July 2021 | Volume 2
MOVING INTELLIGENT CHANGE FORWARD
INNOVATION DIGEST
I’ve started to see a pattern linking where resources are allocated in our system and the incidence of problems. We’re pouring money into new digital technologies, new therapies, new models of care in the name of "growth," "innovation" and "disruption". Simultaneously, we’re doubling down on dysfunctional EHRs and rafts of research that are still not oriented toward questions that matter to patients and families. And, we still do not invest enough in acceleration of the basics: accessible primary care, health education and community-based care, mental health, and practical, preventive strategies like food security and housing. Ultimately, it’s the silos — in our system, in our research, and in our policies — that are doing the most damage to our health.
Commentary: Gary A. Puckrein - Forgetting health care's purpose
Americans should be deeply concerned about our “sick-care” health system. We wait until people fall seriously ill, and then we apply rescue care. But we don’t provide the average American with the highest quality care at the early stages of a disease.
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Effort to Decipher Hospital Prices Yields Key Finding: Don’t Try It at Home
A federal price transparency rule that took effect this year was supposed to give patients, employers and insurers a clearer picture of the true cost of hospital care. When the Trump administration unveiled the rule in 2019, Seema Verma, then chief of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, promised it would “upend the status quo to empower patients and put them first.”
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Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs
When doctors at a primary care clinic here noticed many of its poorest patients were failing to show up for appointments, they hoped giving out free rides would help.
But the one-time complimentary ride didn’t reduce these patients’ 36% no-show rate at the University of Pennsylvania Health System clinics.
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The Growing Problem of Out-of-Pocket Costs and Affordability in Employer-Sponsored Insurance
While policy makers and health leaders have appropriately focused on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, underlying racial and ethnic disparities in health exposed by the pandemic, and expanded coverage for the uninsured, another deep and challenging problem has intensified with little public debate: the growing affordability problem faced by US residents with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI).
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Biotech startup using AI to take guesswork out of cancer drug selection raises $70M
Biotech startup using AI to take guesswork out of cancer drug selection raises $70M
Xilis is developing technology that creates a living model of a patient’s tumor, then applies artificial intelligence to determine the best drug or drug combinations to treat the cancer.
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New ‘Health Policy Handbook’ Overviews Foundations of Health Care and Health Policy
The Alliance for Health Policy announces the publication of the Health Policy Handbook, a new resource for members of the health policy and public health communities.
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Improving Health Research Through Shared Data
It is an exciting time to work at the intersection of technology, scientific discovery and healthcare. Increasing computational power is leading to rapid advancements in clinical research and artificial intelligence. Large sets of electronic health record data are making it possible to further realize a “learning health system” in which data collected in routine care are studied for variations and best practices, and that knowledge feeds changes to the health system to improve performance.
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Meet The Immigrant Entrepreneurs Who Raised $350 Million To Rethink U.S. Primary Care
Most hospital executives will say it’s impossible to run a business on Medicare rates. The government health insurance program for seniors pays less for services than it costs to deliver them and private insurance has to make up the difference. But Eren Bali doesn’t buy the cost-shifting argument. The serial entrepreneur who grew up in rural southeast Turkey believes the issue isn’t the rates but an outdated system using old technology.
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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.

Momentum Health Strategies

Jennifer L Bright, MPA
(703) 628 - 0534
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