?

As students are distanced from pencils and paper and moved onto digital spaces, there is a lack of creativity and critical thinking within the entire generation of students. Students are able to use Grammarly and ChatGPT to write papers. Students are able to use Photomath and Mathway to complete math problems. Students are limited to a keyboard and screen for discussions and are missing raw interactions and conversations. This is a danger to the future workforce as many students are cheating their way through schooling and depending on hands on experience without book knowledge and human networking. Many are afraid of AI becoming the future of everything and that can only happen if we continue this co-dependent relationship with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uiAjigKy8

Automating Inequality Intro (Eubanks)

Rethinking Cyberfeminism (Daniels

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The Demand for Medical Assistants Continues Rising

Medical assistants have become integral parts of various health facilities. They complete multiple tasks to ensure patients receive necessary care, such as answering phone calls and completing insurance paperwork. Medical assistants also take blood samples and help with vaccinations. Thus, they provide essential support in healthcare settings.

Baby boomers form the largest age group in the United States. This generation was born between 1946 and 1964. According to a 2023 Washington Post article, 55.7 million people in the United States are over 65. The article further noted that by 2040, about 80.8 million Americans will be above 65. Similarly, the US Census Bureau’s population has projected that by 2030, one in five Americans will have attained retirement age. Because the American population is aging rapidly, there is an increase in the demand for healthcare. The population size has resulted in the need for more medical aides who will administer vaccinations and prepare samples for tests.

Improved healthcare services and the construction of new hospitals, clinics, and outpatient services have also increased the demand for medical assistants. More population members experience various diseases, necessitating additional healthcare facilities and service providers.

In addition, the rise in healthcare services necessitated more administrative support, which medical assistants can provide. Administrative duties include scheduling appointments, keeping patient files, and completing insurance forms. They also help maintain accurate patient records. The need for additional administrative support stems from increased regulatory demands and documentation criteria. Therefore, medical assistants allow physicians to focus on patient care while they complete documentation tasks.

Of the industrialized countries of the world, the US has the highest obesity rates. In the US, overweight or obese status affects two out of every three males, and the percentage is much more significant for women. The annual medical costs incurred in the fight against obesity have reached $147 billion; this figure will increase by $1.24 billion annually until 2030. Similar to treating senior patients, a medical assistant can handle many of the procedures needed to treat obese patients, which means that people who meet the requirements can play a key part in addressing the nation's fastest-growing healthcare crisis.

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, introduced in 2010, opened insurance access to health insurance to over 20 million adult US citizens. Since it removed insurance barriers for pre-existing medical conditions, the law helped insure more Americans who needed more intricate health care.

Obamacare became a significant reason for the rise in demand for medical assistants. The US healthcare industry will grow faster than any other sector and experience a substantial increase in the number of patient admissions. Medical assistants make up a sizable amount of the labor needed to support this expansion.

Lastly, technological advancements have increased the demand for medical assistants. Electronic health records and telemedicine have improved various health service delivery and management aspects. Medical assistants use these technologies to enhance patient care and communication.

Medical assistants input and revise patient information and verify the accuracy of records. They also enable telemedicine consultations, organize appointments, manage availability, and set up the required technology and equipment for virtual appointments.

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Streamlined Built-In Reporting with Dr Cloud EHR’s Electronic Health Record Systems

In today’s healthcare environment, the ability to manage patient information effectively is crucial for delivering quality care. Dr Cloud EHR offers advanced electronic health record systems (EHR) that come with built-in reporting features designed to provide healthcare providers with valuable insights. These reports help streamline daily operations, improve patient outcomes, and simplify compliance with healthcare regulations. Whether you’re operating in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, or Pennsylvania, Dr Cloud EHR has the tools you need to manage data efficiently.

Why Built-In Reports Matter in Healthcare

Built-in reports are an essential feature of any electronic health record system. They allow healthcare professionals to track key performance metrics, patient trends, and overall practice efficiency. With Dr Cloud EHR, healthcare providers can generate detailed reports on everything from patient demographics and treatment histories to financial and administrative data. These reports support better decision-making, enhance care quality, and allow providers to spend more time focusing on patients rather than paperwork.

For example, hospitals and clinics in Pennsylvania and Maryland can use these reports to monitor patient care progress, while healthcare providers in Louisiana and Idaho can access financial reports to track costs and revenue. Dr Cloud EHR provides all the necessary tools to run a healthcare practice smoothly.

Customizable Reporting for Unique Needs

Every healthcare organization is different, which is why Dr Cloud EHR offers flexible, customizable reporting options. Our electronic health record systems can be tailored to suit the specific needs of your practice, whether you’re a small clinic in Washington or a large hospital in Illinois. Providers can easily customize reports to include the data that matters most to them, such as patient treatment outcomes, billing summaries, or compliance reports.

In states like Oregon and Washington, where regulations may vary, Dr Cloud EHR ensures that healthcare providers can generate reports that meet state-specific requirements. Our system is designed to adapt to changing regulations, keeping healthcare providers in compliance no matter where they are located.

Benefits of Standardized Reporting

Consistency in data reporting is key to delivering high-quality care. Dr Cloud EHR’s electronic healthcare record system provides standardized built-in reports that ensure healthcare providers have consistent and accurate data across all locations. This is especially important for multi-state practices or healthcare organizations with offices in states like Louisiana, Idaho, or Maryland. Providers can access the same types of reports, regardless of their location, enabling them to compare data and make informed decisions.

For healthcare organizations in Pennsylvania and Illinois, Dr Cloud EHR’s electronic health record systems offer robust reporting that helps them stay on top of patient care, track treatment progress, and improve operational efficiency. The built-in reports also support quality improvement initiatives, helping practices identify areas that need attention.

How Dr Cloud EHR Simplifies Healthcare Reporting

At Dr Cloud EHR, our goal is to provide healthcare providers with the tools they need to improve patient outcomes and streamline their operations. Our electronic health record systems come equipped with built-in reports that are easy to generate and interpret. These reports cover a wide range of areas, including patient health trends, appointment histories, medication administration, billing, and compliance.

Healthcare providers in states like Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania can rely on Dr Cloud EHR to help them stay compliant with local and federal healthcare regulations. With our electronic health records platform, providers can rest assured that they have all the necessary data to deliver top-quality care while optimizing the performance of their practice.

Why Choose Dr Cloud EHR?

Whether you’re looking for an electronic healthcare record system to manage patient data or need powerful reporting tools to stay ahead of industry regulations, Dr Cloud EHR has you covered. Our comprehensive electronic health record systems are designed for healthcare providers in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. We offer customizable, user-friendly reporting solutions that allow healthcare organizations to operate more efficiently and improve patient care.

For More Information Please Visit Our Website drcloudehr.com

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Streamlining Patient Care in Washington with DrCloudEHR

The healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving, and the advent of advanced electronic health records platform in washington is at the forefront of this transformation. Among the pioneers in this domain, DrCloudEHR stands out as a comprehensive solution for managing digital health records in washington. This article delves into the multifaceted benefits of DrCloudEHR, emphasizing its role in enhancing healthcare delivery across the state. DrCloudEHR supports electronic health records in hospitals in washington seamlessly, offering tailored mental health solutions in washington and specialized substance abuse ehr in washington. 

It provides a robust medical electronic record system in washington,, catering to diverse needs from small practices to large hospitals. As a leading electronic health record platforms in washington, DrCloudEHR ensures compliance and security, distinguishing itself as an adaptable electronic health record in Washington solution. For healthcare providers seeking reliable medical emr systems in washington, DrCloudEHR is the preferred electronic health record platforms in Washington.

The Evolution of Electronic Health Records

Electronic health records (EHRs) have revolutionized how patient information is stored, accessed, and utilized. Traditional paper records are becoming obsolete, replaced by sophisticated medical electronic record system in washington, that offer a more efficient, secure, and accessible means of handling patient data. DrCloudEHR exemplifies this shift, providing an integrated ehr Platform in washington that meets the diverse needs of healthcare providers.

Enhancing Hospital Efficiency with EHR

Hospitals are complex ecosystems where efficiency and accuracy are paramount. The implementation of electronic health records in hospitals in washington has significantly streamlined operations. DrCloudEHR facilitates seamless data exchange, ensuring that healthcare providers have instant access to patient histories, lab results, and treatment plans. This real-time access to information enhances decision-making, reduces errors, and improves patient outcomes. As a leading electronic health record vendor in washington, DrCloudEHR offers a robust medical electronic record system in washington, tailored to meet the needs of diverse healthcare settings. 

Its digital health records in washington provide comprehensive support for managing mental health solutions in washington and substance abuse ehr in washington, making it a versatile choice for healthcare providers. Whether for large hospitals or specialized clinics, DrCloudEHR's electronic medical record vendor in washington capabilities and ehr Platform in washington features ensure efficient healthcare delivery across the state.

Addressing Mental Health and Substance Abuse

One of the critical areas where DrCloudEHR makes a substantial impact is in mental health solutions in washington and substance abuse ehr in washington treatment. DrCloudEHR provides tailored solutions for mental health practitioners, enabling them to track patient progress, manage treatment plans, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The platform's comprehensive electronic health records platform in washington integrates seamlessly into electronic health records in hospitals in washington, supporting efficient data management and improving patient care. 

As a leading electronic health record vendor in washington and electronic medical record vendor in washington, DrCloudEHR is committed to enhancing healthcare delivery through advanced digital health records in washington and medical emr systems in washington, ensuring healthcare providers have access to a reliable medical electronic record system in washington, that meets the diverse needs of modern healthcare settings

Similarly, the EHR Platform offers a robust substance abuse ehr in washington, designed to support substance abuse treatment programs. By integrating features that address the specific challenges of substance abuse ehr in washington, DrCloudEHR helps providers offer more effective and personalized care..

Choosing the Right EHR Vendor

substance abuse treatment programs. By integrating features that address the specific challenges of substance abuse treatment, DrCloudEHR helps providers offer more effective and personalized care. As an electronic health record in washington, DrCloudEHR ensures seamless integration with existing healthcare systems, facilitating comprehensive patient management. Its commitment to electronic health records management extends to specialized solutions for mental health and electronic health record in washington, enhancing clinical workflows and patient outcomes.

DrCloudEHR serves as a pivotal mental health solutions in washington, empowering providers with tools tailored to psychiatric care. The platform’s versatility as a substance abuse ehr in washington supports holistic treatment approaches, integrating with medical electronic record system in washington, to streamline data accessibility. Healthcare providers benefit from DrCloudEHR's status as a leading medical emr systems in washington, offering a reliable electronic health record vendor in washington that prioritizes security and compliance..

Moreover, as an electronic medical record vendor in washington, DrCloudEHR stands out for its commitment to customer service and continuous improvement. The company works closely with healthcare providers to ensure that their systems remain up-to-date and compliant with evolving regulations.

Integration and Interoperability

A key feature of modern electronic health record platforms in Washington is their ability to integrate with other healthcare systems. DrCloudEHR offers seamless interoperability with various healthcare applications, including laboratory information systems, radiology information systems, and billing systems. This integration ensures that all aspects of patient care are connected, providing a holistic view of patient health and enhancing coordinated care.

Security and Compliance

In the digital age, the security of patient data is of utmost importance. DrCloudEHR prioritizes the protection of digital health records in washington, implementing advanced security measures to safeguard sensitive information. The platform complies with all relevant regulations, including HIPAA, ensuring that patient data is handled with the highest standards of confidentiality and integrity.

The Future of Healthcare with DrCloudEHR

As healthcare continues to evolve, the role of advanced medical emr systems in washington will only grow. DrCloudEHR is at the cutting edge of this transformation, continually enhancing its platform to meet the changing needs of healthcare providers and patients. The company's commitment to innovation ensures that its ehr solutions in washington remains a leader in the industry.

Conclusion

DrCloudEHR represents the pinnacle of electronic health records platform in washington, offering a comprehensive solution that addresses the diverse needs of healthcare providers. From enhancing efficiency in hospitals to providing specialized support for mental health and substance abuse treatment, DrCloudEHR is an indispensable tool in modern healthcare.

By choosing DrCloudEHR, healthcare providers gain access to a reliable, secure, and interoperable medical electronic record system in washington.The platform's adaptability and robust support make it the ideal choice for any healthcare setting, ensuring that providers can deliver the highest quality of care to their patients. In summary, DrCloudEHR is not just an electronic health record vendor it is a partner in healthcare innovation, committed to transforming the way patient care is delivered. Embrace the future of healthcare with DrCloudEHR, and experience the difference that a state-of-the-art ehr Platform in washington can make.

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What are some positive aspects of the healthcare system?

The healthcare industry, particularly in Washington State with associations like the Washington Hospital Association (WHA) and the Columbia Hospital Association (CHA), boasts several positive aspects that contribute to its overall effectiveness and quality of care:

Cutting-edge Technology: Hospitals and healthcare facilities in Washington State leverage advanced technologies for diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. This includes state-of-the-art medical equipment, electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine services, and innovative surgical techniques.

Skilled Healthcare Professionals: The industry is home to highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and support staff. Their expertise ensures patients receive top-notch medical attention and personalized care.

Research and Development: Washington’s healthcare system invests significantly in research and development (R&D) to improve treatments, discover new therapies, and enhance medical practices. This commitment to innovation benefits patients by offering access to cutting-edge medical advancements.

Collaborative Network: The healthcare industry in Washington operates within a collaborative network that fosters partnerships between hospitals, clinics, medical professionals, and research institutions. This interconnectedness promotes seamless coordination of care and facilitates information sharing for better patient outcomes.

Patient-Centered Care: A focus on patient-centered care is a hallmark of the healthcare system in Washington. This approach prioritizes the individual needs, preferences, and well-being of patients, ensuring they are active participants in their healthcare journey.

Comprehensive Services: Healthcare facilities affiliated with WHA and CHA offer a wide range of services, from primary care and preventive medicine to specialized treatments for complex medical conditions. This comprehensive approach ensures that patients can access all necessary healthcare services under one roof.

Community Engagement: The healthcare industry actively engages with local communities through outreach programs, health education initiatives, and wellness campaigns. This proactive engagement promotes public health awareness and encourages healthy lifestyle choices.

Quality and Safety Standards: Washington’s healthcare system upholds rigorous quality and safety standards, ensuring that patients receive high-quality care in safe environments. This commitment to excellence is reflected in accreditation processes, quality improvement initiatives, and patient satisfaction metrics.

Overall, the healthcare system in Washington State, supported by organizations like WHA and CHA, demonstrates a commitment to excellence, innovation, and patient-centric care, making it a valuable asset to the community.

To know more visit: https://dcha.org/

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Community Behavioral Health Clinics Solutions in Oregon | Behavioral Health Hospitals

Introduction:

The evolving landscape of mental healthcare demands innovative solutions to address the growing needs of communities. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) equipped with cutting-edge medical electronic record systems in Oregon are at the forefront of this transformation. DrCloudEHR, a leading provider of CCBHC EHR software in Illinois, plays a pivotal role in reshaping mental health services. Additionally, community behavioral health centers in Washington are leveraging DrCloudEHR to enhance their electronic health record capabilities.

Empowering Oregon's CCBHCs:

In the picturesque state of Oregon, CCBHCs are embracing DrCloudEHR to streamline operations and provide integrated care. The intuitive interface of DrCloudEHR facilitates seamless communication among clinicians, ensuring efficient collaboration and personalized treatment plans. The emphasis on simplicity and efficiency contributes to the success of CCBHCs in Oregon, where accessibility and quality are paramount.

Washington's Advocacy:

In the vibrant state of Washington, medical electronic record system in Washington lead the charge in mental health advocacy. DrCloudEHR empowers these centers to deliver holistic care, addressing the diverse needs of their communities. The platform's user-friendly interface and ongoing support contribute to the success of CCBHCs in Washington, where the focus on comprehensive mental healthcare services is a top priority.

Driving Efficiency in Illinois:

Illinois, a state grappling with mental health disparities, sees the transformative impact of DrCloudEHR's robust EHR software in CCBHCs. This sophisticated solution empowers clinics to achieve compliance, optimize operations, and track key performance indicators. Through customizable reporting and analytics tools, DrCloudEHR enables CCBHCs in Illinois to measure outcomes effectively, fostering continuous improvement in patient care.

Bridging the Gap Nationwide:

As CCBHCs in Oregon, Illinois, and Washington leverage DrCloudEHR to redefine mental healthcare, the impact extends beyond state borders. DrCloudEHR's role in bridging the gap between technology and care delivery is transforming mental healthcare on a national scale. With a data-driven approach and emphasis on user experience, DrCloudEHR is leading the charge towards accessible, high-quality mental health services for all.

Conclusion:

The collaboration between Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in Illinois and DrCloudEHR signifies a hopeful future for mental healthcare. From Oregon's streamlined operations to Illinois' data-driven efficiency and Washington's holistic care approach, the impact is palpable. As CCBHCs nationwide embrace innovative solutions, the collective goal of providing comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality mental health services is becoming a reality. DrCloudEHR stands as a beacon, illuminating the path toward a brighter future for mental healthcare in communities across the country.

[uchihajason69]

Empowering Healthcare Providers with DrCloudEHR: A Revolution in EHR Solutions

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, one thing remains constant: the need for efficient, accurate, and integrated electronic health records (EHR) solutions. With the rise of patient-centric care and the demand for improved patient outcomes and provide best billing module in hospital management system, healthcare providers must adapt to these changes. That's where DrCloudEHR steps in, providing an all-in-one EHR platform that's designed to streamline workflows, enhance patient care, and adapt to the evolving needs of the healthcare industry.

The Foundation of Modern Healthcare

In a world where data drives decision-making, EHR platforms play a crucial role in modern healthcare. Data validation in clinical data management in Washington State serves as the digital backbone of medical practices, hospitals, and healthcare systems, allowing for the seamless management of patient information, billing, scheduling, and clinical documentation. DrCloudEHR stands at the forefront of this digital transformation, offering an integrated care EHR platform that empowers healthcare providers to deliver the highest quality of care.

Integrated Care for Enhanced Outcomes

DrCloudEHR is not just another EHR solution; it's a comprehensive platform designed to meet the unique operational, clinical, and billing objectives of healthcare agencies. What sets it apart is its ability to support the entire spectrum of healthcare services, from mental health solutions Maryland to substance abuse treatment, addiction recovery, and more. This means that healthcare providers can enroll clients from multiple programs simultaneously, ensuring a swift transfer of cases between counselors and promoting collaboration among staff from various programs. In essence, DrCloudEHR makes integrated care a reality.

Seamless Patient Onboarding

One of the most critical aspects of healthcare is the onboarding of patients. Any inefficiency in this process can lead to delays and, more importantly, affect patient care. DrCloudEHR addresses this challenge by streamlining the patient intake process, reducing paperwork, and minimizing wait times. The result is a smoother, more efficient patient onboarding process that allows healthcare providers to focus on what truly matters: patient care.

Customization and Compliance

Every healthcare practice is unique, and DrCloudEHR recognizes that. The platform offers a range of tools and forms that can be tailored to the specific needs of your practice. It includes a library of state and government-required forms to ensure compliance at all times. DrCloudEHR also provides clinical decision support and a dynamic library of goals and objectives, guiding healthcare providers through the evaluation process and making documentation a breeze.

Enhanced User Experience

A modern EHR platform should not only be functional but also user-friendly. DrCloudEHR delivers a superior user experience by seamlessly integrating with various components of healthcare, such as ePrescribing. This integration ensures that healthcare providers can order prescriptions without leaving the application, saving time and reducing the risk of errors. DrCloudEHR also offers complete capabilities for prescribing controlled substances and allows for maintaining medication histories for patient safety.

Business Intelligence for Informed Decision-Making

DrCloudEHR is more than just a data repository. It empowers healthcare providers with business intelligence tools. These tools provide a plethora of interactive, visual analytics reports, all updated daily for real-time insights. With snapshot views of data analytics and clinical data validation in Washington State, healthcare providers can make data-driven decisions to optimize efficiencies and deliver the best possible care to their patients.

A Future of Improved Healthcare

DrCloudEHR's commitment to evolving alongside the healthcare industry ensures that it remains a robust and reliable partner for healthcare providers. In an era where technology is the catalyst for better patient care, DrCloudEHR is at the forefront, transforming how healthcare organizations operate. It's not just an EHR platform; it's a healthcare revolution.

In conclusion, DrCloudEHR offers a unique combination of mobile friendly EHR platform in Illinois, customization, integrated care, and data-driven decision-making. It empowers healthcare providers to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare while putting patient care at the center of it all. DrCloudEHR is not just an EHR platform; it's a beacon of hope for an industry looking to improve the lives of patients and providers alike.

[gyb123]

Telehealth Solutions: Revolutionizing Healthcare Across the U.S.

In today’s fast-paced world, healthcare is evolving rapidly. One of the most significant changes is the rise of telehealth solutions, which have transformed how patients access care. Telehealth uses digital communication technologies such as video conferencing, phone calls, and mobile applications to provide healthcare remotely. This approach has become increasingly popular across the United States, especially in states like Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon, and Illinois. Let’s explore how telehealth solutions are making an impact in these regions and nationwide.

What Are Telehealth Solutions?

Telehealth solutions offer a wide range of services that bring healthcare professionals and patients closer, even when separated by miles. These services can include virtual doctor visits, remote patient monitoring, and online health education. Telehealth allows patients to receive care from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need to travel to a physical location. This convenience is particularly beneficial for individuals in rural or underserved areas, where healthcare access can be limited.

One of the key features of telehealth is its ability to provide timely care, especially in situations where immediate consultation is critical. Through telehealth platforms, patients can connect with their healthcare providers in real-time, ensuring that they receive the attention they need promptly.

Telehealth Solutions in Idaho

Idaho is a largely rural state, making telehealth solutions a crucial tool for improving healthcare access. Telehealth has proven to be a lifeline for many residents in remote areas, enabling them to consult with specialists and primary care providers without traveling long distances. This has also helped to reduce the pressure on Idaho's healthcare system, especially during times of high demand.

Telehealth Solutions in Louisiana

In Louisiana, telehealth has made significant strides in connecting patients with healthcare services, particularly in regions prone to natural disasters like hurricanes. Telehealth solutions in Louisiana ensure that patients can still access care during emergencies when it may be challenging to visit a healthcare facility. This innovative approach helps maintain continuity of care and prevents the disruption of essential healthcare services during crises.

Telehealth Solutions in Maryland

Maryland has embraced telehealth as a way to extend healthcare to both urban and rural populations. Telehealth solutions in Maryland allow for better management of chronic diseases, mental health services, and preventive care. By enabling easier access to healthcare providers, telehealth is helping Maryland residents take control of their health and well-being, resulting in improved outcomes and overall quality of life.

Telehealth Solutions in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is another state where telehealth solutions are changing the healthcare landscape. Telehealth in Pennsylvania provides access to a broad spectrum of healthcare services, ranging from mental health consultations to post-operative care. These solutions have been particularly valuable in managing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, allowing for regular monitoring and early intervention when needed.

Telehealth Solutions in Washington

In Washington state, telehealth has gained widespread acceptance due to its ability to provide care across its diverse geographic landscape. Telehealth solutions in Washington are helping to break down barriers to healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved areas. These services offer a practical solution for patients who struggle to access specialized care, reducing wait times and improving the overall patient experience.

Telehealth Solutions in Oregon

Oregon’s healthcare system has been greatly enhanced by telehealth solutions. By offering remote consultations, Oregon healthcare providers can reach patients in real-time, helping to reduce the burden on emergency rooms and clinics. Telehealth solutions in Oregon also play a crucial role in preventive care, ensuring that residents can seek medical advice before health issues escalate into more severe conditions.

Telehealth Solutions in Illinois

Illinois has embraced telehealth as a way to bridge the healthcare access gap, particularly in underserved areas. Telehealth solutions in Illinois allow patients to receive timely medical consultations, reducing the need for travel and offering more flexibility. These services are helping to reduce healthcare disparities by ensuring that all residents, regardless of their location, have access to quality care.

The Future of Telehealth Solutions

Telehealth has demonstrated its potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery across the U.S. From telehealth solutions in Idaho to telehealth solutions in Illinois, this technology is breaking down geographic barriers and offering a more convenient, accessible, and affordable way for patients to receive care.

Conclusion

As telehealth continues to evolve, we can expect further improvements in healthcare delivery, enhanced patient outcomes, and better management of chronic diseases. The ongoing development of telehealth solutions will help ensure that healthcare becomes more equitable and widely available, providing everyone with the care they need, regardless of their location.

Telehealth is not just a trend—it’s the future of healthcare, bringing better care to more people, faster than ever before. Telehealth Solutions Washington, Pennsylvania, or Maryland, telehealth solutions are here to stay, ensuring that healthcare is always just a click away.

[hari-100]

Revolutionizing Healthcare in Washington with DrCloudEHR

Introduction

In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the integration of advanced technology is more critical than ever. One standout platform revolutionizing this space is DrCloudEHR. This article delves into how DrCloudEHR is transforming healthcare in Washington through its comprehensive suite of tools and services.

Digital Signature for Mental Health in Washington

The document security and validity can vary only by the digital signatures. DrCloudEHR document solution encompasses strong digital signatures functionality, which is a dire need in the mental cases for privacy and accuracy implementation. With this strong feature, secured features will be improved, and an increase in the approval procedures, hence providing healthcare professionals with means for the optimization of the management of patient records fast and easily.

Patient Document Management System

Proper management of patient documents is the backbone of healthcare delivery. The patient document management system in Washington allows easy and organized management of large reams of data on patients. Computerizing records and access to crucial information, this system minimizes administrative burden and improves quality care.

Patient Appointment System in Washington

The scheduling of appointments in most cases proves burdensome to the patient and the provider. With the user friendly interface, this patient appointment system of DrCloudEHR makes it much easier. It facilitates making appointments easier for patients and efficiently managing the schedule of providers for better patient outcomes and satisfaction.

EMR Electronic Medical Record in Washington

EMRs are a digital version of every patient's paper chart. comprehensive EMR Electronic Medical Record in Washington improves the accuracy and accessibility to information on patients. With this system, real time information will be available at the provider's fingertips for better decisions pertaining to the care of patients.

Healthcare Document Handling System in Washington

Effective document handling is the prime requirement for any healthcare service provider. That is the basis upon which DrCloudEHR's healthcare document handling system provides a sound solution to accelerate management workflow associated with healthcare documents. This makes sure that all the records of a patient are managed, accessible, and secure at the same time, enhancing operational efficiency.

Healthcare Electronic Records in Washington

One major step in modernization would be transitioning to electronic records. DrCloudEHR enables this through an efficient electronic record system that aids in rendering data more accessible and accurate for healthcare providers to deliver efficient and effective care to their patients.

Clinical Records Document Management Program in Washington

It becomes difficult to manage clinical records accurately and systematically. DrCloudEHR's Clinical records document management program provides a one-stop solution to manage clinical documents. It helps health providers keep proper documentation of patients' history for better care.

Mental Health Disaster Recovery Management in Washington

Recovery management in the case of disasters, especially in mental health, requires a system that is reliable. DrCloudEHR's mental health disaster recovery management allows for the backup of all data related to their patients and the ability to restore them quickly, hence avoiding disruptions that have a bearing on the continuity of care in times of crisis.

Billing Module in Hospital Management System in Washington

Billing can get pretty intricate and time-consuming. The billing module by DrCloudEHR is designed to make this task less cumbersome by automating various features of the entire procedure of billing. This module helps healthcare providers in running their finances more effectively by ensuring proper timing and accuracy while making a bill.

CCBHC EHR Software in Washington

Such operations would need specialized software to be run effectively. At DrCloudEHR, CCBHCs can find tailored EHR software to meet their unique requirements. This software increases efficiency and effectiveness in behavioral health services and makes sure that patients could have better outcomes.

Electronic Health Records in Washington

EHRs are the backbones of healthcare today. DrCloudEHR delivers an end-to-end EHR system designed to enhance accuracy and accessibility for patient data. This will help medical professionals in the delivery of optimum care, since all their information is at their fingertips.

Telehealth Solutions in Washington

Telehealth has grown to be part of intrinsic healthcare delivery, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. DrCloudEHR offers strong telehealth solutions that make it very easy for care providers to conduct consultation remotely with patients. These solutions ensure that patients can receive care irrespective of their location.

Clinical Decision Support System in Washington

Informed clinical decisions accompany the delivery of quality care. The clinical decision support system that comes with DrCloudEHR is designed to give health care providers superior decision-making abilities. That leverages state-of-the-art algorithms and data analysis for guidance that raises the bar on patient care.

Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances in Washington

EPCS is one of the most critical aspects of healthcare. DrCloudEHR, with its EPCS features, gives an accurate and secure prescription. This reduces errors in the process and increases the efficiency of prescribing medications.

Conclusion

DrCloudEHR is the leading technology platform of healthcare in Washington, aimed at providing a complete package of tools and services for making the delivery of healthcare more quick and efficient. It means that digital signatures, document management, and telehealth are all within the purview of DrCloudEHR, meeting the many needs of healthcare providers. Indeed, it will be platforms such as taking a front seat in defining the future of healthcare with the further evolution of technology.

For more information contact.www.drcloudehr.com

[automatismoateo]

WPost: The Spread of Catholic hospitals limits reproductive care across the U.S.: Religious doctrine restricts access to abortion and birth control and limits treatment options for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies via /r/atheism

WPost: The Spread of Catholic hospitals limits reproductive care across the U.S.: Religious doctrine restricts access to abortion and birth control and limits treatment options for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies

By Frances Stead Sellers and Meena Venkataramanan

The Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion is revealing the growing influence of Catholic health systems and their restrictions on reproductive services including birth control and abortion — even in the diminishing number of states where the procedure remains legal.

Catholic systems now control about 1 in 7 U.S. hospital beds, requiring religious doctrine to guide treatment, often to the surprise of patients. Their ascendancy has broad implications for the evolving national battle over reproductive rights beyond abortion, as bans against it take hold in more than a dozen Republican-led states.

The Catholic health-care facilities follow directives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that prohibit treatment it deems “immoral”: sterilization including vasectomies, postpartum tubal ligations and contraception, as well as abortion. Those policies can limit treatment options for obstetric care during miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, particularly in the presence of a fetal heartbeat.

“The directives are not just a collection of dos and don’ts,” said John F. Brehany, executive vice president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and a longtime consultant to the conference of bishops. “They are a distillation of the moral teachings of the Catholic Church as they apply to modern health care.” As such, he said, any facility that identifies as Catholic must abide by them.

The role of Catholic doctrine in U.S. health care has expanded during a years-long push to acquire smaller institutions — a reflection of consolidation in the hospital industry, as financially challenged community hospitals and independent physicians join bigger systems to gain access to electronic health records and other economies of scale. Acquisition by a Catholic health system has, at times, kept a town’s only hospital from closing.

Four of the nation’s 10 largest health systems are now Catholic, according to a 2020 report by the liberal health advocacy organization Community Catalyst. The 10 largest Catholic health systems control 394 short-term, acute-care hospitals, a 50 percent increase over the past two decades. In Alaska, Iowa, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin, 40 percent or more of hospital beds are in Catholic facilities.

With Roe v. Wade overturned, the legality of abortion has been left to the states. Some worry that access to certain types of contraception could be next. (Video: Julie Yoon, Hadley Green, Sarah Hashemi/The Washington Post)

“It’s all about market share,” said Lois Uttley, a senior adviser to the hospital equity and accountability project at Community Catalyst. Uttley, who has been tracking hospital mergers and acquisitions since the 1990s, said that with fewer choices, patients today face more difficulty obtaining reproductive services.

In Schenectady, N.Y., Ellis Medicine is in talks with the multistate Catholic giant Trinity Health. Last month, in Quad Cities, Iowa, Genesis Health System signed a letter of intent to enter a partnership with MercyOne, also part of Trinity Health. And this semester, Oberlin College had to find a new provider to prescribe contraceptives after outsourcing student health services to a Catholic system that would not provide them.

In rural northeast Connecticut, residents are protesting the prospect of their 128-year-old hospital becoming part of a Catholic system and the potential impact on reproductive services.

“It would be very troubling to see cutbacks in a state like Connecticut,” said Ian McDonald, a stonemason who opposes the proposed deal between Day Kimball Healthcare in Putnam and Massachusetts-based Covenant Health.

Kyle Kramer, chief executive of Day Kimball Healthcare, said the proposed affiliation with Covenant Health would rescue the financially challenged 104-bed hospital.

“Obviously it has connotations,” Kramer said of the proposed move to faith-based ownership. The Catholic directives would “provide guidance,” he said in an interview, while insisting that “the services that we have provided in the past are the same services that we will continue to provide in the future.”

Kramer did not answer questions in a follow-up email about how contraception and elective sterilizations could continue to be provided under Catholic doctrine if their primary purpose is for birth control. Nor did he specify how emergency obstetric care that could result in terminating a pregnancy might be affected.

Covenant Health spokeswoman Karen Sullivan said in an email that as part of the regulatory process, the Catholic health system is drafting a public response to questions by the state’s Oct. 23 deadline. The system, she said, is committed to “ensuring that the Ethical and Religious Directives are applied thoughtfully and with empathy, compassion and respect for every person we serve.”

Catholic hospitals and providers are accredited and held to the same standards as their secular equivalents, according to the Catholic Health Association of the United States, which lobbies on behalf of Catholic hospitals.

But reproductive rights advocates say there has been a steady erosion of services in both Republican- and Democratic-led states because of the growing dominance of Catholic hospitals.

Many patients are unaware of the restrictions because hospital administrators typically don’t outline the services they do not offer, said Sister Simone Campbell, a lawyer who until recently led the liberal-leaning NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

“Many hospitals have dealt with this by being pretty quiet. Dobbs has made it more of a question,” Campbell said, referring to the case that led to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Catholic facilities may not “promote or condone” contraception, according to the directives — a stance that is not widely shared by the public. Just 4 percent of U.S. adults think contraception is immoral, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll. Among Catholics who attend weekly Mass, only 13 percent say contraception is morally wrong, and 45 percent find it acceptable.

The directives, developed in the late 1940s by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, were updated in 2018, largely to ensure that Catholic doctrine prevails after mergers and acquisitions, according to Amy Chen, a lawyer with the National Health Law Program. They limit options for referring patients to secular facilities, saying employees must not “manage, carry out, assist in carrying out, make its facilities available for, make referrals for, or benefit from the revenue generated by immoral procedures.”

Interpretation of the directives varies among hospital ethics committees. But decisions ultimately rest with the local bishop, who is to be kept informed, the directives say, if “a Catholic health care institution might be wrongly cooperating with immoral procedures.”

“Bishops have a great deal of authority in their dioceses,” Brehany said. “A bishop should ensure that a Catholic organization is abiding by the directives.”

A 2018 survey published in the journal Contraception found that more than one-third of women who go to Catholic hospitals for reproductive care are not aware of the facilities’ religious affiliation. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California at San Francisco, called for increased transparency among hospitals to raise awareness that patients’ options may be limited at institutions with religious ties.

“Even people who had a very wanted pregnancy are at the mercy of policies not driven by their personal values or by the best interests of their health,” said Debra Stulberg, the chair of family medicine at the University of Chicago and one of the researchers in the 2018 survey.

April King, 40, said she wanted to have her tubes tied immediately after giving birth to her second child in December 2020. The Los Angeles talent agent had suffered three miscarriages and knew her family was complete.

Then she learned she could not get a tubal ligation at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, where she planned to deliver.

“I was just surprised that [the hospital] could decide that for us,” said King, who ultimately elected to go ahead with her delivery at Providence Saint John’s because of the care she had received there in the past.

Doctors, too, face surprises — and can even be reported to hospital ethics committees for following standards of care.

In Washington state, where 41 percent of beds are Catholic-run, legislators passed a law last year to prevent hospitals from interfering with a doctor’s ability to provide medically necessary care to a pregnant patient whose health or life is at risk.

Annie Iriye, a retired OB/GYN who used to work for a Catholic hospital in Olympia, Wash., testified in support of the bill. In a recent interview, Iriye described wanting to administer medication to hasten a woman’s delivery to stave off infection after her water broke at 18 weeks, before fetal viability. Even though the woman was in active labor, Iriye said other staffers refused to follow her direction as the attending physician because a heartbeat had been detected.

By the time the woman delivered, she had a fever and needed antibiotics. Staffers reported Iriye to the hospital ethics committee.

“I was flabbergasted,” Iriye said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, come on guys. Can’t we just practice medicine and give good care?’ ”

Patients say there appears to be little consistency in how hospital staffers interpret religious directives, with doctors sometimes having to make decisions on the fly.

Whitney Marshall, 29, learned only after waking up from exploratory surgery for endometriosis in 2019 at Ascension Crittenton in Rochester Hills, Mich., that her IUD had not been replaced. Marshall, who uses the device to reduce the pain associated with the condition, had to undergo a second procedure in her gynecologist’s office to have the IUD reinserted. The spokesman for Ascension Crittenton did not respond to requests for comment about the case.

“Some women cannot afford surgeries” to treat endometriosis, Marshall said. “So their only form of recourse is to try to regulate their hormones by using contraceptives.”

Catholic hospitals’ tradition of serving women and children in the neediest neighborhoods is “rooted in our reverence for life,” said Brian Reardon, spokesman for the Catholic Health Association. But the lack of choice has been felt keenly in rural and low-income communities where patients cannot easily transfer to secular institutions, reproductive rights advocates say.

Hospitals operating under Catholic restrictions are “the sole community providers of short-term acute hospital care” in more than 52 communities across the country — up from 30 in 2013, according to Community Catalyst.

In Putnam, Conn., residents have relied on Day Kimball Healthcare, the town’s only hospital, for more than a century.

Kramer, the chief executive, said the hospital has been exploring partnerships with larger systems over the past decade to ensure its long-term survival.

The proposed arrangement with Covenant Health requires the approval of Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy, which has been examining how services might be affected.

The need to preserve access to reproductive health services can bring an end to negotiations. In 2012, the investor in a proposed joint venture with two hospitals in Waterbury, Conn., one of which was Catholic, pulled out after reproductive health advocates and the local archbishop raised opposing concerns about creating a “hospital within a hospital” to provide reproductive services — a workaround that had been successful elsewhere.

Access to reproductive services has shrunk recently around Day Kimball after the 2020 closure of Planned Parenthood in nearby Danielson.

Like many hospitals, Day Kimball does not provide elective abortions, according to documents filed with the state. But it has provided other care prohibited by Catholic directives, including elective sterilizations.

Those services are key to preventing unwanted pregnancies, said Lee Wesler, an internist who has been affiliated with Day Kimball for a decade.

“Any unwanted pregnancy is a potential abortion,” Wesler said.

Members of the group Save Day Kimball Healthcare said that in conversations, Kramer and other representatives of the hospital have sought to be reassuring. “They say, ‘Everything will be fine,’ ” said Margaret Martin, a retired social worker and member of the group.

Kramer, who said he intends to stay on if the Covenant deal goes through, repeated those assurances to The Washington Post. “What we have been we will still be,” he said, while declining to describe how contraceptives could be offered for the sole purpose of birth control.

In a Q&A posted in September on the Day Kimball website, Kramer suggests that other justifications could be found for using “tools” such as oral contraceptives, including “to maintain health and wellness, to address a medical condition, prevent disease, and mitigate cancer risk.”

Bruce Shay, a member of the Save Day Kimball Healthcare steering committee, says he worries doctors may leave if they have to abide by the directives — or might evade them by making “a sketchy diagnosis.”

Nandini Seshadri has ...

Full article available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/10/abortion-catholic-hospitals-birth-control/

Submitted December 31, 2022 at 03:17PM by bitemy (From Reddit https://ift.tt/C2cLeKN)

[mariacallous]

Spread of Catholic hospitals limits reproductive care across the U.S.

Religious doctrine restricts access to abortion and birth control and limits treatment options for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies

The Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion is revealing the growing influence of Catholic health systems and their restrictions on reproductive services including birth control and abortion— even in the diminishing number of states where the procedure remains legal.

Catholic systems now control about 1 in 7 U.S. hospital beds, requiring religious doctrine to guide treatment, often to the surprise of patients. Their ascendancy has broad implications for the evolving national battle over reproductive rights beyond abortion, as bans against it take hold in more than a dozen Republican-led states.

The Catholic health-care facilities follow directives from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that prohibit treatment it deems “immoral”: sterilization including vasectomies, postpartum tubal ligations and contraception,as well as abortion. Those policies can limit treatment options for obstetric care during miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, particularly in the presence of a fetal heartbeat.

“The directives are not just a collection of dos and don’ts,” said John F. Brehany, executive vice president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and a longtime consultant to the conference of bishops. “They are a distillation of the moral teachings of the Catholic church as they apply to modern health care.” As such, he said, any facility that identifies as Catholic must abide by them.

The role of Catholic doctrine in U.S. health care has expanded during a years-long push to acquire smaller institutions — a reflection of consolidation in the hospital industry, as financially challenged community hospitals and independent physicians join bigger systems to gain access to electronic health records and other economies of scale. Acquisition by a Catholic health system has, at times, kept a town’s only hospital from closing.

Four of the nation’s 10 largest health systems are now Catholic, according to a 2020 report by the liberal health advocacy organization Community Catalyst. The 10 largest Catholic health systems control 394 short-term, acute-care hospitals, a 50 percent increase over the past two decades. In Alaska, Iowa, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin, 40 percent or more of hospital beds are in Catholic facilities.

“It’s all about market share,” said Lois Uttley, a senior adviser to the hospital equity and accountability project at Community Catalyst. Uttley, who has been tracking hospital mergers and acquisitions since the 1990s, said that with fewer choices, patients today face more difficulty obtaining reproductive services.

In Schenectady, N.Y., Ellis Medicine is in talks with the multistate Catholic giant Trinity Health. Last month, in Quad Cities, Iowa, Genesis Health System signed a letter of intent to enter a partnership with MercyOne, also part of Trinity Health. And this semester, Oberlin College had to find a new provider to prescribe contraceptives after outsourcing student health services to a Catholic system that would not provide them.

In rural northeast Connecticut, residents are protesting the prospect of their 128-year-old hospital becoming part of a Catholic system and thepotential impact on reproductive services.

“It would be very troubling to see cutbacks in a state like Connecticut,” said Ian McDonald, a stonemason who opposes the proposed deal between Day Kimball Healthcare in Putnam and Massachusetts-based Covenant Health.

Kyle Kramer, chief executive of Day Kimball Healthcare, said the proposed affiliation with Covenant Health wouldrescue the financially challenged 104-bed hospital.

“Obviously it has connotations,” Kramer said of the proposed move to faith-based ownership. The Catholic directives would “provide guidance,” he said in an interview, while insisting that “theservices that we have provided in the past are the same services that we will continue to provide in the future.”

Kramer did not answer questions in a follow-up email about how contraception and elective sterilizations could continue to be provided under Catholic doctrine if their primary purpose is for birth control. Nor did he specify how emergency obstetric care that could result in terminating a pregnancy might be affected.

Covenant Health spokeswoman Karen Sullivan said in an email that as part of the regulatory process, the Catholic health system is drafting a public response to questions by the state’s Oct. 23 deadline. The system, she said, is committed to “ensuring that the Ethical and Religious Directives are applied thoughtfully and with empathy, compassion and respect for every person we serve.”

Catholic hospitals and providers are accredited and held to the same standards as their secular equivalents, according to the Catholic Health Association of the United States, which lobbies on behalf of Catholic hospitals.

But reproductive rights advocates say there has been a steady erosion of services in both Republican- and Democratic-led states because of the growing dominance of Catholic hospitals.

Many patients are unaware of the restrictions because hospital administrators typically don’toutline the services they do not offer, saidSister Simone Campbell, a lawyer who until recently led the liberal-leaning NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

“Many hospitals have dealt with this by being pretty quiet. Dobbs has made it more of a question,” Campbell said, referring to the case that led to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Catholic facilities may not “promote or condone” contraception, according to the directives — a stance that is not widely shared by the public. Just 4 percent of U.S. adults think contraception is immoral, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll. Among Catholics who attend weekly Mass, only 13 percent say contraception is morally wrong, and 45 percent find it acceptable.

The directives,developed in the late 1940s by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, were updated in 2018, largely to ensure that Catholic doctrine prevails after mergers and acquisitions, according to Amy Chen, a lawyer with the National Health Law Program. They limit options for referring patients to secular facilities, saying employees must not “manage, carry out, assist in carrying out, make its facilities available for, make referrals for, or benefit from the revenue generated by immoral procedures.”

Interpretation of the directives varies among hospital ethics committees. But decisions ultimately rest with the local bishop, who is to be kept informed, the directives say, if “a Catholic health care institution might be wrongly cooperating with immoral procedures.”

“Bishops have a great deal of authority in their dioceses,” Brehany said. “A bishop should ensure that a Catholic organization is abiding by the directives.”

A 2018 survey published in the journal Contraception found that more than one-third of women who go to Catholic hospitals for reproductive care are not aware of the facilities’ religious affiliation. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California at San Francisco, called for increased transparency among hospitals to raise awareness that patients’ options may be limited at institutions with religious ties.

“Even people who had a very wanted pregnancy are at the mercy of policies not driven by their personal values or by the best interests of their health,” said Debra Stulberg, the chair of family medicine at the University of Chicago and one of the researchers in the 2018 survey.

April King, 40, said she wanted to have her tubes tied immediately after giving birth to her second child in December 2020. The Los Angeles talent agent had suffered three miscarriages and knew her family was complete.

Then she learned she could not get a tubal ligationat Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, where she planned to deliver.

“I was just surprised that [the hospital] could decide that for us,” said King, who ultimately elected to go ahead with her delivery at Providence Saint John’s because of the care she had received there in the past.

Doctors,too, face surprises — and can even be reported to hospital ethics committees for following standards of care.

In Washington state, where 41 percent of beds are Catholic-run, legislators passed a law last year to prevent hospitals from interfering with a doctor’s ability to provide medically necessary care to a pregnant patient whose health or life is at risk.

Annie Iriye, a retired OB/GYN who used to work for a Catholic hospital in Olympia, Wash., testified in support of the bill. In a recent interview, Iriye described wanting to administer medication to hasten a woman’s delivery to stave off infection after her water broke at 18 weeks, before fetal viability. Even though the woman was in active labor, Iriye said other staffers refused to follow her direction as the attending physician because a heartbeat had been detected.

By the time the woman delivered, she had a fever and needed antibiotics. Staffers reported Iriye to the hospital ethics committee.

“I was flabbergasted,” Iriye said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, come on guys. Can’t we just practice medicine and give good care?’ ”

Patients say there appears to be little consistency in how hospital staffers interpret religious directives, with doctors sometimes having to make decisions on the fly.

Whitney Marshall, 29, learned only after waking up from exploratory surgery for endometriosis in 2019 at Ascension Crittenton in Rochester Hills, Mich., that her IUD had not been replaced. Marshall, who uses the device to reduce the pain associated with the condition, had to undergo a second procedure in her gynecologist’s office to have the IUD reinserted.The spokesman for Ascension Crittenton did not respond to requests for comment about the case.

“Some women cannot afford surgeries” to treat endometriosis, Marshall said. “So their only form of recourse is to try to regulate their hormones by using contraceptives.”

Catholic hospitals’ tradition of serving women and children in the neediest neighborhoods is “rooted in our reverence for life,” said Brian Reardon, spokesman for the Catholic Health Association. But the lack of choice has been felt keenly in rural and low-income communities where patients cannot easily transfer to secular institutions, reproductive rights advocates say.

Hospitals operating under Catholic restrictions are “the sole community providers of short-term acute hospital care” in more than 52 communities across the country — up from 30 in 2013,according to Community Catalyst.

In Putnam, Connecticut, residents have relied on Day Kimball Healthcare, the town’s only hospital, for more than a century.

Kramer, the chief executive, said the hospital has been exploring partnerships with larger systems over the past decade to ensure its long-term survival.

The proposed arrangement with Covenant Health requires the approval of Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy, which has been examining how services might be affected.

The need to preserve access to reproductive health services can bring an end to negotiations. In 2012, the investor in a proposed joint venture with two hospitals in Waterbury, Conn., one of which was Catholic, pulled out after reproductive health advocates and the local archbishop raised opposing concerns about creating a “hospital within a hospital” to provide reproductive services — a workaround that had been successful elsewhere.

Access to reproductive services has shrunk recently around Day Kimball after the 2020 closure of Planned Parenthood in nearby Danielson.

Like many hospitals, Day Kimball does not provide elective abortions, according to documents filed with the state. But it has provided other care prohibited by Catholic directives, including elective sterilizations.

Those services are key to preventing unwanted pregnancies, said Lee Wesler, an internist who has been affiliated with Day Kimball for a decade.

“Any unwanted pregnancy is a potential abortion,” Weslersaid.

Members of the group Save Day Kimball Healthcare said that in conversations, Kramer and other representatives of the hospital have sought to be reassuring. “They say, ‘Everything will be fine,’ ” said Margaret Martin, a retired social worker and member of the group.

Kramer, who said he intends to stay on if the Covenant deal goes through, repeated those assurances to The Washington Post. “What we have been we will still be,” he said, while declining to describe how contraceptives could be offered for the sole purpose ofbirth control.

In a Q&A posted in September on the Day Kimball website, Kramer suggeststhat other justifications could be found for using “tools” suchas oral contraceptives, including “to maintain health and wellness, to address a medical condition, prevent disease, and mitigate cancer risk.”

Bruce Shay, a member of the Save Day Kimball Healthcare steering committee, says he worries doctors may leave if they have to abide by the directives — or might evade them by making “a sketchy diagnosis.”

Nandini Seshadri has seen that happen.

The 40-year-old Latham, N.Y. resident received a copper IUD after delivering her first child at a secular hospital that Trinity is in the process of acquiring. She was denied the device after giving birth to her second child at a Catholic hospital now affiliated with Trinity.

“I remember laughing and saying, ‘What? Seriously?’ ” Seshadri recalled. “I didn’t know that Catholic hospitals still did that.”

She was even more surprised when her nurse-midwife offered her a hormonal IUD instead, on the grounds that she needed it to stabilize her menstrual cycle.

“I didn’t have that problem,” Seshadri said. To give her the contraception, she said, the nurse “was essentially falsifying my medical record.”

[newstfionline]

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Job Market Picks Up Strength (NYT) Driven by unexpectedly large job gains at the nation’s restaurants and bars, the labor market picked up strength in February, raising hopes that the economic recovery was taking hold more firmly. All told, employers added 379,000 jobs, the government reported Friday, the strongest showing since October. The increase, as vaccination efforts ramped up and restrictions on businesses eased, followed a deep loss in December and a modest rise in January. But the February pace was still far short of the gains recorded from late spring to early fall as the pandemic’s sudden stranglehold loosened. There are roughly 9.5 million fewer jobs than a year ago, and a year’s worth of lost opportunities—as many as two million jobs that would most likely have been created if previous hiring trends had continued. Congress is considering a $1.9 trillion package of pandemic relief intended to carry struggling households and businesses through the coming months.

Can Biden Keep Coal Country From Becoming a ‘Ghost Town’? (NYT) From a porch in Martin County, Ky., in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty. Decades later, President Barack Obama dedicated millions of dollars to work force development projects in Appalachia. President Donald J. Trump even pledged the impossible: a revival of the region’s faltering coal industry. President Biden is talking big, too, assuring residents that his climate plan will also create well-paying jobs there. But after generations of promises, communities once reliant on coal mining are understandably skeptical. Administration after administration has tried to bring the region sustained prosperity, yet many communities remain on the brink. In eastern Kentucky, the poverty rate in several counties exceeds 30 percent. Unemployment is among the highest in the nation. And an outward migration over several decades has cut the populations of some counties nearly in half, leaving local governments strapped for tax revenue and struggling to fund essential services. “Fifty years from now, this could be a ghost town,” said former Gov. Paul E. Patton, an eastern Kentucky native. “That’s my prediction.”

Hyperinflation Pushes Venezuela to Print 1,000,000-Bolivar Bills (Bloomberg) Venezuela said it will introduce new large-denomination bolivar notes as hyperinflation renders most bills worthless, forcing citizens to turn to the U.S. dollar for everyday transactions. The country’s central bank posted a statement on its website Friday saying it would begin circulating the new 200,000, 500,000 and 1,000,000 bills to “fulfill the current economy’s requirements” without providing further details. The 1,000,000 note—the largest in the nation’s history—is worth only $0.53 cents. As Venezuela’s economy shrank for a seventh straight year in 2020, the government turned a blind eye to a growing number of dollar transactions, kick-started by rolling power outages that prevented credit and debit card purchases and fostered the use of cash. About 66% of transactions across the country are estimated to be made in foreign currency, according to Ecoanalitica. While the dollar has gained ground, Venezuelans continue to rely on bolivar bills for public transportation and to purchase subsidized fuel. The Caracas subway recently issued an electronic payment system after it routinely stopped charging passengers due to cash shortages.

Protesters and Police Clash in Paraguay Amid Anger Over Pandemic Response (Reuters) Protesters clashed with the police in Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, late on Friday as anger over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis boiled onto the streets and forced the resignation of the country’s top health official. Security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered around the Congress building, while protesters broke down security barriers, burned road barricades and threw stones at the police. The protests broke out amid growing outrage as coronavirus infections hit record levels and hospitals verged on collapse throughout Paraguay.

UK COVID-19 lockdown provides boom towns for rats (Deutsche Welle) Rats, and other members of the rodent family, have a lousy reputation. They crop up regularly in our everyday language to describe bleak situations and sentiments (Rats!, caught in a rat race, someone with rat-like features—you get the drift). They seem to be omnipresent in the best of times, but now, they’re having a, er, field day. In London and other major cities across the UK, rat sightings have soared during the pandemic. The British Pest Control Association (BPCA), which represents 700 vermin catchers across the country, said its members reported a 51% hike in rodent activity during the first lockdown last spring, and a 78% increase in November after the next lockdown. Typically, rats avoid humans and make drains and sewers their homes. However, as a result of shuttered businesses and deserted high streets, the creatures are out in full force and making restaurants, pubs and empty buildings their new habitat as they look for other sources to satisfy their dietary needs. “It seems their lifestyle patterns are changing. Rats, in particular, are also becoming more visible in areas of population. With less footfall across cities and towns, there is less associated food waste being left in bins and on the floor. Also, bin areas behind restaurants and pubs are empty and free of food waste making it unavailable for the local rat population,” Natalie Bungay, technical officer with the BPCA, told DW via email. As a result, rats are also moving further afield to find other food sources. “Rats seem to be moving from cities closer to residential areas, where we’re still filling our bins with food waste,” says Bungay.

Brexit Antagonism Escalates as EU, U.K. Go Another Round (Bloomberg) When the U.K. and European Union shook hands on a trade deal late last year, few expected the new relationship to be plain sailing. And as with many divorces, antagonism between the sides has refused to fade. Among the most sensitive issues is Northern Ireland, and tensions ramped up considerably this week when the U.K. announced it will ignore some crucial obligations under the Brexit deal and the EU responded with a dramatic threat of legal action. With Prime Minister Boris Johnson already under pressure from members of his own party to rip up the Northern Ireland deal, the risk is a further escalation that erodes relations. That could have spillovers far beyond politics, and the ongoing saga is a frustration for business. The U.K.’s huge finance industry, for example, is seeing the potential for beneficial trade agreements being slowly whittled away by endless political spats.

Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric hold historic, symbolic meeting (AP) Pope Francis and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence Saturday, urging Muslims in the war-weary Arab nation to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during an historic meeting in the holy city of Najaf. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history. Al-Sistani, 90, is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam and his rare but powerful political interventions have helped shape present-day Iraq. He is a deeply revered figure in Shiite-majority Iraq and his opinions on religious and other matters are sought by Shiites worldwide. The historic meeting in al-Sistani’s humble home was months in the making, with every detail painstakingly discussed and negotiated between the ayatollah’s office and the Vatican. The “very positive” meeting lasted a total of 40 minutes, said a religious official in Najaf.

A decade after Fukushima nuclear disaster, contaminated water symbolizes Japan’s struggles (Washington Post) Beside the ruins of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, more than 1,000 huge metal tanks loom in silent testament to one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, the meltdown of three nuclear reactors 10 years ago this month. The tanks contain nearly 1.25 million tons of cooling water from the 2011 disaster and groundwater seepage over the years—equivalent to around 500 Olympic-size swimming pools—most of it still dangerously radioactive. Running out of space to build more tanks, the government wants to gradually release the water into the sea—after it has been decontaminated and diluted—over the next three decades or more. Even though a formal decision has yet to be announced, the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) have insisted that an ocean release is their preferred solution and that it is perfectly safe. The only thing holding them back appears to be the Olympics and the bad publicity it could generate before the Games begin in July, experts say. The idea of releasing the water has infuriated Fukushima’s fishing community, only now getting back on its feet after taking a battering in the wake of the 2011 disaster and the subsequent ocean contamination. Also angry is South Korea, even though it is more than 600 miles away on the other side of Japan.

Hong Kong reforms prevent ‘dictatorship of the majority’, pro-Beijing lawmaker says (Reuters) China’s proposal for Hong Kong electoral reforms could prevent a “dictatorship of the majority”, pro-Beijing Hong Kong lawmaker Martin Liao told Reuters on Saturday. The Chinese parliament is discussing plans to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure Beijing loyalists are in charge. Hong Kong representatives, in Beijing for an annual session, say the change is necessary and desirable. “Many people in Hong Kong are politically immature,” Liao, who sits on both Hong Kong’s and China’s legislature, said in a telephone interview. “They think ‘one man one vote’ is the best thing, and they take advice from countries that don’t even have ‘one man one vote’,” Liao said, referring to how neither the U.S. President nor the British Prime Minister is elected by a popular vote. The proposed changes, which include expanding the city’s Election Committee from 1,200 to 1,500 people and expanding the city’s Legislative Council from 70 to 90 seats, will make Hong Kong’s electoral system more “representative”, and less prone to “dictatorship of the majority”, Liao added. Critics say that Beijing would be able to stack the two bodies with even more pro-establishment members, to gain the numerical superiority needed to influence important decisions such as the election of the city’s Chief Executive, leaving Hong Kong voters with less direct say in who they want to lead them.

Myanmar forces fire tear gas, stun grenades on protest as U.N. envoy calls for action (Reuters) Myanmar security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to break up a protest in Yangon on Saturday, just hours after a United Nations special envoy called on the Security Council to take action against the ruling junta for the killings of protesters. The Southeast Asian country has been plunged in turmoil since the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, with daily protests and strikes that have choked business and paralysed administration. More than 50 protesters have been killed since the coup, according to the United Nations—at least 38 on Wednesday alone. The army says it has been restrained in stopping the protests, but has said it will not allow them to threaten stability.

Lebanon on edge as protests persist, caretaker PM pleads for new government (Reuters) Demonstrators blocked various roadways across Lebanon for the fifth day in a row on Saturday, and a heavy army presence filled parts of the capital as anger simmered over the country’s economic downturn. Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab threatened in a speech earlier in the day to stop performing his duties to pressure politicians to form a new government. Groups of protesters have been burning tyres daily to block roads since the Lebanese currency tumbled to a new low on Tuesday, enraging a population long horrified by the country’s financial meltdown. Lebanon’s financial crisis, which erupted in 2019, has wiped out jobs, raised warnings of growing hunger and locked people out of their bank deposits. A new cabinet could implement reforms needed to trigger billions of dollars of international aid.

Electricity, time, and Bitcoin (The Baffler) In early 2018, millions of digital clocks across Europe began falling behind time. Few took notice at first as slight disruptions in the power supply caused bedside alarms and oven timers running on the frequency of electric current to begin lagging. Three minutes were lost in January, three more in February. In March, the Brussels-based European Network of Transmission System Operators of Electricity issued an apology. Whoever was causing the unprecedented power shortages “must cease”—but, until they did, the thirty-six nations plugged into Europe’s common electric grid were tasked with ratcheting up their voltage frequencies to speed the continent’s clocks back up. European authorities soon traced the power fluctuations to North Kosovo, a region commonly described as one of Europe’s last ganglands. Since 2015, its major city, Mitrovica, has been under the control of Srpska Lista, a mafia masquerading as a political party. Around the time Srpska came to power, North Kosovo’s electricity consumption surged. Officials at the Kosovo Electricity Supply Company in Prishtina, Kosovo’s capital city, told me that the region now requires 20 percent more power than it did five years ago. Eventually, it became clear why: across the region, from the shabby apartment blocks of Mitrovica to the cellars of mountain villages, Bitcoin and Ethereum rigs were humming away, fueling a shadow economy of cryptocurrency manufacturing.