Healthcare Strategies

Eliminating Racial Healthcare Disparities in the Payer Industry

With their member data and member engagement capabilities, payers are uniquely positioned to reduce healthcare disparities. Kedar Mate, president and chief executive officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Mark Friedberg, senior vice president of performance measurement and improvement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), describe areas in which the payer industry has historically failed to eliminate racial care disparities and they explain steps that payers can take to eliminate disparities in their communities and companies.

Establishing Quality Measures to Assess Telehealth Quality of Care

As telehealth continues to expand, healthcare professionals must confront a repercussive question: how should healthcare organizations conduct quality measurement in telehealth? Sheri Winsper, senior vice president of quality measurement at the National Quality Forum (NQF), explains why quality measurement for telehealth is critical to patient-centered care and shares elements that healthcare organizations should consider in telehealth quality measurement.

Addressing Pediatric Impact of Housing As A Social Determinant of Health

It is well known that housing is a social determinant of health factor, but the implications of poor housing for children's health have gone under-explored until recently. Kelly Kelleher, MD, vice president of Community Health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and senior author of a recent study on the subject, explains the pediatric implications and shares how hospitals and health systems can take action to support communities with poor housing.

Adapting EHRs for Data Collection during Infectious Disease Outbreaks

During infectious disease outbreaks, data needs shift. Providers want to see heat mapping, total case count, points of transmission and other data points that are not typically evident in an electronic health record (EHR). April Diaz, vice president of clinical services at Marquis Companies, and Vicki Nordby, nurse consultant at Marquis Companies, share about their health system's experience adapting EHR tools to meet the demands of an infectious disease outbreak.

Assessing the Value of Using Genomic Data To Guide Population Health

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the value of genomic data for population health efforts. However, the US lags behind other nations in sequencing genetic data. David Relman, MD—professor of Microbiology at Stanford University and member of the standing committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Threats at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine—explains the benefits of genomic sequencing and explores ways that the US can catch up in this field.

Using Advanced Analytics to Direct Patient Flow in Intensive Care Units

Hospitals often struggle to manage the flow of patients through their intensive care units (ICUs) and the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated this issue. Jamie Nordhagen, Director of Capacity Management at University of Colorado Hospital, describes an advanced analytics tool that her team uses to identify when the hospital's ICU is nearing maximum capacity. This gives the team the opportunity to move patients to areas where the staff are less strained.

Eliminating Electronic Health Information Blocking, Complying with ONC

Healthcare entities face a difficult task: eliminating information blocking while preserving patients' privacy. Dan Golder, principal at Impact Advisors, discusses how healthcare leaders can ensure that they are complying with the Office of the National Coordinator's rules on information blocking. He also shares his expectations for the next step in the industry's pursuit of interoperability.

Special Episode: Expectations for the Healthcare Industry in 2021

This special episode features insights from each of Healthcare Strategies's hosts from the editorial and research staff at Xtelligent Healthcare Media. From value-based reimbursement trends to mHealth breakthroughs and regulatory changes, we take a look at what professionals across the healthcare industry can expect in 2021.

Developing Strategies, Technologies For COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Technology and nimbleness are key to coronavirus vaccine distribution, according to Daniel Durand, MD, chief innovation officer at LifeBridge Health. He explains how his health system developed and adapted its coronavirus vaccine distribution tools and strategy.

Introducing New Digital Health Solutions to a Healthcare System

The right digital health technologies can address many of the challenges that healthcare systems face, but implementing new technologies can be daunting and complicated. Cheryl Eck, associate vice president of strategy and planning at Edward-Elmhurst Health, shares how hospitals and health systems can leverage new technologies and improve the digital health experience for their patients.