MOVING INTELLIGENT CHANGE FORWARD
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Change must occur in every sector and it’s the hardest kind that needs our perpetual attention: culture change. Repeatedly, we hear that we have all the knowledge, science, resources, expertise, technology and more to deliver care and achieve health. It’s our processes, our conflicts of interest, our attitudes and stigmas, our self-protective policies and procedures that get in the way. I don’t discount that change is complex, but I challenge all to not let complexity win. In my worldview, culture change starts with simple and doable actions. Listen to what patients worry about, need and want for their health. Shine light into patient information, clinical data, EHRs, decision algorithms and models, and relationships between all actors that (we hope) work in the service of patients first. Seek to prevent disease, injury, disability first, rather than waiting to address crisis. Meet and serve patients where they are, or a specialized academic medical center. Make health care a culture of "yes" and "how can we", instead of "no", "not yet", "not unless you’re covered", "not until you fail."
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The High Costs of Unnecessary Care
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In a recent study published in PLOS One, researchers surveyed physicians across the United States to ask about their perspectives on unnecessary medical care. These physicians reported that more than 20% of overall medical care was not needed. This included about a quarter of tests, more than a fifth of prescriptions, and more than a 10th of procedures.
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Some providers fear 'brave new world' of freed patient health data
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Hospital executives, with some support in Congress, are lobbying for more regulation to protect health information from unscrupulous data mongers. But HHS is pushing forward with rules that leave that responsibility in patients’ hands.
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Opinion: The democratisation of information
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The main driver is the democratisation of information. While information and knowledge were once only the territory of the physician, now everyone is able to access the raw information through digital technologies. This does not necessarily translate into personalized evidentially based insights however and physicians are having to spend time with patients assisting and guiding them to make sense out of large amounts of information available.
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'Send Them to the ER' - Our default for psychiatric patients
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Here is a standard emergency department situation, played out all across America today.
Patient X has schizophrenia. He takes medication, but only until he feels better. He is calm when he takes it, but sometimes aggressive and assaultive when out of treatment and off medications.
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‘Meticulous’ study shows that value-based care works
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Health care is a deeply partisan issue, as the presidential campaign makes clear every day. Yet beneath the bitter debates and far from the daily headlines, Republicans and Democrats have quietly come to agree on one reform with far-reaching consequences: transforming our century-old system for paying doctors for the care they provide from one based on fee-for-service visits, tests, and hospital admissions to one based on quality of care, health outcomes, and patient satisfaction, otherwise known as value-based care.
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Patient Registries May Prove Valuable in Regulatory Decisions, EMA Study Finds
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Although patient registries can be heterogenous in their quality and design, a new study in Drug Safety co-authored by a European Medicines Agency (EMA) official explains how patient registries could provide valuable data for regulatory decisions.
The authors explain how such registries can be used when randomized controlled trials are not feasible, such as with some rare diseases, or to meet postmarketing commitments.
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Commentary: Advances in healthcare save lives, but not if no one hears about them
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Every day, researchers are finding new or improved ways to address pressing health needs and help us live healthier lives. For example, a recent Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded study on enhanced primary care and electronic health coaching for childhood obesity showed a year-to-year reduction in participants' BMI. In the same study, parents also reported better access to resources to help their children maintain a healthy weight.
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Patients need a health system that helps them make informed decisions
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For patients and their loved ones, navigating the U.S. health-care system can be a complex and daunting experience that often is made worse by the anxiety that accompanies a life-threatening illness or injury.
But the vulnerabilities of patients and their families aren't the only problem. Because the system often relegates them to a passive role, doctors and researchers are denied the valuable insights an equal partnership might provide.
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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.
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Momentum Health Strategies
Jennifer L Bright, MPA
(703) 628 - 0534
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