People with depression cost 3 times more to treat We all know that mental and behavioral health play a critical role in not only the cost of healthcare, but also in how well a person can function both at work and at home. We looked at the higher costs of care associated with depression, despite a person’s underlying… Read More »
Healthcare in the United States has been deemed a social right. No matter what happens, a person will always receive care under emergency conditions. There are also many organizations that make it their mission for all to receive non-emergent care. The idea of universal coverage is a bipartisan issue as there is no doubt that a healthier society… Read More »
Electronic Health Records should be more than just records When we implemented an electronic record in a large multispecialty group by in 1998, it was called an electronic medical record. The focus at the time was how to recreate the paper record electronically. We were focused on how to use the data that was collected to improve care,… Read More »
I recently read an article, What is Disruptive Innovation? by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and Rory McDonald from the Harvard Business Review, that got me thinking about disruptive innovation in healthcare and why it is so difficult. Incumbents, or the supply side, focus on improving their products to their present customer base and inherently ignore the… Read More »
Debate over rights and true consumers hinders achieving value Healthcare costs have been on the rise for many decades and there have been multiple attempts and models to curb spending. We are presently shifting to value-based payment models under the theory that unlike previously in a fee for service world, paying only for what increases quality and satisfaction… Read More »
There is no one solution to specialized vs. general care As I read an article by Richard Gunderman about the proliferation of hospitalist care and what it means for the continuity of care needed in a value- based world, it made me think about the bigger question of which is better: general or specialty care? We see this… Read More »
Naming conventions highlight underlying disease-centered philosophical approach to healthcare I remember a character created by comedian Bill Saluga back in the late 70s named Raymond J. Johnson Jr. When the character would be addressed as “Mr. Johnson,” he would go into a loud shrieking voice saying, “My name is Raymond J. Johnson Jr. Now you can call me… Read More »
Inpatient palliative care is costly and removes patients from their home A simple, straight-forward definition of palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach working with those that have serious illnesses. It focuses on improving the quality of life of people by not only focusing on symptom relief, but also the psychosocial issues that are present in those with such… Read More »
Unfortunately, many of us remember the late 1990s and early 2000s when we used the term “narrow” networks, which were designed to be very narrow to decrease cost by decreasing utilization and trading volume for pricing. They worked. We saw a reduction in spend, but many argued this model withheld needed services. Those of us in these narrow… Read More »
Medical homes have made great progress over the years. The idea of creating a patient-centric model focused on the whole person within the four walls of a medical practice is wonderful and greatly needed. But thanks to an ever-changing world, we’re now at a point where we need to think about redefining what the medical home should look… Read More »