Healthcare valuation expert Mark Dietrich (Mark O. Dietrich CPA, PC) has done over 100 hours of research digging into the “science” of COVID-19—its origin, how it spreads, protection methods, testing, and so on. You might wonder what all of this has to do with the valuation and financial community. The answer is that, for the economy to recover, these matters must be understood. “Much of the economy is highly localized and the nightmare in the greater New York City area and the northeastern United States is not present in most of the rest of the country,” says Dietrich. “That will impact future cash flow of the smaller businesses most of us work with.”

Too many so-called experts: Tired of the endless finger-pointing, and both reporters and “experts” changing their stories as frequently as healthcare providers are supposed to change N95 masks, Dietrich went directly to the source data in various scientific journals and fact-based websites to figure out the real story. What the physician scientists think is going on with this disease is important because, as he says, “I simply don’t think that we can forecast anymore if we don’t know that.”

Dietrich’s research and analysis will be presented in an upcoming BVR Briefing document. He will also join a panel of other healthcare finance and valuation experts who will present a webinar, Healthcare Valuation Townhall: Four-Expert Panel on COVID-19 Impacts and Beyond, on Wednesday, June 24.