I was having a conversation with a colleague about a state-funded Medicaid managed care organization (MCO). She told me that the mental health performance measures used by the state to evaluate the MCO were all “placement and provider issues,R…
Category: Public Health & Policy
The alarming problem for rural medicine
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a heart attack? Or maybe you’ve had one. What about that same heart attack on a single-lane, pitted road flanked by cornfields on both sides, two hours from the nearest city? This is the reality…
Health equity: Social workers are the answer
Americans are suffering from an unequal health care system in which some people have resources and receive excellent care while others lack access to basic and essential services. Despite the entrenched and systemic nature of some of these barriers, th…
Unlocking value-based care: challenges and incentives
Value-based care is everywhere. It is really having a moment right now. It has taken on many forms, from the Medicare Advantage home care models to the employer-based direct primary care, but certain aspects of it remain consistent across all delivery …
Clinicians unite for health care reform
One thing that contributes to burnout in medicine is the inefficient and cumbersome nature of the systems in which we practice. This is particularly true for compassionate, trauma-informed clinicians who must watch their patients suffer under a system …
Diversity and inclusion: Go beyond performative actions
The performative actions of institutions, corporate America, academia, and hospitals among other entities have made me highly dislike the acronyms DEI, EDI, DEIB, or whatever other fancy acronyms the C-suiters come up with. I remember hearing from a co…
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and why medical professionals should care
On October 7, Hamas, a terrorist group, launched an unprecedented assault against Israeli civilians. Thousands have been confirmed killed, while hundreds have been taken hostage. Israel has retaliated by pounding Gaza with rockets, killing thousands mo…
Bringing words to a knife fight: Why we’re losing the health care war
Every week, I explore with great interest the commentaries, viewpoints, perspectives, podcasts, social media posts, and other dispatches from my peers and colleagues who are seeking to explain and influence the state of both the health care professions…
How busy clinicians can advocate for fossil fuel divestment
As general pediatricians whose intention is to promote health and wellness in children and youth, we witness the direct and indirect health effects of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The climate crisis looms as an existential threat to human…
The health care disruptors are not coming. They are here.
Plenty has been written and said about how health care in the United States is too convoluted to be disrupted by new entrants. Dan Munro, health care author, and Forbes contributor compiles most of the rationales provided by thought leaders in his 2018…
