The Spark that Lit the Fire
When I started our Crossover Health journey ten years ago, one of the forces driving me was the decline of great primary care. It may initially seem a bit odd for an emergency medicine physician to feel this way, but it was really driven by self preservation. In emergency medicine, we are acutely aware of […]
The Most Trusted Platform
Last fall, I had the privilege to attend the Employer Health Innovation Roundtable in both Boston and Las Vegas. EHIR is an up and coming forum for activist employers who are seeking to redefine their approach to healthcare delivery as they contemplate how to rein in costs, improve quality, and increase engagement. Kudos to Michael […]
Freedom Edition—Triumph over Tyranny (of the Visit)
When you consider primary care as a “practice” concept, it is so strange to see how the “office visit” became the center of gravity. Beginning with billing codes, which naturally led to payment models, that were then reinforced by performance incentives, and ultimately encoded into “the way it is,” the physical visit with your provider […]
Day 48: Data Gathering transitions to Information Analysis
Transition (trăn-zĭsh’ən) n. Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another. A word, phrase, sentence, or series of sentences connecting one part of a discourse to another. In the midst of running Medsphere I became aware that we were onto something very powerful. Somewhere along the line I finally “got it” that what […]
Customer Disservice: Health Care #FAILs again and again
Disservice (dĭs-sûr’vĭs) A harmful action; an injury An act that is not just Our health care system is completely devoid of customer service. It is pathetic. I took my son to have a simple tympanostomy (ear tubes) procedure this morning. I show up, sign in and take my seat amidsts the throngs of people in […]
Transcript to Transformation: Twitterview with @Berci
Twitterview (twĭt’ər vyū) n. A twitterview is a combination of the terms Twitter and interview. The Twitter medium of 140 characters forces a concise style of interviewing and response. The public can join in on the conversation and become participants themselves by following along or tracking hashtags. On March 26, 2009 the leading health care [&he
Return of Microcapitation: Condition Specific Capitation Payments
Microcapitation (mī‘kro kăp’ĭ-tā‘sh en) n. A health care delivery mechanism wherein a service provider contracts with an administrator to provide health care services on a per capita basis. A financing mechanism wherein a service provider assumes financial risk, is compensated at a fixed per capita rate for predetermined services, and is evaluated
Ten Fold (10X): Is There Really an Order of Magnitude Difference?
Magnitude (măg’nĭ-tūd‘) n. Greatness in size and extent. Greatness in significance or influence. Two recent news items caught my attention. They follow on the heels of some of my recent writings on VistA EHR, MUMPS based systems, and the idea of virtuous cycle investments as a true stimulus in helping to lay down the health […]
Stimulus? What Government Should Learn From the X-Prize
Stimulus (stĭm’yə-ləs) Something causing or regarded as causing a response. An agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates an activity or response. Something that incites or rouses to action; an incentive. I am completely NAUSEATED . . . this entire stimulus package is going to be one of the greatest debacles ever witnessed in […]
Cash is King: Differential Premiums as a driver of behavior change
Differential (dĭf‘ə-rĕn‘shəl) adj. Of, relating to, or showing a difference. Constituting or making a difference; distinctive. Dependent on or making use of a specific difference or distinction. This is the third in a four part series of interviews with the panelist of “The Business Case for Health 2.0” closing session on the open