First impressions have always gotten a lot of attention, but I’m going to push back a bit and suggest that what happens after that first impression (aka unconscious bias) might need more focus. This MA, I’ll call them “Bleu,” was able to create a safe space for the patient and family member that overcame their initial judgment. Let’s explore how they did that, and how you and your team can focus on this too.

If you’re new to Value-based Healthcare, first of all, Wake Up! Where have you been? Just kidding. Even though I’d like to think that the concepts and practice of value-based care (VBC) are well-known to all and practiced diligently by most – VBC as a mode of operation in healthcare delivery that improves outcomes, improves patient and physician experience, improves revenue for physicians, and decreases overall cost of medical care – the realist in me recognizes that’s definitely not the case.

Today, athenahealth gathered 100s of people to discuss the ever-changing healthcare landscape. The conference gathers an eclectic group, from small practice managers to CMOs of large health systems, all using the same EHR.

So far, we've seen quite a few repetitive themes emerge: AI and its influence on healthcare delivery. Switching to a VBC model is a slow & cumbersome process. Provider burnout is at an all-time high, and we must fix it. Access to the right information at the right time is necessary for good care.

PCP practices engaged in shared savings or at-risk contracts can have tremendous medical expenses related to hospitalizations and the downstream impact of the hospital stay – beyond the DRG payment for hospital care. There are multiple opportunities to address issues that impact medical spend during and after a hospital stay, but they are dependent on a hospitalist team dedicated to work with the PCP practice, functioning within service level agreements around communication, referral patterns, and timely follow up with the PCP.

Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a number of changes to the ACO Realizing Equity Access and Community Health (REACH) model. Changes aim to further advance health equity and increase participation in the payment model.

As we continue the conversation around Advance Care Planning - it is important to educate your patients on the importance of these conversations.

People have the right to make their own decisions regarding their healthcare. In instances where they might be incapable of making these choices, advance directives offer a valuable means to effectively convey their treatment preferences.

Advance Care Planning is an important conversation to have with your patient. Ideally, providers complete an Advance Care Planning discussion during the patient’s Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.

More than 90 percent of Americans believe it is important to discuss the treatment and palliative options they would choose to pursue if they were to become incapacitated by medical issues in the future, according to The Conversation Project’s 2018 National Survey. Yet, they also report that only 32 percent have actually conducted these conversations.

Earlier this month, my practice converted from the Allscripts Professional PM and EHR system to athenaOne. If you have been through this process, you know it is not easy. Many have come to tears or left their job when going through a system conversion because of the stress of balancing seeing patients while learning a new system. While lessons were learned and there were hiccups along the way, our process went smoothly with only a 3-week ramp-up period.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new primary care model aimed to improve health outcomes and better enable coordinated care with specialists to ultimately provide more seamless, high-quality, whole-person care. 

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a paper titled “Digital Minimalism - an Rx for Clinician Burnout.” The article points to a recent study that found the amount of time spent in electronic health records (EHRs) correlates with declines in face-to-face time with the patient, computer-based work after hours and increasing rates of burnout. Digital minimalism could be a new way forward for physicians.

The business of primary care is a serious one and a unique one. Maybe you’ve always known you want to be in healthcare and primary care specifically, or perhaps you’re one of the many who, to use the Napoleon Hill term, “drifted” into your current role. However you got to where you are right now, what you and your practice do to serve your community is critical.

Noncompete clauses may become a thing of the past as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to vote on its proposal to ban noncompete language in employment contracts in April of 2024.

May is mental health awareness month, facilitated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the theme for 2023 is “more than enough” (the 2022 theme was “back to basics”).

National Nurses Week is upon us! Officially going from Saturday, May 6 to Friday, May 12, 2023, with the 2023 theme being “Nurses Make a Difference: Anytime, Anywhere – Always”. According to the American Nurses Association, there are currently over 4 million Registered Nurses in America. 

The U.S. healthcare market continues its trend toward vertical integration with the launch of Risant Health, a new value-based care, integrated health organization recently announced by Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger Health. Geisinger, a Pennsylvania-based, ten-hospital system, will be the first to join the organization via acquisition (pending regulatory approval).

Over the last several weeks, we’ve focused on readiness for joining an Accountable Care Organization, or ACO. We’ve explored what an ACO is, shown how to see if your practice is ready to join an ACO, and shared five key questions to assess before either forming your own ACO or joining an existing ACO.

It’s no news that the U.S. has been experiencing a primary care shortage, but the impact of that shortage is now being seen on the patient side according to a recent study from FAIR Health, a nonprofit that collects data on privately billed and Medicare health insurance claims.

As we continue our series discussing Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, we now move from the topic of forming your own ACO to what are some key questions to ask before joining an existing ACO. Entering an existing ACO can be a lucrative and well aligned way to accomplish success in value based care for your MSSP patients, but you may find yourself facing buyers’ remorse if you don’t go in well-informed. If you do make a decision that doesn’t align with your practice’s priorities and goals, you will be locked into the model for at least one year, possibly more, depending on the terms of your agreement.