Undeniably, individual rights are foundational to our civil liberties. However, we are also socially minded, meaning thinking beyond individual needs, and therefore, we must bridge this polarity. From a care perspective, these dualities remain in two different verticals,1. medical care/treatment, and 2. public health. For example, when I discuss a condition and treatment options with a patient, the… Read More »
Overall, we focus a considerable amount of time and energy on physician accountability for delivering value to those we serve. However, with consistently increasing costs to the consumer, there is less conversation concerning their responsibility. Currently, there is a societal debate asking what exactly, are the duties of individuals involving their own health and well-being. Undeniably, patients’ behavior… Read More »
A day rarely ends without Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its vast benefit being discussed in some form or fashion. I am all for technological and mathematical advances; however, one needs to remember that we are early on this journey and we would be better served to avoid the “shiny object syndrome”, meaning chasing after an item merely because… 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 »
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 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 »
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 »
As our health systems continue to shift to value-based care, it has become paramount that providing quality care to not just some, but ALL we serve is essential. Therefore, focusing on the health disparities that exist is important since a lack of health equity continues to be a significant factor contributing to poor health in many communities. If… Read More »
There is an ever-widening gap between payments made by private health insurers and those made by the federal government. Between 1996 and 2001, payments made by private insurers were 10% greater than Medicare. By 2012, this difference increased to 75%, meaning Private Insurers are paying the majority of healthcare costs over programs like Medicare and Medicaid. We must… Read More »