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HLTH21 – Mike McNamera from Impact Health

Questions answered in this episode

  1. How is Impact Health testing thousands of conference attendees in under 20 minutes?
  2. What role does rapid testing play in keeping large enterprise workforces safe?
  3. How does Impact Health confirm positive COVID tests and prevent false positives?
  4. Can proper testing protocols actually prevent super-spreader events at scale?
  5. What's driving Impact Health's explosive growth from 600 to 20,000 healthcare professionals?

About this episode

I never felt safer than I felt these last three days at HLTH. A lot of the credit goes to HLTH and the process they put in and the team they brought together.

Today I speak with Mike McNamera from Impact Health who provided all the testing to create a safe space for our time together. Hope you enjoy.

Transcript

Speaker 00:00:03 Today in. Speaker 00:00:03 Health it interviews from the health conference in Boston Speaker 00:00:06 today, Mike McNamara on how impact health is making a safe Speaker 00:00:09 space for us to collaborate. Speaker 00:00:11 My name is bill Russell. Speaker 00:00:12 I'm a former CIO for a 16 hospital system and creator of this week and Speaker 00:00:15 health it a channel dedicated to keeping health it staff current and engaged. Speaker 00:00:20 Just a quick reminder, I'm going to be dropping interviews Speaker 00:00:22 over the next couple of days. Speaker 00:00:24 And into next week from the floor of the health conference. Bill Russell 00:00:28 All right. Bill Russell 00:00:28 We have another conversation from the health conference health 2021. Bill Russell 00:00:32 And today we are with, uh, Mike McNamara. Bill Russell 00:00:35 The, are you the president and CEO of impact health? Bill Russell 00:00:38 Sure, sure. Bill Russell 00:00:41 I run things that impact health and I'm thanks for coming on the show. Bill Russell 00:00:45 Absolutely. Bill Russell 00:00:45 I, uh, I commented this morning on the show that the, the process, one of the Bill Russell 00:00:51 first things you're you're faced with as you come to this conference, The process Bill Russell 00:00:56 for making sure everybody is safe and we're all vaccinated, but they also put Bill Russell 00:01:01 in the, the option for not often, but they put it in that process for testing. Bill Russell 00:01:05 And your company is handling all that testing for the conference. Bill Russell 00:01:09 Talk about, correct? Mike McNamera 00:01:10 Sure. Mike McNamera 00:01:11 So we actually, uh, from an intake situation, enterprise software solution, Mike McNamera 00:01:18 uh, for this type of program, we use clear we've partnered with them for. Mike McNamera 00:01:23 Many many programs we helped open up Vegas. Mike McNamera 00:01:26 MGM is a big client for both of us. Mike McNamera 00:01:28 Uh, the conventions system, uh, out of Vegas, even the state of Nevada. Mike McNamera 00:01:34 So it's, uh, it's a program we're quite comfortable doing. Mike McNamera 00:01:38 We can take it to large scale like this five, 10,000 people and put Mike McNamera 00:01:44 them through a process of testing. Mike McNamera 00:01:47 Uh, essentially clear would give you the green pass after you've had. Mike McNamera 00:01:51 Uh, there's so many platforms now for COVID testing, uh, to make an Mike McNamera 00:01:55 environment safe and to make this bubble the way it needs to be. Mike McNamera 00:01:59 Uh, today we're using an antigen test. Mike McNamera 00:02:03 Then we back it up with a confirmatory on essentially a PCR Mike McNamera 00:02:08 test that is portable out of the lab out of a high complexity lab. Mike McNamera 00:02:14 That's our confirmatory, uh, that takes 30 minutes. Mike McNamera 00:02:18 So if you walk in here, The test itself takes a less than 20 minutes. Mike McNamera 00:02:23 By the time we put you onto the app, the clear app and get you Mike McNamera 00:02:27 all connected in that manner. Mike McNamera 00:02:32 Some people actually get a test prior to coming here and that can Mike McNamera 00:02:35 go onto the clear app and they can get, uh, entrance that way. Mike McNamera 00:02:39 Or they get tested by our, our clinicians. Mike McNamera 00:02:42 Uh, we had 50 clinicians here yesterday. Mike McNamera 00:02:47 Got about 40 here today. Mike McNamera 00:02:50 50 on a Sunday tested 2,500 people. Mike McNamera 00:02:53 That's a normal ramp for us. Mike McNamera 00:02:55 Uh, it's not unusual for us to do a thousand, 2000 walk-ups Mike McNamera 00:02:59 or drive-throughs 14 states. Mike McNamera 00:03:02 I mean, COVID has done certain things to certain companies. Mike McNamera 00:03:06 We're one of the companies that's exploded and we went from a 600 folks to over Mike McNamera 00:03:12 20,000 healthcare professionals that work W2 for impact health on a nationwide. Mike McNamera 00:03:18 And, uh, it's been incredible and conferences like this. Mike McNamera 00:03:23 We love them. Mike McNamera 00:03:24 Um, Bill Russell 00:03:24 so conference, as I'm thinking through this conferences Bill Russell 00:03:26 companies, uh, like MTM in the entertainment business, but also large Bill Russell 00:03:31 scale companies that are now sort of grappling with this, this balance of, of Bill Russell 00:03:37 testing on an ongoing basis and vaccines. Mike McNamera 00:03:41 Well, yeah. Mike McNamera 00:03:42 Today's date, uh, October 18th, correct? Mike McNamera 00:03:45 Right. Mike McNamera 00:03:45 So we're in the middle of a, what's the mandate going to be from our federal Mike McNamera 00:03:48 government when it comes to, uh, workers, uh, and companies with over a hundred Mike McNamera 00:03:56 employees, what are we going to do? Mike McNamera 00:03:57 How are we going to get them back to work? Mike McNamera 00:03:59 So, yes, I work with the largest companies in the country, uh, companies that have Mike McNamera 00:04:05 supply chain issues that need to get back, uh, working and getting people to. Mike McNamera 00:04:12 Uh, the microns of the world, um, premise is a client of ours and they have 50, 70 Mike McNamera 00:04:21 large scale, massive companies, the J and J's of the world Smucker's of the world. Mike McNamera 00:04:26 Right? Mike McNamera 00:04:27 So all those companies have got to get their people back in, Mike McNamera 00:04:30 and that's what we like to do. Mike McNamera 00:04:32 And it's for COVID vaccine. Mike McNamera 00:04:34 It's for COVID testing, it's getting home tests in the hands of Mike McNamera 00:04:38 the employees on a regular basis. Mike McNamera 00:04:40 It's observing that it's collecting that data, uh, so that we can communicate Mike McNamera 00:04:45 with the employer, uh, about their employees, uh, which they have to Mike McNamera 00:04:50 sign consent, to be able, uh, for us all, to communicate in that manner. Mike McNamera 00:04:55 We're not sharing their information with anybody we're just performing that Mike McNamera 00:04:59 service so that the employer knows yes. Mike McNamera 00:05:02 Uh, that person has been vaccinated or yes, that person has had a Mike McNamera 00:05:05 positive or a negative test so that, uh, work can go on and. Bill Russell 00:05:10 You know, it's interesting in Massachusetts and I know you're Bill Russell 00:05:13 not a technology guy per se, but when I got here, a little thing popped up Bill Russell 00:05:19 on my phone that said, Hey, would you like to know if you've come in contact Bill Russell 00:05:22 with people who have COVID it's like in Massachusetts, they've set this, or at Bill Russell 00:05:25 least in Boston, they've set this up. Bill Russell 00:05:28 And I think part of that has to be somebody reporting, you Bill Russell 00:05:32 know, positive tests is that. Bill Russell 00:05:34 And we just tested all these people in Boston, you would say, Hey, here, Bill Russell 00:05:38 here's the positive tasks in Boston would say, you know, these people, these Bill Russell 00:05:42 phones have come in contact with this, Mike McNamera 00:05:43 right? Mike McNamera 00:05:44 So we're state to state on this and we report to CDC. Mike McNamera 00:05:47 We have to report to CDC and on these things. Mike McNamera 00:05:50 And as an example, in a conference like this, with people who are Mike McNamera 00:05:56 double vaccinated, and that's part of the opportunity to be able to Mike McNamera 00:06:00 come in here, uh, it's a very low. Mike McNamera 00:06:04 But when we do stop someone from coming in here, uh it's because they're Mike McNamera 00:06:09 positive and then confirm positive. Mike McNamera 00:06:11 And at that person would be able to enter into a location like this Mike McNamera 00:06:14 and that, that 10 people they meet. Mike McNamera 00:06:17 And then 10 people meet the people who met them. Mike McNamera 00:06:20 And you understand the math when it comes to this. Mike McNamera 00:06:23 So protecting the bubbles, important, communicating to the state and federal Mike McNamera 00:06:27 government, it's part of what we have to do from a regulatory standpoint, the Mike McNamera 00:06:31 licensure that we have to go through. Mike McNamera 00:06:33 UAS that have changed in the last weeks and months, you have to be updated Mike McNamera 00:06:39 in every state for reporting for, uh, permitting it's it's, uh, the logistics Mike McNamera 00:06:45 of this business are just staggering. Mike McNamera 00:06:46 It is, but it's part of what gives people that comfort that we're doing, Mike McNamera 00:06:54 what we should do to stem the tide, Bill Russell 00:06:57 the false positives. Bill Russell 00:07:00 Do you worry about false positives or do you have. Bill Russell 00:07:03 Confirming test. Mike McNamera 00:07:06 So the sensitivity, you know, I don't want to bore anybody Mike McNamera 00:07:10 with the math, but you know, the sensitivity is such that you're going Mike McNamera 00:07:15 to end up every a hundred people. Mike McNamera 00:07:16 You're going to end up with so many people that you've got a false positive. Mike McNamera 00:07:21 And the great thing about having the other S uh, science, uh, platforms that Mike McNamera 00:07:26 we have, their sensitivity goes up more expensive, a little longer time for. Mike McNamera 00:07:33 Uh, you know, to have that test process, but when you get the number of false Mike McNamera 00:07:39 positives and then can confirm that with one of these high quality tests, uh, you Mike McNamera 00:07:46 can feel very, very safe at that point. Mike McNamera 00:07:48 So Bill Russell 00:07:48 are you able to give any numbers on that? Bill Russell 00:07:51 Like, you know, I mean, because everybody, everyone who's vaccinated right. Bill Russell 00:07:55 Coming up here. Bill Russell 00:07:57 That's I assume, felt healthy coming up here. Bill Russell 00:07:59 Cause you have to fill out the right th the form that says, Hey, I feel Bill Russell 00:08:01 healthy and whatever, even to get on a plane, you had to fill that out. Bill Russell 00:08:05 Um, so I would imagine, you know, you'd have to have to have a breakthrough case. Bill Russell 00:08:09 It would have to be a special case for someone to be positive here. Mike McNamera 00:08:13 Yeah. Mike McNamera 00:08:13 I would say that in these environments that we control and people have to Mike McNamera 00:08:18 enter the workers, uh, you know, all the way to the Teamsters who organized, Mike McNamera 00:08:23 you know, uh, the, the 400 boosts here. Mike McNamera 00:08:26 And, uh, everybody works at the conference center and the convention Mike McNamera 00:08:30 centers and the surrounding hotels. Mike McNamera 00:08:32 You know, we, we feel as though we can protect folks. Mike McNamera 00:08:37 We did that for, uh, for the previous administration. Mike McNamera 00:08:40 They were the only ones straddling for, uh, the summer and into the fall of 2020. Mike McNamera 00:08:46 And I recall we did over a hundred events for them and. Mike McNamera 00:08:51 That we know of, there was no super spreader event at any of those. Mike McNamera 00:08:55 A hundred plus events. Mike McNamera 00:08:57 Uh, Tulsa was a little, um, out of control. Mike McNamera 00:09:01 I didn't, I did not have control feature there. Mike McNamera 00:09:04 I only protected around, uh, the president, uh, who came to speak Mike McNamera 00:09:10 at that rally, uh, that area I know is, was safe and protected. Mike McNamera 00:09:14 And then the only place that we weren't allowed to in the country to test was the. Mike McNamera 00:09:20 So the white house had its own medical staff. Mike McNamera 00:09:24 So when Amy Coney Barrett was nominated for the Supreme court, we were not Mike McNamera 00:09:28 allowed on the white house grounds. Mike McNamera 00:09:31 That is the only place I know of in that previous administration, that a Mike McNamera 00:09:35 super spreader event actually happened and it can happen easily, but you got Mike McNamera 00:09:41 to have the right protocols in place. Mike McNamera 00:09:42 That was the white house medical involved. Mike McNamera 00:09:44 Um, you know, we were, we were testing other places for other events around that. Mike McNamera 00:09:50 That we weren't at the rose garden. Mike McNamera 00:09:52 And I think that's the only one that I know of where there was a superstar event Mike McNamera 00:09:57 during all of Trump's, um, campaigning and his previous administration. Bill Russell 00:10:03 So, so I'm curious, I mean, is this, this is your core business. Bill Russell 00:10:06 What does your business look like? Bill Russell 00:10:07 Moving out? Bill Russell 00:10:08 I mean, will this, or do we see this pretty strong next Mike McNamera 00:10:12 year as well? Mike McNamera 00:10:13 You know, age doesn't mean anything it's it's, you know, how Mike McNamera 00:10:17 you feel, how you act, how you. Mike McNamera 00:10:19 And, uh, I I'm supposed to be in my retirement years and you know, this Mike McNamera 00:10:26 could have, you know, could have happened when I was 45 and not the age I am. Mike McNamera 00:10:31 But Bill Russell 00:10:33 so this really has led to a Mike McNamera 00:10:35 significant uptake in Dubai since it has. Mike McNamera 00:10:37 I mean, it's, I, it's not, it's not calculable, right. Mike McNamera 00:10:41 That the growth is, is, is staggering. Mike McNamera 00:10:45 Uh, you know, it's, it's. Mike McNamera 00:10:48 Bigger than a Facebook, right. Mike McNamera 00:10:50 It's just been kind of crazy. Mike McNamera 00:10:53 So, but in terms of what's next, I mean, rapid deployment of Mike McNamera 00:10:58 healthcare services at scale, that's the mantra and impact health. Mike McNamera 00:11:03 We can go anywhere. Mike McNamera 00:11:04 We've got great, got hundreds of people who are qualified. Mike McNamera 00:11:07 We can stand up a group in a matter of hours of FEMA. Mike McNamera 00:11:13 We have a contract with. Mike McNamera 00:11:17 They give us 72 hours, we're ready in 48 hours to go to any emergency Mike McNamera 00:11:21 in our country or in any of the us, uh, properties, uh, around the world. Mike McNamera 00:11:30 And it's, it's daunting and it's going to change. Mike McNamera 00:11:36 I can tell you that impact health has been nothing but a change Mike McNamera 00:11:40 company, uh, and have to adapt. Mike McNamera 00:11:43 I mean, when we had the dip in. Mike McNamera 00:11:46 And then the scale up for the Delta variant. Mike McNamera 00:11:49 So as someone who wants to build value and have my employees, uh, on a long-term Mike McNamera 00:11:55 basis, so that, uh, you know, we're, we're creating a good environment Mike McNamera 00:12:00 to work and to grow and prosper. Mike McNamera 00:12:03 And we've now turning our business into a staffing business, a staffing Mike McNamera 00:12:09 business with 20,000 dedicated folks. Mike McNamera 00:12:11 Who've got COVID. Mike McNamera 00:12:15 Nationwide. Mike McNamera 00:12:16 Uh, in an example in Florida, I've had over 1500 people working for Mike McNamera 00:12:20 me, just in the state of Florida in South Carolina last month, 63,000 Mike McNamera 00:12:28 days of employment for nurses based on the work we're doing in one state. Mike McNamera 00:12:34 So I think I'm a staffing company of rapidly deployed healthcare services. Mike McNamera 00:12:39 It's Bill Russell 00:12:39 Thank you very much for, for all the work that you guys did. Bill Russell 00:12:42 Thank you. Bill Russell 00:12:42 Thanks Mike McNamera 00:12:43 for the time. Mike McNamera 00:12:43 Check back for Morris. Mike McNamera 00:12:44 The, we continues. Mike McNamera 00:12:45 A lot of great interviews, a lot of great conversations. Mike McNamera 00:12:47 I'm looking forward to sharing them with you. Mike McNamera 00:12:50 That's all for today. Mike McNamera 00:12:51 If you know someone that might benefit from our channel, Mike McNamera 00:12:54 please forward them a note. Mike McNamera 00:12:55 They can subscribe on our website this week, health.com or wherever you listen Mike McNamera 00:12:59 to podcasts, apple, Google, overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, you get the picture. Mike McNamera 00:13:03 We are everywhere. Mike McNamera 00:13:05 We want to thank our channel sponsors who are investing in our mission to develop Mike McNamera 00:13:08 the next generation of health leaders. Mike McNamera 00:13:10 VMware Hill-Rom Starbridge advisors, McAfee and Aruba networks. Mike McNamera 00:13:15 Thanks for listening.

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