September 2019 | Volume 1
MOVING INTELLIGENT CHANGE FORWARD
INNOVATION DIGEST
There’s an endless debate about what constitutes good evidence in health care. It’s clear that disparate outcomes, gaps in access to care and soaring prices tell us that something is amiss. But we seem to be confused about what (and who) should divine the best evidence and its use. While those that control data and decision making argue and scramble for the upper hand, those closest to the real experts - patients - should continue to advocate for evidence derived from lived experience, real health outcomes and whether patient preferences and goals for living a healthy life are being fulfilled. That’s evidence of an effective system of care. 
Why Doctors Still Offer Treatments That May Not Help
Evidence-based medicine has made progress since doctors’ infamous bloodletting of George Washington, but less than you might think.
When your doctor gives you health advice, and your insurer pays for the recommended treatment, you probably presume it’s based on solid evidence. But a great deal of clinical practice that’s covered by private insurers and public programs isn’t.
nurse-portrait.jpg
Inside North Carolina’s Big Effort to Transform Health Care
North Carolina is offering payment incentives for doctors like Robert Rosen and Amy Sapp, at Admore Family Practice in Winston-Salem, to play a larger role in managing care.
North Carolina seems like an unlikely laboratory for health care reform. It refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and ranks in the bottom third among states in measures of overall health.
doctors.jpg
The Scourge of Worker Wellness Programs
Employers have become obsessed with improving the health of their employees. But does it do anyone any good?
When teachers and other school staff in West Virginia walked off the job in 2018, news coverage of the historic strike focused on bread-and-butter issues like their rising health-care premiums and low wages.
jogging-ladies.jpg
How can doctors find better ways to talk – and listen – to patients close to death?
Two brothers are combining palliative care expertise, linguistics and AI to encourage more effective conversations between doctors and people receiving end-of-life care.
One afternoon in the summer of 2018, Bob Gramling dropped by the small suite that serves as his lab in the basement of the University of Vermont’s medical school.
wheelchair-man-windows.jpg
Doctors Don't Always Know What Patients Will Owe for Meds
It's the No. 1 reason patients don't fill their prescriptions: sticker shock.
While the price of almost any good or service can be found online, most Americans don't know what they'll owe for a prescription medication until they get it. Unexpected costs contribute to the estimated 20 to 30 percent of prescriptions that are never filled, which can lead to health problems from untreated medical conditions.
dollar_wallet.jpg
Epic to gather records of 20 million patients for medical research
Epic is unveiling a massive data compilation effort intended to gather de-identified patient information from participating systems that eventually could be used by clinicians to improve care decisions.
Called Cosmos, the initiative aims to aggregate patients’ medical information from its customers to offer a wider base of information from which to enable real-world evidence based practice of medicine, even for conditions that are now currently rare and on which it’s difficult to have a large enough sample size on which to make medical decisions.
silver-keyboard.jpg
Real-World Advice for Generating Real-World Evidence
More than a decade ago, the Institute of Medicine advanced the imperative for “a healthcare system that . . . adds to learning throughout the delivery of care, and leads to improvements in the nation’s health.” Achievement of this learning health care system requires “a new clinical research paradigm” based on “stronger synchrony of efforts” between clinical researchers and clinical delivery systems “so that evidence is available when it is needed.”.
business_finance_research.jpg

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
STAY CONNECTED