Healthcare

There is growing recognition that the social determinants of health—where we live, work, and play; the food we eat; the opportunities we have to exercise; our ability to live in safety—drive health outcomes. Of course, there is a large role for health care to play in delivering health care services, but it is indisputable that the foundation of a healthy life lies within the community. To manage true population health—that is, the health of a community—hospitals and healthcare systems must partner with a broad spectrum of stakeholders who share ownership for improving health in our communities. 

I recently saw an excellent example of offering appropriate care in the appropriate setting when I reviewed my new HORNE healthcare plan. HORNE is offering a new program called “MD Live.” For the first time, our insurance will cover employees who consult a doctor remotely by using a phone, tablet or computer. The next time I feel a cold or the flu coming on, I can visit with a doctor and get the treatment I need without traveling to the doctor’s office. 

Bundled payments. Volume-to-value. Cost accounting. Process improvement. Patient engagement. Population health. Organizational leadership.

Medicare turns 50 this week with a number of substantial challenges in its future, and its overall success may be one of the largest contributing factors. When Medicare was created in 1965, nearly half of all seniors in the United States were uninsured. The program covers 55 million people today, providing medical care to one in every six Americans.

Bold and provocative keynote speaker Ezekiel J. Emanuel presented top trends in healthcare to more than 1,400 members on day one of the AHLA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Of the mega trends Emanuel predicted, we anticipate the following three trends will impact the healthcare industry sooner rather than later.

Team-Based Care – Part III

For health care organizations to successfully implement any type of team-based approach to patient care there are some things to consider. The culture will have to change to encourage adoption of this new approach and patients, just as physicians, will need to change.

In a field where every position already feels they are working as hard as they can, being passionate about new responsibilities can be difficult.

Team-based Care – Part I 

Are we facing a health care disaster due to an increase in demand for primary care and a decrease in availability of providers?  Should we be concerned that statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges predict we will lack more than 60,000 physicians nationwide by 2015?  It is definitely true that the number of insured individuals is increasing due to the Accountable Care Act (ACA); baby boomers are aging and will require more medical attention; and the number of primary care physicians is decreasing.  But the prognosis isn’t necessarily grim as this imbalance of supply and demand creates opportunities for new health care delivery systems.