There’s a growing awareness among employers, community advocates, and the public health sector that issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) must be addressed in the healthcare ecosystem if we are to implement genuine value-based care (VBC). Unlike traditional fee-for-service healthcare, VBC emphasizes keeping people well over “sick care.” As a holistic approach to healthcare,…
Nearly every chronic health condition has an increased prevalence with declining income; in fact, the life expectancy of the wealthiest American is ten to fifteen years longer than that of the poorest. Health disparities negatively affect people who experience larger obstacles to achieving optimal health due to lack of access to care. Healthcare systems face…
Dr Ahmed El Saeed, Focal Area Lead at the United Nations Global Pulse Finland, Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, said: “International development is everybody’s business. You can do business and do good, and this is a message to the private sector, there is a very important role for the private sector to play in…
Roughly $4 trillion is spent on healthcare annually in the U.S. Despite this massive expenditure, roughly 80% of health outcomes are attributed to social, behavioral and environmental factors, known as social determinants of health (SDOH). What has been far less clear is how providers and payers can fully harness SDOH data to proactively manage the…
As patient portal use and access become more commonplace in healthcare, it would be prudent for health IT leaders and clinicians alike to understand the health disparities that can also emerge with patient portal use. The latest data shows that patient portal offerings are near universal. 2019 data from the Office of the National Coordinator…
For managed-care plans focused on improving population health and reducing overall costs, the goal has to be on prevention, not just treatment. One increasingly popular strategy is targeting members based on social determinants of health (SDOH), which accounted for around $2.5 billion in spending between 2017 and 2019, according to a 2020 study. But how…
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many health equity gaps that have long existed. The long-term impact of the pandemic on low-income communities has yet to be fully realized. As a result, the demand for social services will continue to rise. Currently, federal and state government, payers, and providers are responsible for funding the community organizations that deal…
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it will commit $250 million in funding to improve COVID-19 vaccine health literacy in vulnerable and medically underserved communities. With the logistics of administering vaccines no longer an overwhelming question mark and an ample supply of doses available, vaccine hesitancy has quickly emerged as one of the biggest…
“I can see people again.” As the number of Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19 grows daily, the collective feeling of liberation is emerging as the next chapter in our national pandemic story. “I can see people,” declares what we have been deprived of and want to receive — the nourishment of human interaction. However, though…
“Low-value care” has been defined as care in which the potential for harm far outweighs possible benefits. When one has the opportunity to consider the phrase in conjunction with its definition, it evokes the notion that patients, their clinicians, and care team are discussing several dimensions of care, weighing the “pros” and “cons,” and arriving…