As we begin to reflect on policy changes and how they impacted people during covid, It’s of utmost importance that we assess what enhanced our wellbeing and what did not. We know that a significant determinant of health, especially in children, is access to healthy food and permanent food security. One of the many policies during Covid was… Read More »
For many of us, certain technologies, including telemedicine, are viewed in a highly positive light as a methodology to increase access in a consumer-centric manner. However, there are concerns that such technology will potentially increase health disparities because of the lack of broadband access, hardware, and functional literacy. As a result of the pandemic, access to office-based visits… Read More »
As consolidation and integration of physician practices occur, especially within organizations that can wrap capabilities around ambulatory clinical care, we must examine the potential benefit to those we serve. This ideal is also the premise for a clinically integrated network where payment models are designed to allow for enhanced capabilities available to smaller groups of clinicians. These enhanced… Read More »
There has been considerable debate concerning the value of the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. The program was designed to deduct up to 3% of Medicare payments for hospitals with higher-than-expected thirty-day all-cause readmission rates, after index admissions, for six conditions and procedures. One of the primary concerns regarding the program was the disproportionate impact on teaching and… Read More »
There has been a great deal of focus on whether nonprofit hospitals bring value to the communities they serve in proportion to their tax-exempt status. The argument is that the tax dollars are necessary and properly utilized for community benefit; therefore, a tax-exempt status requires community benefit in replacement of payments. The measure used as a metric for… Read More »
Structural racism refers to, “The totality of ways societies foster racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing systems of housing, credit, media, health care, and criminal justice.” One of the leading structural components that has led to the inequitable distribution of health services is healthcare financing, i.e., insurance coverage. Inadequate health insurance coverage is one of the most prevalent barriers… Read More »
As we focus on improving the care for all, with a lens toward health equity, it’s essential to examine the root causes of health inequities and their existence. And Racism is a contributing factor that has led to our present situation. To progress, we need to have an understanding and commonality of definitions. Referencing a recent article by… Read More »
Out of the numerous learnings from the pandemic, COVID has highlighted several issues within our social structures; one of the most significant findings is the discrepancies in vaccination rates among minorities. For many appropriate reasons, there is a great amount of mistrust. This behavior originates from historical occurrences leading to fatal outcomes. Another issue being that those that… Read More »
As we focus on the affordability of healthcare, some turn to high deductible health plans (HDHPs) to lower costs and as a result, creating situations where consumers are at greater risk for the cost of their care. The theory is that if I must pay out of pocket, I will be more discriminating concerning my purchases and shop… Read More »
Recently, there is a tremendous amount of focus on the value of social interventions and healthcare costs. To be of optimal help to the greater society, it is important for us to thoroughly understand how to investigate the value of such interventions. In the journal, Health Affairs, a recent study by Kangovi et al. investigates the return on… Read More »