United States purchasers of healthcare pay higher prices for a unit of service relative to other countries. In fact, these prices are primarily opaque, and the consumer rarely knows what it will owe for payment before they make a purchase. Market-based economics argue that price transparency of products leads to greater competition, thus leading to lower costs over… Read More »
What is the definition of being mindful? In the simplest terms, it conveys to be aware of your thoughts and emotions, in addition to demonstrating consideration of those with whom you interact. Hence, it is essential to remove bias, assumption, and judgment from the equation. Therefore, when we’re mindful, we strive to be present in the moment and… 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 »
Not too long ago, I recall my hospital patients repetitively inquiring, “When can I go home?” Frequently, my response was, “Not a day longer than you need to be here, nor a day shorter.” I was not trying to be audacious, but as many know, an exact time frame was not always possible since a person’s illness, and… Read More »
If we plan to evolve our care models to focus on embracing those we serve remaining in their environments of their choice, care givers will need to contain different skill sets than those that provide hospital-based care. Knowing this, with the current landscape, our ability as providers and health systems is unfortunately, more complacent than we should be… Read More »
In over sixteen hundred articles published since 2000, the value of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is irrefutably clear – “ERAS optimizes operative functional status to improve clinical outcome and patient satisfaction.” ERAS concepts are a comprehensive patient care movement that originated in Europe. By treating undesirable perioperative pathophysiologic processes, like colorectal surgery, which was the first surgery… Read More »
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 »
One of my earliest blogs discusses the difference between using the words person and patient to describe those we serve. We use numerous descriptions, depending on what part of the healthcare ecosystem and the message one is delivering. Health plans frequently refer to those they serve as members, whereas physicians and hospitals use the term patients, patient advocacy… Read More »
In healthcare, we continue to increase our focus on preventing illness and disease. With prevention, we also must balance the polarity of whether the preventive treatment outweighs the risks involved. For instance, the association of vaccine usage with possible long-term impacts prevails in the minds of numerous people still, even though the research has staunchly supported their benefit… Read More »
Unlike collecting clinical information and medical claims, collecting the data on social determinants of health is much more challenging. Social determinants of health are understood by most to be the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. Historically, the tried and true method to determine these entailed either using demographic data, usually based on… Read More »