• Delaware/Florida: Nemours Children's Health announced it plans to launch a pediatric hospital-at-home program in 2024 that would provide acute home-based care to patients within a 40-mile radius of Nemours' hospitals in Wilmington, Delaware and Orlando, Florida. According to Eric Jackson, CIO for Nemours Children's, the program would include remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and in-person visits for children with urgent, short-term illnesses like COVID-19, bronchitis, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus. Jackson added the program could also potentially help Nemours care for more patients when its hospitals are at capacity. (Eastabrook, Modern Healthcare, 12/12)
• District of Columbia: America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has named Mike Tuffin to serve as its next leader after Matt Eyles announced his retirement from AHIP after five-years in the position. Tuffin currently serves as SVP for external affairs and head of U.S. government affairs for UnitedHealth Group*. Tuffin previously spent nine years at AHIP between 2003 and 2012 as its EVP of communications and public affairs. (Cohrs, STAT+ [subscription required], 12/11)
• Maryland: The USPSTF last month issued a draft recommendation saying that children with obesity should receive intensive counseling to promote a healthy diet and exercise habits beginning at age 6. According to the panel, research has found that intensive behavioral interventions — defined as at least 26 hours of counseling with at least one health professional — is effective for achieving a healthy weight and improving the quality of life for children and adolescents. (Lapid, Reuters, 12/12)

*Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent.  

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