Inside Angle

Sepsis education, preventive care and denials management Oct 24, 2024

Sepsis denials can be a challenge for organizations, but education can address denials and improve patient care.

Reclaiming breathing room with ambient technology Oct 08, 2024

Physician burnout is overwhelming clinicians, but ambient technology can help create time to care.

EHR and autonomous coding: Why both? Aug 20, 2024

What exactly does autonomous coding mean and how is it different from tools within the electronic health record (EHR)? Dive into the definition of coding automation with Diana Ortiz as she explains the ways EHRs and coding solutions work together to achieve complete and compliant documentation.

How can we harness social determinants of health data? Mar 11, 2024

You may be familiar with social drivers of health (SDoH), but do you know how they are documented and shared as part of the medical record? Can sharing SDoH data ultimately improve care and close health equity gaps? Get answers from Lauren Riplinger, JD, and Priya Bathija as they describe what some health systems are doing to record SDoH and ideas for how we can do even more.

Prioritizing people to advance health equity Feb 09, 2024

How can we infuse health equity into a system that wasn’t originally created with that goal in mind? Dr. Melissa Clarke sat down with Dr. Aditi Mallick, acting director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) to discuss social drivers of health, risk adjustment and other factors that impact health equity. Discover CMS models that are currently being employed to advance health equity and dive into new models coming down the pipeline.

Is AI the new mother of invention? Jan 11, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have revealed a world of ideas for new devices, vaccines and other inventions, but are those creations unpatentable? How can humans work collaboratively with AI to create an effective inventive system? Our guest Robert Plotkin, author and patent attorney at Blueshift IP, dives into the nuances surrounding AI and invention and how these tools are revolutionizing discovery as we know it.

Tech in health care and the digital black bag Dec 14, 2023

There is no shortage of burnout in the health care industry today, but “ridiculous optimist” Dr. David Butler thinks there is hope on the horizon. He expands on the concept of the “digital black bag” and how generative artificial intelligence and emerging technologies like ChatGPT can increase health care access, decrease physician burnout and improve health outcomes.

Medicare Advantage: An origin story Nov 16, 2023

Medicare Advantage has been around for decades, but how much do you know about this historic program? Learn directly from one of the driving forces behind Medicare Advantage, Tom Scully, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). He dives into the history of the program, how health plans have evolved over time and how value-based care models will shape the future of health care.

Taking action on health equity: Six levers of transformation for hospitals Oct 31, 2023

The landscape around health equity continues to evolve, and recent regulations and measures have been introduced to help address the issue, but what role can hospitals and health systems play in closing existing health equity gaps? Dr. Melissa Clarke sat down with two experts from the American Hospital Association (AHA), Joy Lewis and Akin Demehin, to explore equity-based best practices and actionable steps hospitals can take to strive toward greater health equity.

Looking back and moving forward: The Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Sep 11, 2023

Forty years after its implementation, the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) has been a largely successful payment system. What led to this victory and what best practices can we take away on the road to value-based care? Take a step back in time with Rich Averill as he describes the history of IPPS and glimpse into the future of how this history could inform future programs.

Improving outpatient outcomes with the right data at the right time Aug 10, 2023

https://insideangle.3m.com/his/podcast-post/Outpatient procedures are growing in popularity due to cost effectiveness and convenience, and some procedures, like orthopedic surgery, are moving off the inpatient only list. How can we ensure the continued safety of these procedures outside of the hospital setting? Join our guest Miki Patterson, PhD as she describes how data from outpatient visits can be analyzed and applied to create time to care for clinicians and lead to cheaper, safer, more effective health care for patients.

The future is bright: Speech recognition and natural language understanding Jul 18, 2023

Speech recognition technology has been around for longer than you might think. Discover how it has evolved and advanced over the years from Thomas Schaaf, principal research scientist at 3M HIS. He started his career in the speech recognition environment in the 1990s, working for companies like Amazon and Toshiba. Listen as he shares his insights into the future of the technology for health care and beyond.

From symbolic to deep learning: The evolution of AI Jun 15, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is advancing at a remarkable rate and there is a lot to consider when it comes to how applications like ChatGPT are used and regulated. In this episode, Prem Devanbu, distinguished research professor at UC Davis and renowned expert in empirical software engineering and AI, reflects on the evolution of large language models, deep learning, natural language understanding and more.

Evidence-based approaches to improving maternal health outcomes May 11, 2023

Mothers in the United States face a reality of worsening maternal mortality and morbidity rates, especially mothers in the BIPOC community. What factors are contributing to these maternal health outcomes inequities and how can we reverse this negative trend? In this Inside Angle episode, Dr. Steven Calvin, board-certified OB-GYN and maternal-fetal medicine physician, shares his more than 40 years of experience caring for moms and babies, and discusses ways maternal outcomes could be improved.

More than grit: The tools for resilience Apr 06, 2023

All of us have experienced trauma in our lives. How has trauma shaped your life and what did you learn from that experience? For Allison Massari, navigating a life altering accident and its aftermath has taught her many lessons and continues to inform her unique perspective on resilience and healing. Hear Allison’s story and don’t miss her full keynote at the 3M Client Experience Summit, May 22-25 in Atlanta.

Pushing the boundaries of AI in health care Mar 16, 2023

Technology isn’t a cure all for every problem facing the U.S. health care industry, but saving a doctor 30 minutes every day so they can spend more time with patients is something worth working toward. Thomas Polzin, director of natural language processing at 3M Health Information Systems, explores how natural language understanding, machine learning and artificial intelligence can work transform how clinicians deliver care.

Beyond the hype: Health care startups and venture capital Feb 16, 2023

Interested in learning about health care startups and what they can bring to the table, but aren’t able to attend technology conferences? Look past the colorful booths and swag and dig into true health care innovation with Chelsea Plant, an investment manager with 3M Ventures. She provides key insight on what many of these companies are focused on for 2023 and beyond, discussing factors that go into a successful startup and a successful partnership.

Wading through words: Finding the right health information at the right time Jan 26, 2023

The average patient chart contains thousands of words and those words add up fast when caring for multiple patients a day. Doctors everywhere can be overwhelmed with all this data, that is often scattered throughout emails, electronic health records (EHRs) and phone calls, but what is the solution to this information overload? How can we redesign EHRs and other health care tools to support the way doctors work today? Dr. Subha Airan-Javia, hospitalist for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and CEO and co-founder of CareAlign, proposes ideas to relieve the cognitive load placed on providers.

The role of risk adjustment in value-based care Nov 29, 2022

Is your health system considering taking on more downside risk? In this episode, join Dr. Sandeep Wadhwa, global chief medical officer at 3M Health Information Systems, as he dives into key Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurer payment trends that will influence risk adjustment, quality and population health.

From science fiction to reality: Speech recognition evolution Oct 25, 2022

In this episode, AI evangelist Juggy Jagannathan, PhD, discusses the advancement of speech recognition technology with Detlef Koll, global vice president of research and development at 3M Health Information Systems. Travel along the timeline of speech recognition history, starting with isolated word speech recognition all the way to continuous word speech recognition and automatic transcription technologies that create time to care for physicians.

Striving for anti-racism in health care: Putting ideas into action Sep 29, 2022

What does it mean to be an anti-racist health care organization? How can health systems move beyond buzzwords and check boxes to take real action toward achieving health equity? In this episode, host Dr. Melissa Clarke and guest DeAnna Minus-Vincent, executive vice president, chief social justice and accountability officer at RWJBarnabas Health System, explore how small change can drive systemic change and ultimately lead to more equitable care for all.

Strengthening care by focusing on health workforce retention Aug 23, 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers were hailed as heroes, but many have since decided to leave the health workforce. Why? In this episode, host Dr. Travis Bias and guest Dr. Bianca Frogner, professor in the family medicine department in the School of Medicine at University of Washington, take a closer look at issues affecting health care workforce retention and recruitment, like lagging wages, lack of coordination and workplace violence.

Digital empathy in the time of telemedicine Jul 19, 2022

Telemedicine is far from perfect, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it became an essential tool for delivering care. Will the trend towards telemedicine continue after the pandemic, or fall by the wayside? Dr. Matt Sakumoto, a virtualist primary care physician at Sutter Health in San Francisco, describes the concept of digital empathy in telemedicine and how it could help this technology be more than just a blip on the health care radar.

How value-based care does (and doesn’t) improve health equity Jun 16, 2022

Let’s face it: Value-based payment models are still a work in progress. How can we create value-based programs so that historically underserved populations, both rural and urban, can experience improved care outcomes? Dive into the topics of health equity, advanced payment model design and more with guest Dr. Amol Navathe, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Transforming health care with UX design May 10, 2022

Great user experience is paramount in our digital world. But it doesn’t always translate to health care settings. With more than 20 years as a usability/user experience (UX) engineer and manager, Dr. Randolph Bias has spent his career helping software developers make human-computer interfaces “user friendly.” Learn how these ideas can be applied to the medical world, including in the electronic health record (EHR) and for advancing telemedicine.

Meet our new Inside Angle podcast hosts: Dr. Melissa Clarke and Dr. Travis Bias Apr 19, 2022

Introducing Dr. Melissa Clarke and Dr. Travis Bias, new hosts of the Inside Angle podcast! Dr. Clarke is senior medical director for health care transformation and health equity, and Dr. Bias is chief medical officer of the clinician solutions business at 3M Health Information Systems. In this episode, Melissa and Travis discuss everything from their time providing health care and training to physicians abroad, to how we can address physician burnout and incorporate technology to meaningfully impact care outcomes and payment models.

Each month Melissa and Travis will talk to industry experts about the challenges they face, what solutions they have tried, what’s worked and what hasn’t, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Value-based conundrum: How to measure complexity and value in primary care Mar 15, 2022

Getting into health care somewhat accidentally as a child, Dr. Kyna Fong, CEO and co-founder of Elation Health, set out to create clinical first technology to bolster primary care. What is clinical first technology? Listen to Dr. Fong’s perspective on the importance of health care innovation that supports the core of care: the physician patient relationship.

CDI program promise land Jan 25, 2022

When South Shore Hospital Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Director Kim Conner was tasked with analyzing the organization’s existing CDI program, she decided it was time for big changes. In this episode, Kim shares how she worked alongside coding, quality and physician teams to ensure complete and accurate documentation of patient encounters. Physician buy in through positive, data driven feedback and education has been key to the organization’s success, as well as recognizing physician burnout and working on ways to reduce it.

Bringing the consumer’s voice to health care Nov 15, 2021

What are the fundamental drivers of high costs and low quality care in the U.S. health care system? In this episode, Sophia Tripoli, director of health care innovation at Families USA, describes her organization/s work on value initiatives that focus on re-orienting the health care system to deliver health. She also discusses forwarding consumer-focused policy agendas to improve health care delivery and payment systems.

How payment reforms address social determinants of health Oct 21, 2021

Many states and health plans have adopted value-based payment models to address social determinants of health. How do these models work and are they working? In this episode, William Bleser, PhD at Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, digs into the details of some of these models, bringing to light key strategies for successful payment reform and pitfalls to avoid.

What makes a good doctor? The role of board certification Oct 05, 2021

In order to practice medicine, doctors have to take and pass board certification exams to prove they are current in their field. Dr. Richard Baron, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation, reveals the importance of these exams beyond testing medical knowledge. He shares ideas about the future of primary care, quality measurement and what it truly means to be a good doctor.

A key solution to health care costs and quality is staring us in the face Sep 10, 2021

When U.S. business leaders noticed that their employees in other countries were getting better care and outcomes for less cost than in the U.S., they knew something needed to change. Enter the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC), a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to sharing best practices to support the growth of high performing primary care. Ann Greiner, president and CEO of the PCC, describes the organization’s work and commitment to finding a solution to the current state of primary care in the U.S.

Reducing health care costs: You can’t improve what you don’t measure Aug 11, 2021

How can we fix the U.S. health care system so that it is both less costly and provides better patient outcomes? It’s a complicated question with no easy answer. One solution is to invest more in high quality primary care, with an emphasis on continuity of care that fosters a partnership between providers and patients. Chris Koller, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, shares how the organization is working with public officials to improve the health of all populations and their work with states to set health care cost growth targets.

Professionalism and values in health care Jul 20, 2021

Have you ever created a bucket list? Has overwork and burnout prevented you from realizing those dreams? Ben Nemtin wrote the book “What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?” to remind us to step back from the day to day and focus on helping ourselves and others achieve lifelong dreams.

What does the future of health care look like? Jul 19, 2021

The health care industry is changing. Is your organization keeping up? Best selling author, inventor and technologist Nicholas Webb explores the trends disrupting the current state of health care and details three things that hospitals and clinics can do to prepare for survival.

Breaking free from the health care status quo Jul 07, 2021

Employers are fed up with the current health care system. They recognize that high quality care means a healthier workforce and are looking to hospitals, health systems and health plans to move faster on health reform. Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health, discusses her organization’s innovative work redesigning care delivery and driving affordability.

Never pay the first bill: Investigating the high cost of health care Jun 22, 2021

Why are health care costs so much higher in the U.S. compared with other countries? In his new book “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win,” investigative reporter and author Marshall Allen shares stories from real people dealing with high medical bills and details concrete steps for how individuals and employers can challenge the system.

Standardized care or clinical flexibility? Finding the right balance Jun 01, 2021

Care guidelines and protocols are designed to address discreet aspects of health, not necessarily the complexities of the human condition. When Dr. Elvin Geng of Washington University in St. Louis realized standard rules and practice were preventing him from addressing a complicated issue for a patient, he recognized the situation called for more discretionary decision making, evidence of what our second guest, author Michael Lipsky, discusses in his seminal book “The Street-Level Bureaucrat.” Find out how this concept relates to health care and how it is now shaping the way care is delivered.

A return to relationship-oriented health care May 18, 2021

At its core, health care is fundamentally about relationships. Yet, over the last several decades, care delivery has evolved into a transactional model reinforced by EHR tick boxes, shift work and the notion that clinicians are interchangeable. Dr. Christine Sinsky, Vice President for the American Medical Association, discusses her research on physician burnout and the connection between better patient outcomes and patient-clinician relationships based on trust and continuity.

When primary care fires on all cylinders May 04, 2021

Our nation's health care delivery system falls short when it comes to disease prevention and health promotion. Can we embrace the idea of health "holism" -- treating the whole person, not just the physical symptoms of a disease -- into our modern care delivery and payment systems? In this episode, Wayne Jonas, MD, describes how to bring primary care back to the forefront of the U.S. health care model.

Reducing inequities in health care delivery Apr 20, 2021

How do we provide physicians with the right resources to meet the needs of the people they serve? What will it take to ensure the best possible care when social factors hinder successful outcomes? In this episode, Dr. Bob Phillips, Executive Director of The Center for Professionalism & Value in Health Care with the American Board of Family Medicine, discusses the value of using community vital signs to identify at-risk populations, and advocates for payment redesign that accounts for social determinants of health (SDoH), which would enable more resources to meet the intensity of work for people with greater needs.

Financing U.S. health care to invest in the future Apr 08, 2021

Among the many lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear: Whether it's gaps in our public health system or obstacles to adoption of telemedicine, the way we finance health care in the U.S. doesn't always match what we want from health care. Rebecca Etz, Ph.D., a cultural anthropologist with Virginia Commonwealth University and a leading expert on integrating mental and behavioral health into primary care practice, joins the Inside Angle podcast to discuss how outdated health care finance policies don't necessarily help people be well, prevent disease or avoid a hospital stay.

Seeing value from the patient's perspective Mar 18, 2021

What might a better value-based payment model look like and what tools do we need in order to create that model? Dr. Gordon Moore discusses a vision for the future of value-based care with Kenton Johnston, PhD, MPH, dissecting the topics of risk adjustment, quality measures, accountable care organizations and more.

Giving small physician practices a larger voice Mar 04, 2021

How can small physician practices be supported in their work? In what ways can practices grow their voice to get the attention of payers and ultimately realize the goals of value-based care? In this episode, Dr. Jen Brull discusses taking her practice in Plainville Kansas on a journey of continual improvement that led her to a national role as vice president of clinical engagement for Aledade, a company that helps geographically disparate primary care practices form accountable care organizations and deliver successful value-based care.

Empowering primary care with better access to trusted data Feb 16, 2021

Better patient outcomes depend on high quality primary care, but primary care providers often don't get the data they need to fully understand the unique needs of their patients. In this episode, Beth Bortz, president and CEO of the Virginia Center for Health Innovation, explores how the right data in the hands of PCPs can move the needle on payment and delivery system reform.

Helping patients navigate their unique health journeys Jan 14, 2021

Founded in 1963 as a health and beauty store, CVS has evolved over its 50-year history, but always maintained a focus on making health care local and accessible. In this episode, Dr. Dan Knecht of CVS Health discusses how the company's 2018 acquisition of Aetna is driving innovative, new programs where CVS clinical pharmacists are applying health plan data to identify gaps in care, improve medication adherence, and help patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes--all with the goal of helping people make progress on their unique health journeys.

Frailty Index: Predicting length of stay and complications Dec 17, 2020

Health care procedures can be risky for certain cohorts of patients. How can we identify these patients are and weigh the benefits and risks of performing certain procedures? In this episode, Dr. Victoria Sharp explores the idea of a frailty index, which scores patients based on key frailty factors to determine good candidates for surgery or other procedures. Could a frailty index provide a more well rounded view of a patient's health, leading to better outcomes?

A COVID-19 silver lining? Overcoming roadblocks to innovation Nov 24, 2020

One silver lining of these COVID-19 times? The willingness to be inventive, try new approaches and invest resources in improving care outcomes. In this episode, Samantha Olds Frey, CEO of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans, describes what happened when health plans came together with Illinois Medicaid to support members facing unprecedented challenges arising from the pandemic.

Super utilizers: A breakthrough approach to care management Oct 13, 2020

Nationwide, emergency departments struggle with super utilizers, those patients who come into the ED as often as once a day. How can hospitals reduce utilization to bring down costs and still improve outcomes? Jason Greenspan, MD, associate chief medical officer with Emergent Medical Associates describes a breakthrough approach to care management.

The role of health plans in addressing social determinants of health Sep 24, 2020

What problems can be solved when health plans collaborate with each other rather than compete? In this episode, we explore Project Link, a new forum that brings health plans together to understand the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on their members. In this episode, Michelle Jester, Executive Director of Social Determinants of Health for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), describes innovative approaches to solving SDOH challenges achieved through health plan communication and collaboration.

Telemedicine during the pandemic: Finding the right approach Aug 27, 2020

Telemedicine has been around for a long time, but many health care organizations made the first moves into telehealth with the COVID-19 public health emergency. Even before the pandemic, Washington DC-based Unity Health Care devised a telemedicine strategy that targeted underserved populations. How has the pandemic impacted Unity's program and will its current initiative become the new norm? Drs. Angela Diop and Andrew Robie discuss the present and future of Unity's telemedicine services and detail strategies your organization can use to bolster its telehealth efforts.

Planning for the future during a time of crisis Aug 13, 2020

As health care organizations face unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, how can they plan for a post-COVID-19 world? In this episode, Matt Eyles, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), discusses new approaches AHIP members are taking to ensure continued coverage and address surprise billing, while focusing on the big picture issues of social determinants of health and systemic racism -- all while working within state budgets that have been strained by the pandemic. What interventions will have the greatest impact, both today and in the future?

Planning for the future during a time of crisis Aug 13, 2020

As health care organizations face unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, how can they plan for a post-COVID-19 world? In this episode, Matt Eyles, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), discusses new approaches AHIP members are taking to ensure continued coverage and address surprise billing, while focusing on the big picture issues of social determinants of health and systemic racism -- all while working within state budgets that have been strained by the pandemic. What interventions will have the greatest impact, both today and in the future?

Health care pricing: Why it's time to consider big changes Jul 28, 2020

In his New York Times best-selling book "The Price We Pay," Dr. Marty Makary discusses the worsening crisis of high health care costs and the impact on quality of care. Is price transparency the answer? Listen to the latest podcast episode for Dr. Makary's perspective and hear about his work as a Johns Hopkins surgeon and professor of public health, where he is researching ways to bridge the divide between cost and quality.

Making things simple in user experience isn't always simple Jul 10, 2020

Electronic health records give providers an enormous amount of information, but finding relevant patient information can be like finding a needle in a haystack. The result: cognitive overload for providers, leading to wasted time and physician burnout. In this episode, 3M User Experience (UX) Design Team Lead Anna Abovyan explores ways to reduce the cognitive load on physicians by designing technology that is intuitive, easy to use, and helps, not hinders patient care.

Bringing successful whole person care to high needs/high cost patients Jun 23, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has put extraordinary stress on state Medicaid budgets. Enrollment is increasing, along with direct and indirect costs, at a time of declining state revenues. What can be done to mitigate these issues? CareMore Health, an integrated health plan and care delivery system for Medicare and Medicaid patients, is moving away from fee-for-service incentives to provide comprehensive care to its high needs/high cost patients. In this episode, Dr. Theresa Brown and Dr. Vibin Roy discuss the success of the CareMore Health clinical model, where clinicians and community resources are aligned and coordinated as a team.

Telemedicine: Improving outcomes in the time of COVID-19 May 28, 2020

During this time of COVID-19, we've seen a striking increase in the use of telemedicine services. The Inside Angle podcast revisits an episode featuring telemedicine pioneer Barb Johnston, co-founder and CEO of HealthLinkNow, a network of clinicians providing mental health services to patients online. With nearly two decades of experience in implementing telemedicine programs, including the creation of the California Telemedicine Network (CTN), she brings her veteran perspective to the table in discussing the regulations, payment policies and technology needed to achieve the well-documented benefits of virtual health care.

Patient care from home: Achieving optimal outcomes May 14, 2020

There are thousands of wellness apps, devices, wearables and telehealth tools that can be used for chronic disease management and patient health monitoring at home. Although new technologies can lead to early identification of health concerns, they may also lead to unnecessary interventions that result in unintended complications and worse outcomes. In this episode, we reconnect with Juggy Jagannathan, PhD, AI evangelist for 3M, to consider which people are most likely to benefit from new care tools and strategies.

Serving the safety net community May 13, 2020

Immigrant communities and underserved populations experience disparities in care due to high poverty, limited access, cultural or linguistic differences, and other concerns. In this episode, Dr. Gordon Moore talks with Iliana Gilman, the former chief executive officer of El Buen Samaritano, an organization serving the Latino immigrant community in Austin, Tex. With a team dedicated to breaking down barriers to care, El Buen Samaritano is improving outcomes by tackling social determinants of health.

Clinical documentation: Easing the burden on physicians Feb 26, 2020

As a palliative care physician, Dr. Beth Wolf experienced the complexity of communication. As she helped patients and families navigate issues related to pain or end-of-life care, she saw that the way clinicians communicate with each other was rich with opportunity for misunderstanding. So, how do we help physicians accurately document a patient’s true burden of illness without disrupting the delivery of efficient and compassionate care? Now, as a documentation champion at Roper St. Francis Healthcare (and an advisor to 3M), Dr. Wolf trains physicians on how to incorporate accurate and concise clinical documentation into their work with patients.

Prevention vs. treatment: Investing in the health of communities Feb 10, 2020

When public health initiatives account for 90 percent of improvements in population health, what is the role of the care delivery system in addressing non-medical or social factors that drive outcomes? For Nico Pronk, PhD, President of the HealthPartners Institute and Chief Science Officer at HealthPartners, it means finding the right balance between caring for the urgent needs of a community and enhancing the vital conditions of a community, such as affordable housing, healthy food accessibility, and early childhood education. Based on the success of HealthPartners' Power Up 4 Kids program and other intiatives, Dr. Pronk discusses an approach that pays careful attention to the needs of a community and engages local stakeholders to improve the chances of good outcomes.

Medicaid: The backbone of U.S. health care Jan 09, 2020

As the largest health insurance program in the country, providing the majority of mental health care and long-term services and support, Medicaid is an indispensable component of the U.S. healthcare system. Matt Salo, Executive Director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, works with state Medicaid agencies around the nation to improve quality, cost and the experience of care for patient populations that are most vulnerable. Our host, Dr. Gordon Moore sat down with Matt Salo to discuss the state of Medicaid in 2020 and beyond.

Can AI help solve the challenge of physician burnout? Nov 07, 2019

How can artificial intelligence help physicians who are overloaded with quality measures and administrative tasks that pull them away from patient care? Can AI help address the alarming increase in exhaustion and depression among clinicians? In his second Inside Angle podcast episode, Juggy Jagannthan, Ph.D., research director and AI evangelist at 3M MModal, explains how AI can ease the administrative burden by capturing the clinician/patient interaction in real time.

Searching for better outcomes and lower costs: The challenges facing state Medicaid directors Oct 29, 2019

State Medicaid agencies are under enormous pressure to reduce costs while maintaining quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries. In this podcast episode, Dr. Gordon Moore talks with Billy Millwee, former Texas Medicaid director and now consultant to Medicaid programs across the U.S. Mr. Millwee discusses his work to help state agencies understand value-based payment, pursue waivers, and address social determinants of health. Each state brings different ideas to the table. Which approach works best? By creating the right incentives, state Medicaids can bolster innovation to improve outcomes and lower costs.

Biking 3,255 miles to talk health care Oct 14, 2019

What is your opinion of U.S. health care? That's the question Dr. Paul Gordon asked of average Americans he met while biking coast to coast on a three-month sabbatical from his family medicine practice. His goal? Amplify the voices of those in rural areas and small towns to help clinicians be better practitioners---and listeners---when it comes to their patients.

Lowering readmission rates by breaking down silos Aug 27, 2019

In 2016, BayCare Health System took on its high readmission rates by launching seven different programs to lower readmissions. The problem? The programs were in silos, so overall results didn't meet objectives. In this episode, Teri Sholder, BayCare Health Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, describes how the BayCare team used data analytics to break down silos and consolidate initiatives into "power combos" that help BayCare Health better achieve its goal of reducing readmissions.

Measuring what matters in health care Aug 15, 2019

In part one of his podcast episode, Dr. John Wasson, Professor Emeritus at Dartmouth Medical School, suggests U.S. health care could learn a few lessons on quality improvement from the world of organized crime. This time around, Dr. Wasson dives into the issue of clinician burnout caused by "quantophrenia"---a condition he describes as measurement for its own sake without real benefit to patients or providers. The solution to quantophrenia? Just seven simple measures.

Sorting through a sea of data: AI in health care Jul 25, 2019

Providers are increasingly overwhelmed by administrative work that takes them away from patient care. How can clinicians leverage AI solutions to optimize and modernize care without adding to already taxing levels of burnout? AI Evangelist V. Juggy Jagannathan, PhD, shares his expertise on artificial intelligence, deep learning and more in this episode.

Confronting the opioid crisis Jul 16, 2019

In this episode, Dr. Eugene Christian of Bon Secours Mercy Health System describes a new approach to solving the opioid addiction crisis. By reforming opioid prescription practices, creating new, non-narcotic regimens that tackle pain, and tracking metrics across its health system, Bon Secours is guiding physicians through a workflow that promotes patient safety.

Lessons from organized crime for improving health care Jun 20, 2019

When Dr. John Wasson was in medical school, he worked at an east coast resort that hosted well-known members of organized crime families. Reflecting back on this experience after a full career as a primary care physician and geriatrician, and as a member of the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School, Dr. Wasson sees lessons from organized crime that can be applied to a disorganized U.S. healthcare system: Don't damage the host, protect the brand and adapt aggressively. How can these lessons position the patient as the most important part of care delivery?

Social determinants of health: The whole person model of care Jun 06, 2019

What challenges do high-needs patients face when seeking care? This was the question Dr. Melissa Clarke encountered as she and her colleagues worked towards a "whole person" model of care at a Washington DC addiction clinic. Working to achieve health equity, the clinic introduced new and innovative programs that helped transform not only the patient, but also the caregiving process.

Searching for the holy grail of mental health care Mar 26, 2019

Imagine going to your primary care clinic and along with a blood test, they also took a "sample" of your language. The brain is too complicated for typical lab tests, but in the future a test like this may help diagnose mental health disorders more accurately. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Resnik discusses how we can break down silos across areas of specialization and use technology to foster collaboration between mental health professionals and primary care physicians.

Good intentions and unintended consequences: A look at healthcare policy Mar 05, 2019

In attempting to improve healthcare delivery, policy makers have tried a top-down approach to effect change. In this episode, Harold D. Miller, President and CEO of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform advocates for a bottom-up style of reform, focusing on reinvigorating primary care and fostering healthcare transformation at the local level.

In search of innovation: The role of the CMIO Feb 19, 2019

Dr. John "Rick" LeMoine's job is unique among chief medical information officers (CMIOs). He has no direct reports at CMIO for Sharp HealthCare, the largest healthcare provider in San Diego County. Instead, he is tasked with seeking out new ideas and breakthrough improvements that may fit into the complex environment in which he works. In this episode, Dr. LeMoine discusses what it takes to spark innovation within healthcare organizations and how a sense of curiosity can enhance the role of the CMIO.

Analyzing human language for social good Jan 29, 2019

Can the use of language on social media reveal information about a patient's mental health? Can human language, with all its ambiguities and complexities, be analyzed to identify behavioral issues? And what’s the boundary, ethically, of tapping into language sources? In this episode, Dr. Gordon Moore speaks with Philip Resnik, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Maryland, about the intersection of machine learning, natural language processing and mental health. Resnik details the work he and other researchers are doing to research human language connections by building a secure cloud enclave of language data where scientists are granted access, allowing them to collaborate and work at a scale that, until now, has been unimaginable.

Physician payment and performance measurement: Is it fair? Jan 17, 2019

How much time does it actually take for primary care physicians and specialists to deliver care, and should time be considered when determining payment? When it comes to physician performance, are we measuring what’s truly important or just analyzing quality data that’s readily available? Will new CMS rules governing E/M coding help or hinder the practice of medicine? In this episode, Dr. Gordon Moore talks with self-proclaimed healthcare contrarian Dr. Robert Berenson, a Fellow with the Urban Institute, about how to reform our current inefficient healthcare delivery system.

Finding a common language: Documentation and quality improvement Nov 27, 2018

Atrium Health’s Dr. Geoffrey Rose and Heather Joyner describe their work with clinicians to find a common language for documentation in the medical record. The result? Better quality scores and fewer denials.

Payer-provider collaboration: What's in it for consumers? Oct 29, 2018

Imagine having to pay for a car piece by piece, shopping for a steering wheel, brake system and transmission all as separate purchases. Not a great idea, right? Now imagine shopping for health care that way, down to every doctor visit, lab test or procedure. Yet, that describes the many confusing and complex choices facing U.S. consumers as they try to manage their health care. In this episode, Mike Fay, Vice President for Health Networks and Innovation at Wellmark, describes what happens when health plans collaborate with providers to offer consumers more transparency about healthcare quality and pricing.

Analyzing unstructured data to unmask cognitive impairment Oct 16, 2018

What if clinicians could use technology to find indicators of cognitive impairment hidden in the medical record? Dr. Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi of UW-Madison explains how EMR free text can be used to identify patients with early signs of dementia.

Social determinants: Changing our view of the patient Sep 14, 2018

In the mid-1980s, Dr. David Buck developed clinics for the indigent population of Houston, Texas where he learned first-hand that his patients needed social and behavioral supports outside of the traditional medical domain. His work led him to join forces with data scientist Kallol Mahata and together they founded Houston’s Patient Care Intervention Center (PCIC) to improve care for the city’s vulnerable populations. Buck and Mahata developed a technology platform that integrates social data – from jails, shelters, food banks and other community service organizations – with medical data to provide a holistic view of the patient. Always based on the patient’s values and health goals, their work to integrate social and behavioral data with care coordination has resulted in a savings of over $5 million and a reduction in ER visits by 54 percent.

Getting credit for great work: Helping physicians improve documentation Aug 15, 2018

If quality outcomes for length of stay, readmissions and other measures are higher than industry norms, is it a question of poor clinical care? When Dr. Gene Christian, CMO for St. Mary’s Hospital, Bon Secours discovered that physicians weren’t documenting completely and accurately in the medical record, he became a disciple of clinical documentation improvement.

Why patient engagement matters Jul 31, 2018

At age 31, when Dr. Alan Glaseroff learned he had Type 1 diabetes, he began collaborating with his diabetes patients on new ways of self-managing the condition. His pioneering work in patient engagement led him to Stanford University, where today he helps individuals with multiple chronic conditions believe it’s not where you start, but where you end up that matters.

Making the move from volume to value Jul 02, 2018

Are we at a tipping point in making the move from volume to value? Does your organization have the right mindset to be successful? Mark Sonneborn of the Minnesota Hospital Association discusses new data initiatives that help providers better understand risk and reduce avoidable care.

Data analytics: Extracting the signal from the noise May 21, 2018

By 2020, medical knowledge will double every 73 days. Can machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) help clinicians drowning in information? Dr. John Cromwell of the University of Iowa discusses his efforts to bring these technologies to the frontlines of medicine.

Physician Burnout: How Can We Improve the Work of Care? Apr 18, 2018

When a physician’s work day includes two hours of EHR and desk work for every one hour of direct face time with patients, the work of care can seem insurmountable. Dr. Christine Sinsky of the AMA describes new ways to help clinicians find joy and meaning in work.

Caring for the Caregivers Mar 30, 2018

When it comes to the health of the healthcare workforce, how can we help caregivers care for themselves? Population health leaders with the SEIU 775 Benefits Group describe efforts to improve the health of homecare workers in Washington State and what they learned gets between people and better health outcomes.

On the Frontlines of Collaborative Care Feb 08, 2018

When a patient’s chronic conditions are compounded by depression, it’s a recipe for adverse outcomes and high healthcare costs. Dr. Paul Ciechanowski, a national leader in developing evidence-based models of collaborative care describes a new way forward.

So Many Measures Feb 02, 2018

How do we develop quality measures that help improve care outcomes without creating more work for physicians? Dr. Michael Barr of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) discusses the drive to create measures that are timely and relevant.

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