As healthcare providers, we focus a tremendous amount of activity on screening to prevent illnesses. Whether it is cholesterol checks, mammograms, or colonoscopies, there is a time where the benefit diminishes due to the age or health of an individual. Currently, we are in a situation where screening continues past its efficacy. Therefore, how do we stop? It… Read More »
Recently, there has been a tremendous amount of focus and thought surrounding the idea that if patients use primary care more frequently, healthcare costs will improve. The thought is if more time is spent on prevention it will decrease the need for additional expensive interventions over time. Simultaneously, there is also conversations surrounding a shortage of primary care… Read More »
What is supply optimization and why is it important to healthcare? If we are to consider supply optimization as the application of processes and tools to ensure the optimal use of said supply, in terms of healthcare, this means offering our patients the most optimal care we can in the most affordable and accessible way. We continue to… Read More »
As discussed in my post last week, How do we Reduce Healthcare Spending Waste to Improve the Value of Care? I mentioned administrative complexity as a broad category for reducing waste in healthcare. However, before we can implement improvement, we must understand why this category exists. Since the focus is currently on the failure of care delivery, factors… Read More »
In today’s healthcare climate, creating more affordable healthcare services and reducing wasteful spending is the utmost priority. Wastefulness accounts for dollars that are not going towards care, meaning they are affecting the unit price of a service without offering a benefit. According to present conversations surrounding healthcare, the nation’s level of waste is 30% of the overall health… Read More »
As we continue to enhance our care models and desire to deliver on value-based care, exactly how we embrace external disciplines in our pursuit of success is crucial. Often called the “Not-Invented-Here Syndrome,” (NIHS) is a situation where a profession only looks for solutions within the context of their own area of expertise. This condition plagues medicine, limits… Read More »
As we focus on delivering value, and decreasing waste, clinical appropriateness needs to be considered on a daily basis. Unfortunately, much variation is due to the lack of health care providers following evidence-based guidelines. There are various reasons this occurs, including a lack of consensus between medical societies, ease of disseminating new information when it is published, as… Read More »
A profession is defined as an occupation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested, objective counsel and service to others for direct and definite compensation. The two key components of this very “matter of fact” definition are specialized educational training and offering a service to others for payment. Unquestionably, those that provide… Read More »
In the present age of healthcare, we understand that social determinants play a critical role in health and wellness, as well as influencing our ability to treat illnesses. Those who identify with issues such as food insecurity, intimate partner violence, availability or quality of housing, and the ability to pay for necessities such as utilities like heat and… Read More »
Historically, a specialty consult occurred when a physician desired input and would request a specialist examine the patient either in the hospital or as a referral in the outpatient setting. Frequently, as a primary care physician, I would ask a specialist to opine on a particular patient’s situation or diagnosis. Invariably, this request would generate a discussion regarding… Read More »