Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! We at VBCExhibitHall.com would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our subscribers and exhibitors, and to all who are striving to make the world a better place for all through value-based and equitable healthcare. Thank you for everything you do. Please enjoy a safe Thanksgiving weekend and holiday season!

The U.S. spends huge amounts of money on health care that does little or nothing to help patients, and may even harm them. In Colorado, a new analysis shows that the number of tests and treatments conducted for which the risks and costs exceed the benefits has barely budged despite a decade-long attempt to tamp down on such care. The state — including the government, insurers, and patients themselves — spent $134 million last year on what is called low-value care, according to the report by the Center for Improving Value in Health Care, a Denver nonprofit that collects billing data from health plans across Colorado. The top low-value items in terms of spending in each of the past three years were prescriptions for opiates, prescriptions for multiple antipsychotics, and screenings for vitamin D deficiency, according to the analysis.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have become the “de facto” strategy for traditional Medicare. Their incentives for proactive care were designed to improve quality and access to care by aligning incentives among clinicians, hospitals and behavioral health providers. But a new Health Affairs study found that being enrolled in an ACO was not associated with any measurable improvements in patients’ anxiety or depression. The study’s authors say that this finding is “especially concerning in light of the lower rates of ambulatory mental health treatment in this new ACO enrollee group.”

CMS releases playbook for social determinants of health

Becker's Hospital CFO Report |

November 20, 2023

CMS has released several resources to help support federal agencies, states and local and tribal governments to better coordinate healthcare, public health and social services, including a 54-page playbook for addressing social determinants of health. The playbook highlights actions that federal agencies are taking to support health by improving the social circumstances of individuals. It includes programs by HHS, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency to align investments to finance community infrastructure, offer grants to empower communities to address health related social needs and promote coordinated use of resources and data to improve health outcomes.

Healthcare inequity is a pervasive issue plaguing our society, driving a divide in access and quality of care that negatively impacts patients. The reality is that many people cannot receive quality medical care due to factors such as type of insurance, (in)ability to pay, and location. These factors are identified as social determinants of health, or SDoH. While SDoH can play a significant role in limiting patient access to high-quality healthcare, one solution may lie in utilizing data and technology to bridge this gap.

FLASH INTERVIEW

On occasion, we showcase one of our solution providers in a 4-5 minute interview and ask them what they bring to the VBC Community and what sets them apart. 

Today's guest:

The Diabetes Eye Exam quality measure is commonly referred to as one of the most difficult care gaps to close. Since up to 50% of diabetic patients lack documentation of a retinal eye exam, ACOs and practices spend a significant amount of administrative time each year chasing charts to close this measure. Topcon Healthcare supports practices to close this care gap at point of care with Topcon Screen to improve care coordination and risk adjustment within the diabetes population. This service takes less than 2 minutes per patient, is reimbursed by most insurance companies and meets the HEDIS specification for the Diabetes Eye Exam.

Visit the Topcon Healthcare Exhibit Booth