Delivery System Transformation
A decade ago, leaders of four health systems serving Milwaukee residents recognized that they needed to do something different. Their organizations increasingly were burdened by high rates of uninsured and underinsured patients. Primary care services were underused, and emergency departments were…
In 2016, Milwaukee’s infant-mortality rate was 9.1, meaning that slightly more than nine babies died for every 1,000 live births. By contrast, the national infant-mortality rate was 5.8 in 2014, the most recent year for which information is available, according to the Federal…
Wellness and well-being are inextricably linked to the social and economic conditions of people’s lives. Up to 40 percent of health outcomes may be attributed to nonmedical factors like income, housing status and access to sufficient healthy food.
In the early 1990s, Jack McConnell, M.D., was struck by the number of poor individuals who had no access to health care on Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he had retired.
One in three of those who live in the coastal town don’t have health insurance, a level about twice the…
The leaders of health systems must focus on a handful of crucial strategies to ensure optimal performance of their organization. There are no simple solutions to the complex problems facing health care providers. It is essential that boards and executives focus on what is important now and not…
Health care delivery and methods of paying for it will continue to evolve during 2018 in a changing economic, political, technological and demographic landscape. Digital and other technological tools are coming of age in an increasingly consumer-driven world, and health systems will…
Potential new health care legislation, cybersecurity, electronic health records, apps and wearables, consumerism, chronic disease management ... these are only a fraction of the issues facing our field today. In addition, an unsettled political landscape with regard to the fate of the Affordable…
The health care community is showing a significant and growing interest in the social determinants of health. The rise of population health, providers’ embracing risk, increased focus on community benefits and growing scientific evidence have all driven an appreciation that social…
Population health is a hot topic. But what does it mean in practical terms?
Population health encompasses clinical and nonclinical approaches for improving health, preventing disease and reducing health disparities. It also means creating a society that gives all individuals an equal opportunity…
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sharpens the sticks and sweetens the carrots to encourage health care providers to reduce avoidable readmissions, better discharge planning has become a priority for hospitals. A number of strategies have shown promise already: