The end of each calendar year brings with it an atmosphere of heightened scrutiny for risk-bearing health care organizations. These organizations are in a race against time to close risk and quality gaps to maximize their performance and reimbursements in value-based care (VBC). The upcoming Healthcare Quality Week is a timely reminder for organizations to monitor their key performance indicators and to advance patient care initiatives with the goal of finishing the year on a high note.

Jack Lynch describes a moment when a light bulb went on in his head. Lynch, the president and CEO of Main Line Health, recalls a conversation he had with a Black healthcare colleague working at another health system about five years ago. He asked if his colleague’s CEO thought there were racial disparities in the system’s emergency department, and the colleague said, “No.” When Lynch asked his colleague if thought there was disparities in emergency care, the response was, “Absolutely.” “What it caused me to believe is that many, many, many CEOs and C-suite leaders and boards don’t have a line of sight, and clinicians don’t have a line of sight, into these terrible disparities of care,” Lynch says.

‘An Economic Incentive to Care’: Improving Behavioral Health Equity Boosts Bottom Lines

Behavioral Health Business | October 10, 2023

Payers and employers often have a blind spot when it comes to addressing inequities in behavioral health. Still, ignoring mental health care inequities can increase overall health care costs. An analysis from Deloitte suggested that inequities have led to $320 billion in annual health care spending – “signaling an unsustainable crisis for the industry.” That figure is expected to worsen.

Carol Ann Hudson is assistant vice president, quality and clinical operations, population health, at Lifepoint Health, a national health system and accountable care organization based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Hudson’s career began as a programmer writing code to build hard drives for Digital Equipment Corporation. The hard drives were used in test rockets for DEC’s space program. The goal was to continually design smaller and smaller hard drives to save space and weight. She was one of the earliest women in IT at that organization, and that space program experience continues to serve her today. We interviewed Hudson to gain insights from her experience as a woman executive in health IT, and to talk about the impending new Electronic Clinical Quality Measures reporting requirements for ACOs, among other topics.

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:

Roji Health Intelligence guides ACOs, healthcare and hospital systems, medical groups and networks, and their providers on the path to Value-Based Care. By providing technology and services, as well as premium expertise, Roji Health Intelligence aids organizations in building the foundations and infrastructure needed for improving patient outcomes, providing care that is cost-effective, and succeeding under risk-based reimbursement. Roji Health Intelligence values integrity in their relationships with their clients, and is dedicated to providing their clients with the very best guidance in the world of Value-Based Care.

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