/ en Sat, 26 Apr 2025 03:53:04 -0500 Wed, 13 Nov 24 09:44:31 -0600 /case-studies/2024-11-13-aha-value-initiative-members-action-rush-university-medical-center-chicago-il Wed, 13 Nov 2024 09:44:31 -0600 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /member-issue-brief-implementing-patient-out-pocket-cost-estimators <div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p>Patients have many questions when planning for their care. An important one is: How much is this going to cost me? While hospitals and health systems have generally relied on financial advisors to help patients with inquiries about what they may pay for care, technological advances are enabling them to help patients find this information in new ways, particularly through online tools. This issue brief lays out the key components of effective online tools used by hospitals and health systems to help patients understand their potential out-of-pocket costs and highlights several different approaches providers have taken. View the entire issue brief <a href="/system/files/media/file/2020/10/member-issue-brief-advancing-price-transparency.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Also see case studies below.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2020/10/member-issue-brief-advancing-price-transparency.pdf" title="Click to download Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators issue brief"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/member-issue-brief-implementing-patient-out-of-pocket-cost-estimators-440.png" alt="Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators cover" width="442" height="571" title="Click to download Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators"></a></p><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2020/10/member-issue-brief-advancing-price-transparency.pdf" title="Click to download Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators issue brief"></a></p><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2020/10/member-issue-brief-advancing-price-transparency.pdf" title="Click to download Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators issue brief"></a><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2020/10/member-issue-brief-advancing-price-transparency.pdf">Download Issue Brief</a></p></div></div> Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:51:07 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /testimony/2024-04-15-aha-house-statement-erisas-50th-anniversary-path-higher-quality-lower-cost-health-care <p class="text-align-center"><strong>Statement</strong><br><strong>of the</strong><br><strong>���������� Association</strong><br><strong>for the</strong></p><p class="text-align-center"><strong>Committee on Education and the Workforce</strong></p><p class="text-align-center"><strong>Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions</strong></p><p class="text-align-center"><strong>of the</strong></p><p class="text-align-center"><strong>U.S. House of Representatives</strong><br><strong>"ERISA’s 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary: The Path to Higher Quality, Lower Cost Health Care"</strong><br><br><strong>April 16, 2024</strong></p><p>On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners — including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers — and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups, the ���������� Association (AHA) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments in response to the committee’s efforts to build upon and strengthen the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).</p><p>Below are the AHA’s recommendations on how to strengthen ERISA. Please view our <a href="/lettercomment/2024-03-15-aha-response-employee-retirement-income-security-act-erisa-rfi">full response</a> to Chairwoman Foxx’s request for information for more details on each topic.</p><h2>Vertical Integration and Consolidation</h2><p>The AHA is deeply concerned that vertical consolidation in the commercial insurance industry harms Americans and their communities by reducing overall access to services and providers and undercutting smaller providers that are seeking to provide services to communities who need them most. </p><p>In the ERISA context, these kinds of mergers and acquisitions may result in prohibited transactions that create significant issues for plan beneficiaries. For example, the acquisition by insurers of providers or specialty pharmacies — or preferred vendor arrangements with industry players — has led to insurers employing practices that may improve their bottom line while hampering access to or quality of care. An insurer may direct patients to providers owned or operated by the plan and away from other providers, even if the patient prefers another option (called “patient steering”). An insurer may also require beneficiaries to obtain medically necessary drugs from specialty pharmacies unrelated to, and far from the oversight of, their health care providers because of a favorable arrangement for the health insurers (called “white bagging”). These practices reduce quality and delay access to medically necessary care for beneficiaries.</p><h2>HOSPITAL PRICE TRANSPARENCY</h2><p>Hospitals and health systems are dedicated to improving price transparency for patients. However, the numerous and sometimes conflicting requirements have created an overwhelming landscape of pricing information that is challenging to utilize. There are three primary federal price transparency policies, each at different stages of implementation and each with different reporting and formatting requirements. Below are the AHA’s recommendations for each:</p><p><u></u></p><ul><li><u>Hospital Price Transparency Requirements:</u> Hospitals are required to disclose a machine-readable file annually and provide consumer-friendly information to patients on shoppable service prices. <strong>We urge Congress to avoid making further statutory changes to the Hospital Price Transparency requirements.</strong></li><li><u>Transparency in Coverage Requirements:</u> Insurers must publish monthly machine-readable files inclusive of all negotiated rates and out-of-network allowed amounts and provide personalized out-of-pocket cost estimates for all covered services. <strong>To ensure a single source of reference for negotiated rates, we recommend Congress direct CMS to maintain the requirement that insurers post all negotiated rates with providers, while allowing hospitals to focus solely on posting chargemaster rates and cash prices.</strong></li><li><u>No Surprises Act:</u> Includes a process for patients to receive estimates based on their unique health care treatment plans. <strong>To ensure patients can access the information they most need as they plan for their care, we urge Congress to allow price estimator tools to continue to be used to meet the hospital shoppable service requirements as part of the Hospital Price Transparency regulations.</strong></li></ul><p>Before the new information available through the price transparency policies can be used effectively by the public, including plan sponsors, more needs to be done to align and streamline the various policies. We would therefore request that Congress refrain from advancing additional legislation that may further confuse or complicate providers’ ability to provide meaningful price estimates and potentially add unnecessary costs to the health care system.</p><h2>CYBERSECURITY</h2><p>The cybersecurity threats facing health care are serious and affect every entity in the sector. Recent events related to the attack on Change Healthcare make that pellucidly clear. With respect to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), all<em> </em>covered entities (including health plans governed by ERISA) have responsibilities to ensure the security of patient data that is described in the HIPAA Security Rule (45 CFR Part 160 and Subparts A and C of Part 164).</p><p>The AHA believes that the current HIPAA rules generally offer an effective legal framework, and any fundamental revisions would create more challenges than benefits. Congress should neither make any major revisions to HIPAA nor introduce new privacy or cybersecurity principles directly into the ERISA statute as this would be unnecessarily confusing to the regulated community, which is already well-governed by HIPAA.</p><h2>OVERSIGHT OF ERISA-REGULATED INSURERS</h2><h3>Inappropriate Denials of Care</h3><p>Certain commercial insurers are erecting unfair barriers to care, including imposing unnecessary prior authorization requirements. These practices significantly increase administrative costs for the health care system, hindering access to care and contributing to clinician burnout. Among some insurers, most appealed prior authorization denials are ultimately overturned. Even if beneficiaries can ultimately receive the care they need, this appeal process comes with significant cost. Inappropriate payment delays and denials for appropriate care contribute to financial and emotional stress for enrollees, serious patient care delays, health care provider financial instability and compounding fiscal challenges plaguing our health care system.</p><p>Additionally, there is mounting evidence that these unfair practices are increasing. Government agencies, as well as courts and arbitrators, have also uncovered concerning findings with respect to certain commercial insurer conduct. We strongly support increased scrutiny of insurer conduct under ERISA-regulated plans, especially with respect to practices that may routinely or inappropriately deny claims for medically necessary services. We also encourage Congress to consider whether commercial insurers are adhering to their fiduciary duties set forth in the statute. Greater oversight is needed to protect patients and consumers from cases of insurer misconduct and to ensure appropriate access to health care services that employers have provided payment to cover.</p><h3>Prompt Payment</h3><p>In addition to challenges with inappropriate denials of care, hospitals and health systems are increasingly reporting significant financial impacts from insurers’ failure to pay promptly. An AHA <a href="/infographics/2022-11-01-survey-commercial-health-insurance-practices-delay-care-increase-costs-infographic">member survey</a> found that 50% of hospitals and health systems reported having more than $100 million in unpaid claims that were more than six months old. Among the 772 hospitals surveyed, these delays amounted to more than $6.4 billion in delayed or denied claims that are more than six months old.</p><p>These delays add unnecessary cost and burden to the health care system. Given these realities and the challenges health care providers face in securing prompt payment from insurers for covered services, it is troubling that there are no prompt payment requirements with which insurers must comply under ERISA-regulated health plans (except for limited provisions related to out-of-network claims subject to the No Surprises Act). Existing legal frameworks aimed at addressing claims procedures or prompt payment do not cover the ERISA-regulated space.</p><p>The AHA urges Congress to apply a federal prompt payment standard for ERISA-regulated insurance plans, either in the ERISA statute or separately, and to increase oversight and scrutiny of timely payments to health care providers for services delivered to enrollees under the contract.</p><h2>MEDICAL LOSS RATIO REQUIREMENTS</h2><p>The AHA is deeply concerned about the ways in which insurers’ vertical integration practices enable plans to undermine the MLR requirements by channeling excessive health care dollars to their affiliated health care and data services providers at patients’ expense. While the AHA supports arrangements in which an integrated system’s health plan pays affiliated clinicians an appropriate rate for patient care, it is problematic when a plan directs excessive dollars to its own affiliated vendors and service entities in ways that inappropriately increase health system costs or steer patients to affiliated providers when it is not in the best clinical or financial interest of the patient to do so.</p><p>The use of vertical integration to circumvent the goals of the MLR requirements is concerning and potentially harmful for patients and consumers. We urge policymakers to pursue solutions to increase oversight of the MLR as it relates to vertically integrated insurer conglomerates and prevent inappropriate or excessive payments to aligned companies to ensure that the MLR continues to protect patients in the manner it was intended by Congress.</p><h2>CONCLUSION</h2><p><strong><u> </u></strong></p><p>Thank you again for your interest in strengthening ERISA. We look forward to working with you to support and advance these important issues. </p> Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:47:00 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /aha-transformation-talks/s2-ep6-leveraging-outcomes-based-data <div></div> <div> /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar */ .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar { position: relative; display: block; overflow: hidden; max-width: 1170px; margin: 0px auto 25px auto; } .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: absolute; bottom: 40px; color: #003087; /*background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, .8);*/ width: 100%; padding: 20px 40px; font-size: 3em; /*box-shadow: 0 3px 8px -5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .6);*/ } @media (max-width:991px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 2.5em; } } @media (max-width:767px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { font-size: 2em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; padding: 10px 20px; } } @media (max-width:530px) { .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar h1 { position: relative; background-color: #63666A22; } } /* Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar // */ /* center_body */ .center_body { /*margin-top:50px;*/ margin-bottom: 50px; 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padding: 0 5px; } /*.CenterCallout_a .CenterCallout_a_Wrapper p .CenterCallout_a .CenterCallout_a_Wrapper ul { display: none; }*/ } @media (max-width:991px) and (min-width:568px){ .CenterCallout_a CenterCallout_a_ul{ width: 75%; margin: auto; } } </div> <div> .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar.TT_Banner img{ float: right; max-height: 250px; } .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar.TT_Banner h1{ max-width:calc(100% - 225px); bottom:0px } @media (max-width:567px){ .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar.TT_Banner h1{ display: inline-block; position: relative; max-width:calc(100% - 200px); } } @media (max-width:567px){ .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar.TT_Banner h1{ display: inline-block; position: relative; max-width:100%; background-color: #f6f6f6 } .Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar.TT_Banner img{ float: none !important; margin: auto; display:block ; position: relative ; } } <header class="Banner_Title_Overlay_Bar TT_Banner"><img alt="Banner Image" src="/sites/default/files/2020-12/AHA_TT_thumbnail_300x173.jpg" /> <div> <h1 class="tth1">Leveraging Outcomes-based Data to Excel in a Value-based World</h1> </div> </header> </div> /* CntMenuSub */ .CntMenuSub{ margin:20px 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; color: #afb1b1; letter-spacing: 1.5px; font-weight: 400; font-size: 11.2px; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar{ border-bottom: 1px solid lightblue; } /* if includes a logo */ @media (min-width:361px){ .CntMenuSub.CntMenuSubLogo .CntMenuBar{ margin-top: 10px; float: left; width: calc(100% - 425px); } } @media (max-width:767px) and (min-width:361px){ .CntMenuSub.CntMenuSubLogo .CntMenuBar{ float: left; width: calc(100% - 0px); } .CntMenuSub.CntMenuSubLogo img{ width: auto; } } /* // */ .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar a:after{ content: "|"; padding: 0 3px 0 6px; color: #555; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuBar a:last-child:after{ content: ""; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubHome, .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #555; opacity: .9; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent{ } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubChild{ } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubCurrent{ opacity: .7; } .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubHome:hover, .CntMenuSub .CntMenuSubParent:hover{ text-transform: uppercase; color: #d50032; } /* CntMenuSub // */ <div class="row CntMenuSub"> <div class="CntMenuBar"><a class="CntMenuSubParent" href="./" id="CntMenuSubParentOnly"></a> <span class="CntMenuSubChild" id="CntMenuSubChildz"></span></div> <div> </div> </div> var url = window.location.pathname; var path = url.split('/').slice(1, 2).join('/'); var pathreplace2 = path.replace(/-/g, " "); document.getElementById("CntMenuSubParentOnly").innerHTML =(pathreplace2); var y = document.getElementsByTagName("h1"); document.getElementById("CntMenuSubChildz").innerHTML = y[0].innerHTML; <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9">View on YouTube.</div> <p>Sponsored by: <a href="https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/health-information-systems-us/" target="_blank"> <img alt="3M Modal Logo" src="/sites/default/files/2022-09/Logo_3MModal_834x313.jpg" /> </a></p> </div> <div class="col-md-6 center_body"></p> <p class="center_Lead"></p>--> <p><strong>Today, it’s essential to provide nurses and other front-line caregivers with the tools to support clinical workflows while reducing cognitive burden associated with documentation and navigating digital health devices and platforms.</strong></p> <p>Simplifying clinical workflows and making caregivers’ jobs easier by deploying technologies like smart beds that can sense patients’ conditions and unified mobile communications and nurse call platforms can go a long way toward shaping whether nurses will be able to work smarter, not harder.</p> <p>Amid this shifting landscape, health care leaders are challenged to deliver a more connected, interoperable digital health ecosystem to collect information, improve nursing communications, and provide more time for patient engagement.</p> <li>xxxxxx</li> </ul>--> .TTreadmore{ font-weight: 700; margin-top:50px; } <p class="TTreadmore">Download the <a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/09/TTalks_S2-Ep06_Abstract_Handout.pdf" target="_blank">Episode Abstract</a> >></p> </div> </div> <div class="container-fluid row"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> /* CalloutBorderWrapper - aka SponsorMarketoForm */ .CalloutBorderWrapper { background-color: ; padding: 5px 25px 20px 25px; border: solid 2px #307FE2; margin: 25px 100px 25px; } @media (max-width:640px){ .CalloutBorderWrapper { margin: 25px 0px 25px; } } .CalloutBorderWrapper h3 { margin: 10x 0 0 0; color: #555; font-size: .7em; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 3px; max-width: 200px; /* Custom for the copy length */ background-color: #fff; padding: 5px 15px; position: relative; top: -35px } .CalloutBorderWrapper h2 { color: #002855; } .CalloutBorderWrapper .CalloutBorderWrapperHolder { background-color: ; padding: 15px; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 25px; } .CalloutBorderWrapperHolder form { margin: auto; } /* CalloutBorderWrapper - aka SponsorMarketoForm // */ <div class="cta--image-container CalloutBorderWrapper center_body"> <h3>Key Take Aways</h3> <p>Here is what our experts had to say:</p> .sp_CTA5_holder { margin-top:50px; border-bottom: solid 1px #555; padding-bottom: 50px; } .sp_CTA5_holder_last { border-bottom: solid 0px #555; } .sp_CTA5_holder >div{ overflow: auto; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul { list-style: none; /* Remove default bullets */ padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li { margin-bottom: 7px; line-height: 1.5em; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li::before { content: " "; font-size: 1em; margin-right: 10px; display: inline-block; height: 12px; background-color: #d50032; width: 12px; position: relative; top: 0px; } .sp_CTA5_holder ul li { padding-left: 23px; text-indent: -23px; } .sp_CTA5_holder h2 { color: #002855; /*! line-height: 2em; */ font-size: 2.15em; margin: 0 0 15px 0; /*! font-size: 30px; */ } .sp_CTA5_holder h3 { color: #002855; line-height: 1em; font-size: 1.5em; 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} .people img:nth-child(1) { border-radius: 200px; -moz-border-radius: 200px; -webkit-border-radius: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; max-width:200px; /* for Transformation Talks */ display:block; /* for Transformation Talks */ margin:auto; /* for Transformation Talks */ } .people img:nth-child(1):hover { opacity: .7 } @media (max-width:991px) { .people { margin: auto; } .people p { text-align: center } } .ci_profile { margin-bottom: 30px; display: block; } @media (max-width:991px) { .ci_profile { text-align: center } } .ci_profile p { margin: 0 0 7px 0 } .ci_profile_name { font-weight: 700; font-size: 20px; } p.ci_profile_name { font-size: 1.5em; } .ci_profile_title { font-style: italic; line-height: 1.3em } .ci_profile_company { font-size: 1em; } p.ci_profile_award { font-size: .8em; text-align:center; color:#55555599; font-weight: 700 } .ci_profile_social { width: auto; } .ci_profile_social i { padding-right: 25px; font-size: 20px } .ci_profile_social a:last-of-type i { padding-right: 0px; 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} } /* .people3 .rowEqual_768 // */ <div class="row people people4"> <div class="row rowEqual_768"> <div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4 ci_profile"><img alt="Baligh Yehia" src="/sites/default/files/2022-09/Baligh_Yehia_300x300.jpg" /> <p class="ci_profile_name">Baligh Yehia, MD, MPP, FACP</p> <p class="ci_profile_title">Senior Vice President, Ascension</p> <p class="ci_profile_company">President, Ascension Medical Group</p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4 ci_profile"><img alt="Eric Evenson" src="/sites/default/files/2022-09/Eric_Evenson_300x300.jpg" /> <p class="ci_profile_name">Eric Evenson</p> <p class="ci_profile_title">Director, Emerging Business</p> <p class="ci_profile_company">3M Health Information Systems</p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4 ci_profile"><img alt="Akinluwa (Akin) Demehin" src="/sites/default/files/2022-09/Akin_Demehin_300x300.jpg" /> <p class="ci_profile_name">Akinluwa (Akin) Demehin</p> <p class="ci_profile_title">Senior Director, Quality & Patient Safety Policy</p> <p class="ci_profile_company">���������� Association</p> <p class="ci_profile_award"> </p> <div class="ci_profile_social"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-1"> </div> </div> <div class="container-fluid CenterCallout_a"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-1"> </div> <div class="col-md-10 CenterCallout_a-Center"> <h4>Fuel Your Transformation</h4> <p>Health care leaders are more in need of innovative solutions than ever before. The <a href="/aha-transformation-talks">AHA Transformation Talks series</a> of video discussions among health care thought leaders offers insights to help hospital and health systems navigate health care’s new, disruptive environment and prepare for what’s next. Each 10-minute video in this series focuses on a transformational topic explored by the <a href="/environmentalscan" target="_blank">2021 AHA Environmental Scan</a> and SHSMD's <a href="https://www.shsmd.org/futurescan" target="_blank">Futurescan 2021-2026: Health Care Trends and Implications</a>. Explore the videos on this page for fresh ideas and best practices to guide you through this time of tremendous upheaval.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-1"> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-1"> </div> <div class="col-md-10"> <div class="row rowEqual_768"> <div class="col-sm-4 CenterCallout_a_Holder CenterCallout_a-Center"> <div class="CenterCallout_a_Wrapper"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/09/TTalks_S2-Ep06_Abstract_Handout.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="icon" class="CenterCallout_a_Icon" src="/sites/default/files/2020-11/Speech_Bubble_icon.png" /> </a> <h2 class="CenterCallout_a_SectionTitle"><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/09/TTalks_S2-Ep06_Abstract_Handout.pdf" target="_blank">Abstract Overview</a></h2> <p>Read this abstract to learn about how current demands are impacting the health care workforce.</p> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-4 CenterCallout_a_Holder CenterCallout_a-Center"> <div class="CenterCallout_a_Wrapper"><a href="https://insideangle.3m.com/his/podcast-post/how-value-based-care-does-and-doesnt-improve-health-equity/" target="_blank"><img alt="icon" class="CenterCallout_a_Icon" src="/sites/default/files/2020-12/Tools_icon.png" /> </a> <h2 class="CenterCallout_a_SectionTitle"><a href="https://insideangle.3m.com/his/podcast-post/how-value-based-care-does-and-doesnt-improve-health-equity/" target="_blank">Sponsor Podcast</a></h2> <p>How value-based care does (and doesn’t) improve health equity.</p> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-4 CenterCallout_a_Holder CenterCallout_a-Center"> <div class="CenterCallout_a_Wrapper"><a href="/center/market-insights/leveraging-data/using-data-reduce-health-disparities-and-improve-health-equity" target="_blank"><img alt="icon" class="CenterCallout_a_Icon" src="/sites/default/files/2020-12/Documents3_icon.png" /> </a> <h2 class="CenterCallout_a_SectionTitle"><a href="/center/market-insights/leveraging-data/using-data-reduce-health-disparities-and-improve-health-equity" target="_blank">AHA Resources</a></h2> <p>Using Data to Reduce Health Disparities and Improve Health Equity.</p> </div> </div> <div class="CenterCallout_a_Wrapper"> <img alt="icon" class="CenterCallout_a_Icon" src="/sites/default/files/2020-12/Documents3_icon.png"> <h2 class="CenterCallout_a_SectionTitle">AHA Resources</h2> <p>xxxx</p> <ul> <li><a href="/">xxxx</a></li> <li><a href="/">xxxx</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>--></div> </div> <div class="col-md-1"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Video Series Developed in Collaboration with:</h3> <a href="https://iprotean.com/"><img alt="iProtean VirtualEd" src="/sites/default/files/2022-04/Logo_iProtean_VirtualEd_834x313.jpg" /> </a> Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:32:47 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /advancing-health-podcast/2022-09-02-sponsored-peace-health-lab-stewardship-improves-patient <p>Ordering the right test at the right time is crucial to providing evidence-based patient care to achieve the highest quality outcomes. It can also help increase financial sustainability for a hospital. Both of these objectives can be accomplished through a successful laboratory stewardship initiative. PeaceHealth understands this quite well.</p> <p>Join us to hear insights from PeaceHealth on their experience establishing a lab stewardship initiative that improved patient care and outcomes through optimized testing, all while driving down costs for enhanced financial sustainability. Today’s podcast is brought to you by the College of American Pathologists.</p> <hr /> <p></p> <div><a href="https://soundcloud.com/advancinghealth" target="_blank" title="Advancing Health">Advancing Health</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/advancinghealth/sponsored-peace-health-lab-stewardship-improves-patient-outcomes-and-financial-health" target="_blank" title="[SPONSORED] Peace Health Lab Stewardship Improves Patient Outcomes and Financial Health">[SPONSORED] Peace Health Lab Stewardship Improves Patient Outcomes and Financial Health</a></div> <p> </p> Fri, 02 Sep 2022 12:35:58 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /guidesreports/2021-10-25-2021-cost-caring <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><strong><span>Hospitals and health systems work hard every day to make care more cost-effective and efficient for their patients, at the same time that they are caring for the nation’s most complex and resource-intensive patients. This has been especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals and health systems have provided essential services and saved lives, while also facing unprecedented financial and operational challenges.</span></strong></p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-5"> <p><strong><span>In recent years, health care spending growth has largely been driven by increased use and intensity of services.</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Increased use been largely driven by an increase in the number of people with insurance. The number of uninsured nonelderly Americans fell from 48 million in 2010 to 30 million in the first half of 2020.<sup><a href="#fn1">1</a></sup></li> <li>An aging population uses more health care. Between 2000 and 2020, the U.S. population aged 65 and up increased 60%; from 2020 to 2040, it is expected to increase another 44%.<sup><a href="#fn9">2</a></sup></li> <li>Over half of American adults have been diagnosed with at least one chronic condition such as diabetes and heart disease, and a quarter (27%) have two or more chronic conditions.<sup><a href="#fn9">3</a></sup></li> </ul> <ul> <li>Hospitals have invested resources in bringing new therapies and technologies to their patients, like CAR T-cell therapy, which often raises hospitals’ costs. Within the health care field, hospitals and health systems have been leaders in controlling costs.</li> <li>Hospital price growth averaged 2.0% annually from 2010 until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.<sup><a href="#fn4">4</a></sup></li> <li>Health insurance premiums, however, have increased 4.4% per year on average since 2010.<sup><a href="#fn5">5</a></sup></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-md-7"> <div> <p><strong><span>In 2019, increased use and intensity of services was the primary driver for health care spending growth.</span></strong></p> <p><img alt="In 2019, increased use and intensity of services was the primary driver for health care spending growth. Residual Use & Intensity; Medical Prices; Age & Time to Death." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3ed83a7c-6b85-4944-8f89-75049c52f25e" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/drivers-for-health-care-spending-growth.png" width="749" height="440"></p> <p><small><strong>Source:</strong> Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group. <<strong>Note:</strong> Medical price growth, which includes economywide and excess medical-specific price growth (or changes in medical-specific prices in excess of economywide inflation), is calculated using the chain-weighted NHE price deflator. “Residual use and intensity” is calculated by removing the effects of population, demographic factors (age and time to death), and price growth from the nominal expenditure level.</small></p> </div> <hr> <div> <p><strong><span>Health insurance premiums have generally grown more than double the rate of hospital prices over the last decade.</span></strong></p> <p><img alt="Health insurance premiums have generally grown more than double the rate of hospital prices over the last decade." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a601ea03-e47d-4ab0-b040-2edd88195975" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/health-insurance-premium-vs-hospital-prices-rate-of-increase-from-2010-to-2020.png" width="761" height="472"></p> <p><small><strong>Source:</strong> Health insurance premiums represent premiums for a family of four, from KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, 2018-2020, and Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer Health Benefits (2007-2017). Hospital prices: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Produce Price Index data, 2007-2020 for Hospitals (series ID 622).</small></p> </div> <hr></div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-5"> <p><strong><span>Hospital care requires a range of inputs such as wages, prescription drugs, food, medical devices, utilities and professional insurance. Steep increases in input prices, like rapidly escalating drug prices, can undermine hospitals’ efforts to reduce the cost of care.</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Wages and benefits account for well over half of inpatient hospital costs, reflecting the importance of people in the care process.</li> <li>Drug prices for purchases directly from manufacturers, including those by hospitals and other providers, increased at nearly twice the rate of retail drug prices over the last decade.<sup><a href="#fn6">6</a></sup></li> <li>Medical devices also factor into the cost of care. Life-saving items such as cardiac defibrillators typically cost more than $20,000, while higher complexity models can cost roughly $40,000. Common items like artificial knees and hips often cost in excess of $5,000.</li> <li>Hospitals are also investing in new technologies and improving how care is delivered. In 2017 alone, hospitals invested more than $62 billion in electronic health records and other IT systems that record, store and transfer patient data securely among medical professionals.<sup><a href="#fn7">7</a></sup></li> <li>Hospitals deal with over 1,000 insurers, which typically have several different plan options.<sup><a href="#fn8">8</a></sup> Meeting the unique requirements of these payers, including extensive government regulations, results in tremendous administrative and cost burden to hospitals and health systems.</li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-md-7"> <div> <p><strong><span>Employee wages and benefits constitute the largest percentage of costs for inpatient hospital services.</span></strong></p> <p><img alt="Employee wages and benefits constitute the largest percentage of costs for inpatient hospital services. Wages and Salaries: 56%; Drugs: 6%; Other Products: 12%; Other services: 28%." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="66a82c91-241c-4692-9e8e-ede543880f5b" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/wages-and-benefits-as-a-percentage-of-costs-for-inpatient-hospital-services.png" width="761" height="768"></p> <p><small><strong>Source:</strong> AHA Analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services FY18 IPPS Market Basket Data, Using base year 2014 weights. (1) Does not include capital. (2) Includes postage and telephone expenses.</small></p> </div> <hr> <div> <p><strong><span>Changes in Expense YTD as Compared with Pre-Pandemic Levels</span></strong></p> <p><img alt="Changes in Expense YTD as Compared with Pre-Pandemic Levels. Drug Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 24%; Supply Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 17%; Non-Labor Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 17%; Purchased Service Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 15%; Total Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 15%; Labor Expense per Adjusted Discharge: 14%." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ba13ccaa-93cd-4252-ab87-ca9c20c963fb" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/changes-in-expense-ytd-as-compared-with-pre-pandemic-levels.png" width="739" height="612"></p> <p><small><strong>Source:</strong> Kaufman Hall's September 2021 Report <a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/09/AHA-KH-Ebook-Financial-Effects-of-COVID-Outlook-9-21-21.pdf" target="_blank" title="Kaufman Hall's September 2021 Report "Financial Effects of COVID-19: Hospital Outlook for the Remainder of 2021.”">"Financial Effects of COVID-19: Hospital Outlook for the Remainder of 2021.”</a></small></p> </div> <hr></div> </div> <p><strong><span>The COVID-19 pandemic heightened a number of these pressures, with significant challenges and economic uncertainty remaining.</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Mandated shutdowns of non-emergent services and avoided care led to massive declines in patient volume, including needed care.</li> <li>The complexity of care for the remaining patients rose dramatically as a result of having cared for over three million COVID-19 hospitalizations, as well as higher acuity from deferred care.<sup><a href="#fn9">9</a></sup></li> <li>Hospitals and health systems experienced dramatic increases in expenses as a result of this care complexity, supply chain challenges and labor shortages. A recent analysis of workforce data by Premier found: staffing shortages have cost hospitals approximately $24 billion over the course of the pandemic so far; hospitals have also spent an additional $3 billion in acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) for the additional staff; and hospitals’ use of contract temporary labor is up 132% for full-time and 131% for part-time staff.<sup><a href="#fn10">10</a></sup></li> <li>As a result of the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health systems are projected to lose at least $54 billion in net income in 2021, with more than a third of hospitals expected to have negative operating margins through year’s end.<sup><a href="#fn11">11</a></sup></li> <li>Despite these billions in losses for hospitals, perhaps the greatest toll of the pandemic has been felt by hospital workers who have seen first-hand the devastating human impacts of the pandemic. A Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post poll found that about 3 in 10 health care workers considered leaving their profession, and about 6 in 10 said pandemic-related stress had harmed their mental health. A survey conduced by the AHA's American Organization for Nursing Leadership found that one of the top challenges and reasons for healthcare staffing shortages reported by nurses was “emotional health and wellbeing of staff."<sup><a href="#fn12">12</a>,<a href="#fn13">13</a></sup></li> <li>The after effects of deferred care and trauma from the pandemic will continue into the future.<sup><a href="#fn14">14</a></sup> Researchers found nearly 10 million cancer screenings were missed in 2020. Providers are already seeing higher level acuity cancer among previously undiagnosed patients, a trend which may last for years.<sup><a href="#fn15">15</a>,<a href="#fn16">16</a></sup></li> <li>This is the first time in 100 years we’ve emerged from an international pandemic, the effects of which are rippling through the economy, with early indicators pointing toward economy-wide inflation.<sup><a href="#fn17">17</a></sup></li> <li>New drugs and products, especially as the specialty drug market continues to grow, will drive costs up for consumers and hospitals and health systems alike; the first new FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug in nearly twenty years, Aduhelm, will have a list price of $56,000 and may increase total National Health Expenditures by more than a percent on its own.<sup><a href="#fn17">17</a><a>,</a><a href="#fn18">18</a></sup> Medicare spending on retail drugs alone increased 26% from 2013 through 2018, mostly attributable to higher prices rather than more utilization.<sup><a href="#fn19">19</a></sup></li> </ul> <p>To learn more about how hospitals are driving value and affordability, and how the AHA is promoting these principles, visit: /issue-brief/2019-09-18-real-affordability-solutions-front-lines-caring.</p> <hr> <h3><span><small>Sources</small></span></h3> <ol> <li id="fn1"><a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/265041/trends-in-the-us-uninsured.pdf" target="_blank">https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/265041/trends-in-the-us-uninsured.pdf</a></li> <li id="fn2"><a href="https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/foreign-born/acs-42.html" target="_blank">https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/foreign-born/acs-42.html</a></li> <li id="fn3"><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0130.htm" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0130.htm</a></li> <li id="fn4"><a href="https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag622.htm" target="_blank">Bureau of Labor Statistics PPI data for hospitals, series ID 622</a></li> <li id="fn5"><a href="https://www.kff.org/health-costs/report/2020-employer-health-benefits-survey/" target="_blank">KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey</a>, 2020.</li> <li id="fn6">Bureau of Labor Statistics PPI data for pharmaceutical manufacturing series ID 3254; CPI data for pharmacy, series ID CUUR0000SEMF01</li> <li id="fn7"><a href="/system/files/2019-01/Report01_18_19-Sharing-Data-Saving-Lives_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">/system/files/2019-01/Report01_18_19-Sharing-Data-Saving-Lives_FINAL.pdf</a></li> <li id="fn8"><a href="https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2019%20Health%20Industry%20Commentary_0.pdf" target="_blank">https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2019%20Health%20Industry%20Commentary_0.pdf</a></li> <li id="fn9"><a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions" target="_blank">https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions</a></li> <li id="fn10"><a href="https://www.premierinc.com/newsroom/blog/pinc-ai-data-shows-hospitals-paying-24b-more-for-labor-amid-covid-19-pandemic" target="_blank">https://www.premierinc.com/newsroom/blog/pinc-ai-data-shows-hospitals-paying-24b-more-for-labor-amid-covid-19-pandemic</a></li> <li id="fn11"><a href="/guidesreports/2021-09-21-financial-effects-covid-19-hospital-outlook-remainder-2021" target="_blank">/guidesreports/2021-09-21-financial-effects-covid-19-hospital-outlook-remainder-2021</a></li> <li id="fn12"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/04/22/health-workers-covid-quit/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/04/22/health-workers-covid-quit/</a></li> <li id="fn13"><a href="https://www.aonl.org/resources/nursing-leadership-covid-19-survey" target="_blank">https://www.aonl.org/resources/nursing-leadership-covid-19-survey</a></li> <li id="fn14"><a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/health-industries/library/behind-the-numbers.html" target="_blank">https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/health-industries/library/behind-the-numbers.html</a></li> <li id="fn15"><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2778916" target="_blank">https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2778916</a></li> <li id="fn16"><a href="https://www.modernhealthcare.com/care-delivery/providers-see-sicker-cancer-patients-after-missed-screenings-and-care-during-covid-19" target="_blank">https://www.modernhealthcare.com/care-delivery/providers-see-sicker-cancer-patients-after-missed-screenings-and-care-during-covid-19</a></li> <li id="fn17"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/10/inflation-cpi-may-prices/" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/10/inflation-cpi-may-prices/</a></li> <li id="fn18"><a href="https://altarum.org/news/new-alzheimer-s-drug-projected-increase-national-health-expenditures-more-one-percent" target="_blank">https://altarum.org/news/new-alzheimer-s-drug-projected-increase-national-health-expenditures-more-one-percent</a></li> <li id="fn19"><a href="http://www.medpac.gov/docs/default-source/reports/jun21_medpac_report_to_congress_sec.pdf?sfvrsn=0" target="_blank">http://www.medpac.gov/docs/default-source/reports/jun21_medpac_report_to_congress_sec.pdf?sfvrsn=0</a></li> </ol> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <div class="panel module-typeC"> <div class="panel-body"> <h4 a class="text-align-center"><a href="/costsofcaring" target="_blank"><span>View the 2022 Costs of Caring Report</span></a></h4> </div> </div> <hr> <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/10/report-cost-caring-0621-V16.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Cost of Caring report PDF."><img alt="Cost of Caring report page 1." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9d37018e-c1ab-4d1d-94ff-3e97cda55e48" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-cost-of-caring-report-0621_V16.png" width="1700" height="2200"></a></p> <div class="external-link spacer"><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2021/10/report-cost-caring-0621-V16.pdf" target="_blank">Download the 2021 Cost of Caring PDF</a></div> <div class="panel module-typeC"> <div class="panel-heading"> <h3 class="panel-title">Affordability Resources</h3> </div> <div class="panel-body group2"> <p><a href="/issue-brief/2019-09-18-real-affordability-solutions-front-lines-caring" target="_blank" title="Click here to go to the Real Affordability Solutions from the Front Lines of Caring landing page.">Real Affordability Solutions from the Front Lines of Caring</a></p> <p><a href="/affordability-advocacy-agenda" target="_blank" title="Click here to view the AHA Affordability Advocacy Agenda 2021.">Affordability Advocacy Agenda</a></p> <p><a href="/standardsguidelines/2021-10-08-partnerships-mergers-and-acquisitions-can-provide-benefits-certain" target="_blank">Partnerships, Mergers, and Acquisitions Can Provide Benefits to Certain Hospitals and Communities</a></p> <p><a href="/guidesreports/2021-09-21-financial-effects-covid-19-hospital-outlook-remainder-2021" target="_blank">Financial Effects of COVID-19: Hospital Outlook for the Remainder of 2021</a></p> <p><a href="/guidesreports/2021-09-09-results-2018-tax-exempt-hospitals-schedule-h-community-benefit-reports" target="_blank">Results from 2018 Tax-Exempt Hospitals’ Schedule H Community Benefit Reports</a></p> <p><a href="/news/perspective/2021-10-08-perspective-confronting-commercial-insurers-practices-threaten-patient" target="_blank">Perspective: Confronting Commercial Insurers’ Practices that Threaten Patient Care</a></p> <p><a href="/news/blog/2021-07-12-lown-institute-report-hospital-community-benefits-falls-short" target="_blank">Lown Institute Report on Hospital Community Benefits Falls Short</a></p> <p><a href="/news/headline/2021-09-28-study-health-insurance-market-becoming-more-concentrated">Study: Health insurance market becoming more concentrated</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/competition-health-insurance-research">Report: American Medical Association Report on Competition in the Health Insurance</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 25 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2021-06-01-can-concierge-care-achieve-its-potential <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="Can Concierge Care Achieve Its Potential? A One Medical reception area with a receiving desk." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="962673d2-6267-4d2c-b92e-94cfb37c206f" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ms_060121_item1_ONEmedical_620_1924240.jpg" width="620" height="381"></p> <p>Among the many emerging models of primary care from outside disruptors in the field, concierge medicine has been steadily gaining traction with patients. And over the past couple of years, a growing number of health systems have been partnering with <a href="https://www.onemedical.com/">One Medical</a>, whose model has been linked to reductions in avoidable downstream health care costs.</p> <p>The tech-savvy primary care company, which offers in-person and virtual care services, recently expanded into the Dallas-Fort Worth area, its 19th market nationally and third in Texas. It also entered into a partnership with <a href="https://investor.onemedical.com/news-releases/news-release-details/baylor-scott-white-health-and-one-medical-announce-collaboration" target="_blank">Baylor Scott & White Health</a>, the largest nonprofit health system in the state.</p> <p>Since its initial public offering in late January 2020, the company has expanded its network from nine in-person markets to 22, representing nearly 40% of the commercially insured population in the country, the company notes. It also has more than 8,000 enterprise clients and a high retention rate.</p> <p>Health systems that partner with One Medical have been attracted to the benefits of access to a new patient base, its consumer-friendly platform, more personalized patient care and reduced administrative burdens for physicians.</p> <p>But that’s only part of the story. The larger issue for investors and those in the financial community is whether One Medical specifically — and concierge medicine in general — can generate the kind of growth to become a key sector within primary care.</p> <h2>3 Things to Know About One Medical</h2> <h3>Physician-Friendly Technology and Business Model</h3> <p>Providers are paid on a salary basis, not fee for service. Physicians also see far fewer administrative burdens, with 44% fewer electronic health record tasks than the national average, according to the company.</p> <h3>Win-Win Strategic Partnerships</h3> <p>What separates One Medical in this market is its ability to forge key strategic partnerships in which all participants — payers, providers and patients — benefit. The company’s data scientists process huge volumes of data to gain insights, so members receive more personalized health care. This also gives employers a better sense of outcomes and managing rising employee medical costs. According to a peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Network Open, One Medical’s model was linked to a 45% reduction in an employer’s total health spending, including 54% lower spending on specialty care, 43% lower on surgery, 33% lower on emergency department care and 26% lower spending on prescriptions.</p> <h3>Health Networks Are Partners, Not Competitors</h3> <p>One Medical has invested heavily in integrating platforms to deliver a more seamless experience for provider organizations and patients, who have access to a variety of specialists and facilities. Health systems partnering with One Medical include:</p> <ul> <li>Partners Health Care, Boston.</li> <li>Advocate Aurora Health in Illinois.</li> <li>Mount Sinai, New York City.</li> <li>Providence St. Joseph Health, Renton, Wash.</li> <li>UCSF Health.</li> <li>Dignity Health, San Francisco.</li> <li>UC San Diego Health.</li> </ul> <p>In May, One Medical expanded its reach with employers by partnering with employee benefits provider <a href="http://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/05/06/2224619/0/en/One-Medical-and-ParetoHealth-Partner-to-Bring-Innovative-Healthcare-Solutions-to-Employers.html" target="_blank">ParetoHealth</a>. One Medical’s primary care services will be offered to ParetoHealth’s 1,400 employers with more than 440,000 covered lives nationally.</p> <p>Even with recent successes like this, however, One Medical hasn’t lived up to investor and analysts’ growth expectations. Its first-quarter earnings per share loss was double what analysts expected and sent One Medical’s stock price tumbling. And now, nearly 15 years after One Medical was founded, questions remain about the potential size and scope of this sector within primary care. Likewise, it’s still up for debate whether sufficient numbers of consumers value this care approach enough to pay for it so that the sector can achieve significant sustainable growth.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 01 Jun 2021 08:55:16 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2021-05-25-jpmorgan-chase-launches-new-unit-improve-care <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="JPMorgan Chase Launches New Unit to Improve Care Quality for Employees. A JPMorgan Chase sign in front of a skyscraper." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1893686a-7f37-4659-a04e-0c075ec85a62" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ms_052321_item3_JP_MorganChase_190_1919013.jpg" width="190" height="127" class="align-right">Just months after ending its Haven collaborative with Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway to cut employee health care costs and improve quality, JPMorgan Chase is banking on a new model. It plans to invest up to $250 million in a new venture — <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210520005664/en/JPMorgan-Chase-Launches-Morgan-Health" target="_blank">Morgan Health</a> — to improve outcomes and promote health equity.</p> <p>The company plans to collaborate with leading health care organizations and ultimately to develop models for other employers looking to improve health care. Morgan Health also will look for ways to improve behavioral health and management of specific diseases, and tackle disparities that have raised costs and led to health care inequities.</p> <p>Dan Mendelson, a former Clinton White House health official who also founded the consultancy Avalere Health, and Peter Scher, JPMorgan Chase vice chair, will head Morgan Health. In a company statement and media interviews just after the announcement, Mendelson said it will take time to generate results and declined to provide specific goals, but he stressed that the new venture will have a longer life span than Haven.</p> <p>Like JPMorgan Chase, Amazon took steps after the closing of Haven to reduce its employee health care costs, improve quality and simplify access. The Amazon Care telehealth program, which originally was offered to employees in select locations, is now offered to all Amazon staff and their dependents and also is being marketed to other businesses.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 25 May 2021 06:15:00 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement /advancing-health-podcast/2019-07-10-evaluating-protocols-improve-care-and-reduce-costs <p>Eliminating unnecessary medical tests and procedures can be as important in delivering high-quality care as providing the right interventions. On this AHA Advancing Health Podcast, we speak with Pamela Johnson, vice chair of quality safety and value for the department of radiology at John Hopkins Health, who discusses how one major health system is taking a hard look at its treatment protocols, thereby improving quality outcomes and decreasing health care costs.</p> <p></p> Wed, 10 Jul 2019 11:51:32 -0500 Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement