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 »
I believe we create false distinctions between healthcare and non-healthcare services. Recently I read with great interest a study that explored this issue by Vickery, et al, Cross-Sector Service Use Among High Health Care Utilizers in Minnesota After Medicaid Expansion in Health Affairs. The authors reviewed the service utilization of enrollees across the domains of healthcare, housing, criminal… Read More »
People do not choose when they become sick, injured or require needed services. Other industries comprehend the nature of their businesses and provide coverage that is appropriate to the defined needs. Within the realm of healthcare, this same type of delivery approach is not evident. Ambulatory services tend to follow “banking” hours. Surgeons schedule their cases based on… Read More »
We place a great deal of emphasis and focus on attempting to design models of care and services that address the consumer’s wants and needs. We discuss the need for patient-reported outcomes and shifting our metrics to those that are more patient-focused, such as shared decision making. We include patient advocates in our discussions and involve patients in… Read More »
An epidemic is the rapid spread of an infectious disease in a large population within a short time frame. Unfortunately, not being an infectious disease, the opioid crisis does not fall into such a category. Yet, it is a rapidly expanding problem that is deadly and requires immediate attention. In the pursuit of treating the pain of those… Read More »
Recently, there has been an increased focus on measures that not only drive towards better health outcomes, but also greater patient/person engagement. Within this realm, shared decision making has received enormous interest. Acting in the best interest of those we serve, physicians and providers must engage in conversations concerning shared goals and objectives. However, as we proceed to… Read More »
As we shift more to value-based care, we must create models that not only deliver on the value proposition of increased quality and service at a lower cost, but also are models that are sustainable. We need to think about models within a larger health ecosystem. This ecosystem has many components, and collaboration will be needed as there… Read More »
As we focus on improving the health of those we serve, we must remember the interaction between one’s health and one’s work. When we think about work-related events, we tend to think about injuries and taking time off when we are sick. The interactions between the two are much greater. There has always been a focus on employee… Read More »
Medicine is an imperfect science, coupled with the art of human experiences. The experience of the physician and the patient both come into play. But unfortunately, we often ignore how these points of view come together, creating a struggle between the needs of the physician and the patient. As we continuously strive to treat and diagnose those that… Read More »
Moving to value-based models of care will require us to include our patients in decision making in ways we have not done before. Historically healthcare has focused on first doing no harm, which has led us to err on the side of being conservative and has thus led to increased utilization of services. As we move to models… Read More »