Healthcare is an industry where innovation and technology continue to progress and create an opportunity to improve lives. However, the cost of such products continues to rise and thus impacts the overall cost of care. But, suppose one surmises the purpose is to enhance care in a manner that delivers value, i.e., where the expense plays a significant… Read More »
With the explosion of COVID-19, those in healthcare are at the forefront. Therefore, it behooves us to step back, clarify and re-identify our roles as healthcare professionals. Undoubtedly, delivering care is first and foremost; however, there remains an obligation to lead the way in relaying helpful and accurate public information especially as we witness it firsthand. Every day,… Read More »
There is a definite belief that if we invest in care that prevents Emergency Room visits and hospitalizations, there is a positive impact on outcomes and costs. For instance, a recent study in Health Affairs by Wright et al. evaluated this belief in the Iowa Medicaid Healthy Behaviors Program. In their research, they found a substantial decrease in… Read More »
In our continuation of focusing on health disparities, tracking metrics are paramount to our understanding if our interventions are to be impactful. Monitoring and categorizing hospitalizations are a crucial indicator. One can postulate that if hospitalizations drop within a defined population type and responses have been put in place to drive down such admissions, then such models have… Read More »
The healthcare market continues to consolidate, which is causing an uptick in Private Equity (PE) investment, particularly in dermatology and ophthalmology. PE firms have a tremendous amount of unspent capital and are seeking diversification of their portfolios. Furthermore, their model is to purchase a large physician practice and then add on medium and smaller groups, usually within the… Read More »
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preventive care services can save 100,000 lives a year. Daily, healthcare systems and providers focus on how to deliver primary prevention services best and how to ensure that the coordination of the payment models is providing such care. However, for optimal success to occur, we need to expand… Read More »
Unequivocally, on the subject of racism and brutality, silence is a form of consent. Let us not be silent. Let us stand with our communities, and categorically state that brutality of any sort, overt and covert racism, and racial discrimination hurts us as a community and is wrong on every level. From a health equity perspective, we have… Read More »
It has been a while since I have written about a personal event. As many of you know, my present role has placed me at the forefront of our COVID-19 response. First and foremost, I could not be more blessed than I am for our team and how we, as an organization, have risen to the occasion. Months… Read More »
As the healthcare industry continues to focus on value (improved quality and service, and decreased cost), understanding the human dynamics of physician healthcare providers will enhance our ability to drive change. Incentives are foundational, however, money is not always the primary motivator. Behavioral Science postulates that different people respond differently to similar incentives. We know there is a… Read More »
A commonly held premise of shared decision-making is that the healthcare profession neither adequately gives specific treatment options nor discusses the trade-offs of surgical intervention. Predominantly, the thought is that if more in-depth conversations were to occur concerning the trade-offs, and there is more appropriate management of expectations, the chosen solution would be the more conservative approach. With… Read More »