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Technology, Entertainment, Design... and Medicine
Last month, Medecision CEO Deb Gage and Chief Marketing Officer Ellen Donahue-Dalton (our other "CMO") joined me in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the TEDMED 2013 Conference. What an experience. I think I can speak for all three of us when I say it was transformative. The sheer volume of incredible ideas, rigorous thinking, and inspiring people makes it impossible to list them in a single blog post. Instead, I'll just share three lessons I brought back to work with me: 1. Don't be afraid of the big …
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Recognizing the Committed Clinicians Who Make Healthcare Work
It was day one of my family medicine internship year, an inpatient medicine rotation. My pager beeps. One of the nurses on duty, Lois, was calling me back to the floor. “The COPD patient you want to discharge isn’t looking too good,” she said. Me: “She looked fine a little while ago.” “Come see the patient,” she said “Now.” I’m glad she did. Her call is an example of what makes nursing the critical success factor in every healthcare organization, in every …
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Resolutions to Improve Health in 2013
It’s that time again. When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, those of us who work in healthcare should be considering what achievable changes will support incremental improvements in not only our personal health, but also our customers’ and communities’ health next year. All of the (appropriate) publicity about obesity and weight loss, however, too easily drowns out the evidence on a host of other factors that matter equally to long term health. Here’s the list that I like best of things …
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Post Election: Embracing Change. Back to Work on Better Health.
The 2012 presidential election has come and gone. My household routine now once again includes having a spouse who can talk about anything else (though he is still in a slow weaning process) and a Facebook news feed once again dominated by cute pet and baby pictures. Now, what’s next in healthcare? First, just about everyone has now come to terms with the Affordable Care Act’s implementation being essentially locked in. No more “wait and see” politics or precious resources going towards symbolic gestures of resistance. …
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Priority #1: Change the Conversation
People often ask me if I miss seeing patients. In my previous position as the senior vice president for Health Engagement at AtlantiCare and now as medical director for Medecision, I haven't used my stethoscope in four years, and yet the work I do touches thousands every day. That is very satisfying to me. Even though I do miss the one-to-one contact with patients, Medecision is at a point in its 23-year evolution where we are well-positioned to improve healthcare for all Americans, regardless of how Washington ultimately deals with the …
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Politics Aside, a New Day is Coming for Healthcare
In the flurry of rhetoric this week over the U.S. Supreme Court's rule on the Affordable Care Act, one politician said that reducing costs will mean reducing care. It was an example of how off-the-mark the public debate can be over healthcare reform. As the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, we can expect to hear more statements like this, unfortunately. Anticipating further debate—perhaps even gridlock—on Capitol Hill and ongoing uncertainty, our company and many others—like those represented in significant numbers …
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At AHIP, a Spirit of Optimism That Change is Within Reach
Remember your first dance? It was awkward at first. Who leads when? What's the tempo? And a little stepping on toes in the beginning was to be expected. Nonetheless, if you kept at it, everything came together and you were gliding around the room with the best of them. At the AHIP Institute in Salt Lake City this week, the participants were all beginning to master the art of dancing together, so to speak, and it made for a heartening and inspiring experience. For myself and so many participants I spoke with, solving the puzzle of healthcare is …
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At AHIP, an Ethical Imperative to Liberate Healthcare
There is a groundswell of change in the healthcare industry, and I'm proud to say that Medecision is well positioned to help lead it. We're in the driver's seat and not waiting around for Washington to tell us what to do—it's up to me and you to improve the system. That's the philosophy of our company and of a growing number of other leaders in the private sector who are taking steps out of the mire of indecision to improve care and reduce its costs. That's why our participation in the AHIP Institute in Salt Lake City this week is so …
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Striking the Balance for Efficient Care Coordination
This blog is re-posted with Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN's permission from the Dorland Health blog. Last week I attended and co-presented a session at the Medecision 2012 Client Forum. My co-presenter was Ron Austin, the vice president of clinical programs with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Our session was titled Trends: Member Engagement: "Coaching to Change Behaviors." My section focused on the trends occurring in care coordination that are engaging consumers to be active participants in their care and to change …
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Healthcare IT Leading the Way in the Shift to Value-based Care
This blog is re-posted from Deborah Gage's guest blog post on EMR Daily News. I get asked all the time about how Medecision is "adapting" in what is commonly referred to as a "transformational" healthcare marketplace. Will hot button issues like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, the meaningful use of health IT, health reform initiatives, and the shift toward accountable care positively or negatively affect what we do here? I say bring them on... all of them, because the key to …
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Welcome to Strike the Balance: Medecision Client Forum 2012
Here at Medecision's 2012 "Strike the Balance" Client Forum, we're thrilled to welcome to Philadelphia so many chief medical officers and clinical leaders, senior IT leaders and care management executives from progressive U.S. health plans and provider organizations. How exciting it is to see in action the forward-thinking strategies and technology platforms that are shaping the future of healthcare—right here and right now. Throughout restaurants, conference rooms, the Medecision iLab as well as in ballrooms and hallways, more than 150 …
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The ACO Regulations: Laying the Foundation for the Medical Home
As many of you know, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a widely-anticipated set of regulations on accountable care organizations (ACOs) into the Federal Register on April 7, 2011. Now that my colleagues and I have had some time to digest all 127 pages and gather additional insight from others, I’d like to share some thoughts on what the new regulations mean for the future business success of ACOs. At MEDecision, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with organizations looking to transition to …
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Five Considerations to Differentiate Health Plan Clinical Services in a Competitive Market
In today's changing healthcare landscape, health plans need to differentiate their clinical services in an increasingly competitive market. Clinical programs and tools, which improve health outcomes and cost savings, are fast becoming core components of a successful care management strategy. A new industry report by IDC Health Insights – Care Is the New Core: Healthcare Payer Top 10 for Health Management in the Reform Decade – asserts: "Future solutions will integrate health and wellness with clinical solutions not only to support …
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