Preparing for the Post-COVID Future of Telehealth

As the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic subside in the US, how will providers leverage telehealth in the "new normal"? What challenges prevent providers from implementing telehealth effectively? Emily Sokol, director of research at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, shares the results of a recent Insights report on telehealth and the outlook on telehealth's future.
To access the report, visit our corporate website: https://www.xtelligentmedia.com/insights/telehealth-growth-and-development-telehealths-place-in-the-industry-beyond-the-pandemic

Situating Payer Interoperability Efforts Within The Changing Regulatory Landscape

Making progress on specific interoperability goals is a key aim for payers in 2021. But what is the overall vision for interoperability? And how does interoperability engage with the other major changes occurring in the industry? Danielle Lloyd, senior vice president of private market innovations and quality initiatives for Clinical Affairs at AHIP, returned to Healthcare Strategies to share her perspective on the overarching goals of interoperability in the payer industry.

Ensuring Payer Readiness for Immediate, Upcoming Interoperability Goals

The industrywide movement toward interoperability involves multiple steps and factors. As payers prepare to conform to CMS deadlines, how can they juggle all of these pieces without losing site of the big picture? In the first of our two-part conversation on the subject, Danielle Lloyd, senior vice president of private market innovations and quality initiatives for clinical affairs at AHIP, covers how payers can prepare for the immediate July 1 deadline and touches on next steps toward interoperability.

Assessing How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Influenced Senior Care

Seniors have been a particularly vulnerable population during the coronavirus pandemic, estimated to account for approximately eight in ten coronavirus-related deaths in the US. Providers experienced many challenges as they tried to serve this population during this uncertain time. Emily Sokol, director of research at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, shares the results of an Insights report on providers engaged in senior care, exploring how the pandemic impacted senior care--including access to care and technology use--and how it will shape senior care strategies in the future.
To access the report, visit our corporate website: https://www.xtelligentmedia.com/insights/senior-care-report

Integrating Pharmaceutical, Medical Benefits to Lower Drug Spending

Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) offer one method of delivering pharmaceutical benefits to members, but Highmark Inc. and payers like it have developed an alternative that they argue may boost member engagement and improve drug spending. Sarah Marche, senior vice president of Pharmacy Services at Highmark Inc, discusses how Highmark has implemented integrated pharmacy benefits and the outcomes that the payer saw as a result of greater drug price transparency.

Emphasizing Patient Experience in Value-Based Care to Improve Collaboration

While views on the definition of "value" in value-based care may vary, healthcare professionals can rally around prioritizing patient experience in value-based care. LeChauncy Woodard, MD, director of Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute and professor at the University of Houston, and Tray Cockerell, a strategic relationship executive at Humana, explain how value is perceived today and how the industry can unify around patient-centered, value-based care.

Making Progress toward Physical, Behavioral Healthcare Integration

Healthcare industry leaders have emphasized the need for physical, behavioral healthcare integration, but what actions do payers and healthcare organizations need to take to meaningfully move in the right direction? Brett Hart, Centene’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer, and Indira Paharia, Centene’s Chief Operating Officer for Behavioral Health, discuss barriers to integration and how to best leverage telehealth and value-based care to empower primary care services and achieve integration.

Progressing from COVID Cost-Sharing Waivers to Less Low-Value Spending

Payers eliminated cost-sharing for coronavirus treatment when the pandemic hit the US in March 2020. Now they have the opportunity to use those waivers as a model for reducing low-value care spending and investing in high-value care across the industry. Mark Fendrick, director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design and professor of the division of general medicine, department of internal medicine and department of health management and policy at The University of Michigan, shares how payers can make that transition.

Moving from In-Person to Virtual Care in a Collaborative Care Setting

How can practices that engage in collaborative care transition from in-person care to virtual care? What does the future hold for integrating these two forms of care delivery? Sudhir Rao, MD, medical director at Pain and Spine Specialists of Maryland, shares how his practice shifted from in-person to virtual care in just a week during the coronavirus pandemic and how he increased his patients’ access to behavioral healthcare specialists using virtual care.

Leveraging Care Coordination, Technology to Improve Patient Experience

The patient’s experience of care has an impact beyond rankings and retention; it can affect the patient-provider relationship and the patient’s wellbeing overall. Emily Sokol, director of research at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, shares the results of the latest Insights report on patient experience, covering care coordination strategies, relevant technologies, and the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare organizations’ strategies.
To access the report, visit our corporate website: https://www.xtelligentmedia.com/insights/overcoming-challenges-to-effective-patient-experience