Understanding precisely how individuals consume and translate clinical quality information is imperative as we continue to focus on delivering value to those we serve. Now a very data-driven industry, our focus centers on the reliability and accuracy of the data itself. However, this is only half the problem. The method in which we share this information followed by… Read More »
Understanding Why Hospitals, payers and physicians must work together If we want to continue to increase the value to those we serve; it is crucial to recognize that partnerships are necessary. Thus, it is essential that physicians, hospitals, and payers work together in innovative ways and cost-effectively elevate care and services. Historically, not only has each focused on… Read More »
We need to consider several things when we ask a question like “Who Should we focus on to reduce healthcare costs?” In healthcare a modest percentage of patients define a disproportionate amount of expense, i.e., 20-30% of our unhealthy account for 70-80% of healthcare costs. Therefore, it is logical to focus on these individuals if we want to… Read More »
With the initiative of Choosing Wisely, which was introduced to the healthcare community in 2012, there has been an intentional focus on decreasing unnecessary testing such as CTs, MRIs, and labs. Superfluous medical treatment, tests, and procedures lead to not only increased cost, but also the potential for higher incidents of unintended harm. Incidental findings frequently lead to… Read More »
Mandatory vaccinations highlight the polarity on the debate between the rights of individual choice versus the betterment of the community. On one side of the discussion is the desire to promote personal choice. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, proponents against mandatory vaccination programs point out the possible risk of vaccinations as a reason for an opt-in model.… Read More »
With the 2018 New York University announcement of free medical school tuition, undoubtedly there is increased interest in the potential impact this will have. Many hypothesize that this is a new era, and a new education model is forthcoming and necessary. As recently as 2017, there was a proclamation from the Association of American Medical Colleges that the… Read More »
I was recently asked by Gist Healthcare to weigh-in on end-of-life care and how we as a society should approach it and what needs to change. You can read the full interview conducted with Gist Healthcare writer Chas Roades here. But today, I am going to summarize some of my thoughts on why Advance Care Planning needs to… Read More »
“Population Health” has numerous definitions. Most commonly it is “Health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.” The key words are “health” and “group.” At the most expansive level, the wellness of our entire society encompasses this meaning. There in deciding to define the value to include the whole community… Read More »
In most industries, technology has been credited with driving innovations and improving the productivity and quality of products and services we utilize every day. Unfortunately, Healthcare has not experienced this same occurrence. There are numerous cutting-edge technologies occurring in healthcare, but one must question if the value of care has progressed? Has technology provided a marked increase in… Read More »
“Population health” is a phrase used with ever-increasing frequency. However, depending on who you might ask, the definition varies. For example, the description of a population for a hospital would be any person that is in a bed. For a physician practice, any person under their care would be more appropriate. And then, for a payor or an… Read More »