September 2020 | Volume 3
MOVING INTELLIGENT CHANGE FORWARD
INNOVATION DIGEST
Trust has been on my mind a lot, lately. Patients trust the training and decision making of their clinicians. They also trust their employer, insurer or the government to support their access to necessary care - in sickness and in health. Clinicians trust the scientific enterprise to generate evidence that guides (with their training and experience) their treatment decisions with real patients. Employers trust that the brokers and insurers advising them on benefits and tools to balance cost and access are using the best data. One of the trends that the pandemic has highlighted is the breakdown of those trust relationships. This predated the emergence of COVID, but the unprecedented strain on our systems has exacerbated fractures about science, about incentives, and about the veracity of decisions and their long-term impact on people. I’ve emphasized before my belief that transparency and collaboration is a minimum standard for finding the path forward. Science must be open and shared to promote rapid learning and to remove any stain of unethical or misleading incentive. At the same time, practical data from treating actual patients and from their lived experience must be equally shared and applied to the most important decision problems, including for which groups an intervention is most optimal. And those in power — whether government leaders or market leaders — need to act according to the same principles, so that the least among us can feel safe and assured that we will get the right care, and the best care, when we need it.
Jennifer Bright: "Collaboration has to happen"
Collaboration has to happen. An open learning environment and sharing of data has to be the norm. And we have to stop saying it’s difficult and instead leverage data for action by taking down the walls and making value assessment an open environment for learning and collaboration — so that we can determine a benefit to everyone.
The key to efficient vaccine distribution: start preparing early
Over the last few months, much has been learned about how Covid-19 spreads and ways to slow that transmission. Vaccine development is also progressing, but the news that AstraZeneca paused its Covid-19 vaccine trial to investigate the possibility of an adverse reaction is a reminder of the importance of conducting these trials with the utmost care.
Reassuring the Public and Clinical Community About the Scientific Review and Approval of a COVID-19 Vaccine
Public perception of the review of medications and vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become enmeshed in politics. The pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, to approve the broad use of a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months will be immense.
Massive genetic study shows coronavirus mutating and potentially evolving amid rapid U.S. spread
The largest U.S. genetic study of the virus, conducted in Houston, shows one viral strain outdistancing all of its competitors, and many potentially important mutations.
City Officials Must Act Now To Prevent A Devastating Mental Health Crisis
As a nation, we waited too long to mobilize to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. We must not continue to make a similar mistake by failing to address a growing and ongoing mental health crisis. The call to action for local elected officials and other community leaders has never been clearer.
A New “PPE” For A Thriving Community: Public Health, Primary Care, Health Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced many of us to a new vocabulary: coronavirus, herd immunity, surge capacity, contact tracing, and personal protective equipment (PPE), to name a few. PPE includes all the equipment we wear to minimize exposure to and spread of this novel coronavirus, SARS CoV-2, including disposable gloves, N-95 masks, face shields, gowns, and cloth masks.
To Design Equitable Value-Based Payment Systems, We Must Adjust For Social Risk
In its recently released report to Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) concludes that many quality measures used in value-based payment programs—process and outcome measures specifically—should not be adjusted for the social risk of patient populations.

Passion + Quality = Change That Matters
  
I embrace the powerful opportunities in our evolving health care landscape. I founded Momentum Health Strategies to be a catalyst for change through continuous learning, diverse engagement and thoughtful policy and practice initiatives. I deliver innovative, strategic thinking and a passion for improving the patient experience. My personal drive and dedication to high-quality results will help you navigate the competitive terrain you face and convert your vision to action.

Momentum Health Strategies

Jennifer L Bright, MPA
(703) 628 - 0534
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