Moving Intelligent Change Forward
October, 2017 Vol. 1 - In This Issue:
No more excuses. We've talked long enough about the importance and value of patient-centered care, yet actions aren't following the words. Recent weeks have been a hurricane (pardon the reference) of rhetoric about who "reform" will benefit or harm. Those with an interest in true change now have an opportunity (a proverbial "eye in the storm") to change the conversation and base it on factors that really matter to patients: 
  • can I get care when I need it? 
  • can I make choices about my care with my provider based on my needs? 
  • can I trust that the care I'm getting is safe?
Sure, there are myriad other factors: quality, choice, and cost to name a few. To move forward, we have to prioritize the factors that will improve the health and wellness of our society the most. It's access, first.

Then, we can get down to the business of finding out what will really help that individual through compassionate listening, dialogue and creation of a "contract" based on ability to pay, health behavior changes, and outcomes that the patient identifies are their priority.

This is hard work. Policymakers need to review statements, stories and conversations with patient advocates in recent weeks and empathize with those experiences to identify the real needs being conveyed. Constituent meetings should be an opportunity to really hear what patients and families need. Reform options should be transparent to the people they affect. And, the patient's voice should be the most valued in any room.  

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Place More Value on Talking with Patients, Experts Say 

Paying doctors more for simply sitting and talking with their patients -- rather than basing payment more on quality measures -- would be a great way to improve the doctor-patient relationship, Andy Lazris, MD, said here Tuesday.  

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Our Next Health Care Debate 
 

It's a perfect time to reflect on the national health policy debate over coverage. Not the one we're having now, but the one we are destined to have sometime in the 2020s. Going back at least as far as Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s, once a decade or so, we contemplate major national coverage reforms to the US health care system.

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Across the biomedical research and care enterprises is evidence of an accelerating shift toward patient-centeredness. The creation of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) by Congress in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Patient-Focused Drug Development initiative begun in 2012 and a strong commitment from the White House and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)to make patients full partners in the Precision Medicine Initiative that was announced in 2015 are just a few of the sign posts indicating that patient needs and expectations are shaping the national research agenda.  

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The fourth edition of the Behavioral Health Barometer, which offers updates on the behavioral health of the nation, has been released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 

Access to patient records held back by cultural and technical issues 
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A conversation between former Vice President Joe Biden and Epic CEO Judy Faulkner last month rekindled a long-running debate in the healthcare industry over who really owns patient records. While the methods for creating, gathering and analyzing patient records have certainly changed, the question of how much of that information patients should be able to access remains.

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Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: Will Reshaping Medicaid Sacrifice An Important Benefit?

Medicaid delivers care to 74.5 million individuals for less money than any other large-scale health financing mechanism. A 2016 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study noted that "spending per enrollee is lower for Medicaid compared to private insurance after controlling for differences in sociodemographic and health characteristics between the two groups."

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The Nation's Pulse: The Texas Medical Center's Consumer & Physician Survey

The annual survey, now in its third year, provides insight into the public's perception and attitude of hot-button health policy issues. The 2017 survey focuses on questions about the affordability of health care and ways to reduce its cost.
 
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Physicians Should Stand Up for Science 

In this edition of "The Wired Practice," Ron Harman King of Vanguard Communications says that although gene therapy, stem cell research, and pharmacogenomics are leading the way into the future of medicine, society continues to exhibit "Frankenstein phobias." Doctors can ease those fears by joining conversations about science and risk.  

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