Researchers from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Arnold School of Public Health recently conducted a study to determine what factors may interfere with patients completing SDoH screenings with their primary care providers. Though more and more health systems have recognized the impacts of nonclinical factors, such as food, housing, and transportation,…
When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. “It was a dramatic shift…
Covid-19 played a pivotal role in accelerating years of digital health adoption, with the proliferation of telehealth at the forefront. According to a McKinsey report, telehealth utilization for office visits and outpatient care increased by 78 times between February and April 2020, as patients, providers and payers sought to navigate the safe delivery of healthcare…
States are increasingly focusing on health equity, and in particular racial health equity, as a key priority within their Medicaid programs ― often explicitly building health equity requirements into managed care contracts. Ensuring equitable access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care is central to achieving meaningful progress toward this goal. As a result of structural…
A team of family medicine researchers conducted an assessment to determine if the implementation of policies and workflows designed to improve quality of care in smaller primary care practices was associated with improved health outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. The study also examined whether enhancements in quality improvement capacity are associated with a change…
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) can improve health equity in their patient populations, but they need more funding and flexibility to do so, according to a report from a group representing 370 ACOs. “ACOs are already beginning to do the work of addressing negative [social determinants of health] to improve quality and control costs for the…
ACOs have zealously protected their favored status under Medicare Value-Based payment models, ensuring enough time for organizations to feel comfortable with financial risk and make investments in infrastructure. But if your own ACO is losing physicians to new equity-financed networks or to hospitals consolidating practices, more time does not help you. Primary care physicians are…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the grave consequences of underinvestment in primary care and primary care research. Although we have known for decades that health systems with a strong foundation in primary care can improve access to care, health outcomes (including reduced mortality), and health equity, important work remains to be done….
Telemedicine use skyrocketed among primary care practices during the pandemic, specifically for those with a value-based payment model, according to a research letter published in JAMA Health Forum. Many patients were forced to delay primary care due to the pandemic, which resulted in significant revenue losses for primary care organizations. Telemedicine use naturally increased to make up for lost revenue…
High-quality primary care implementation requires significant healthcare payment reform, expanded telehealth capabilities, and team-based care, according to a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. According to the report, 85 deaths per day are associated with the declining workforce in primary care. Compensation in primary care is typically lower than that of specialty…