Health Care Transformation Task Force’s Post

During 2023, Elevance Health and our care provider partners made meaningful, measurable progress towards improving whole health for tens of millions of people we mutually serve. And our second Advancing Health Together report proves it.   I sat down with Dan Salinas, MD chief medical officer for Emory Healthcare, to discuss how data sharing is fueling progress, and how real collaboration is the real key to future success. Bryony Winn Ashok Chennuru Omar Latif, MD Shane Hochradel Vardini Vishwanathan https://lnkd.in/d4Eypa5Q

🌟 New on GeriScope: "Closing Health Equity Gaps: Take Charge of Your Healthcare Discussions" 🌟   Check out the latest GeriScope blog post, where we explain why it's crucial not to wait for your doctor to initiate your goals of care discussions. Learn about the common barriers healthcare providers face and how you can overcome these to ensure your healthcare aligns with your values and needs.   Start taking charge of your health journey today!     #HealthEquity #EndOfLifeCare #PatientEmpowerment #AdvanceCarePlanning #GeriScope

Did you know? Beyond medical interventions, social determinants of health (SDOH) can wield a significant influence on patient well-being, often overshadowing healthcare services. Explore our blog to uncover the data-driven insights reshaping healthcare strategies. https://loom.ly/sGI7Kk4 #HealthcareData #SDOH #MedicalInsights

💡 Closing Health Equity Gaps: Why You Should Lead Your End-of-Life Care Planning" In the latest installment of our "Ensuring Health Equity: Closing the Gap" series, we delve into the critical role you play in shaping your healthcare journey, especially when it comes to end-of-life planning. • Discover how past experiences and barriers within the healthcare system might be influencing your healthcare interactions and decisions. • Learn why it's crucial not to wait for healthcare providers to initiate these important conversations. • Understand the common barriers that prevent physicians from discussing end-of-life care and how you can proactively overcome them. It's time to take charge and ensure your healthcare aligns with your values and needs. Read the full post to find out how you can start writing the ending of your own story with the support and involvement of your healthcare providers. 👉 https://wix.to/6Q4mRW1 #HealthEquity #EndOfLifeCare #PatientEmpowerment #HealthcareSystem #AdvanceCarePlanning #GeriScope

Learn more and register: https://loom.ly/oGCUs9Q It is no secret that the current healthcare system requires significant change, and this sentiment is shared by all involved including health systems, stakeholders, care givers, patients, and families. For real, significant improvements in our health system to occur, a new approach will be necessary and a new way of interdisciplinary and inter-industry thinking will be required. The Cornerstone Collaboration has been exploring this new approach and seeks to catalyze and accelerate change by humanizing individual behaviors and societal systems to create an environment for whole health. Join the two founders of Cornerstone Tracy Gaudet and Lauri Phillips for a discussion about the current challenges in healthcare and their thoughts for a path forward. They’ll discuss an aspirational model for a new approach, connect how whole health is essential to public health, and share examples of how this model has been applied (and been successful) in various case study settings. Affiliate discounts apply.

Employers can be a powerful force for change in health care. Next week, PCC's Ann C. Greiner joins Premise Health for an important discussion about how employers can promote enhanced primary care -- leading to lower costs and happier, healthier employees. https://lnkd.in/e9FCr7i8

#HealthcareLiteracyMonth Navigating the healthcare system can be overwhelming, even for those with a medical background. Recently, I had conversations that truly underscored the critical need for clear, accessible health information for all diagnoses, whether complex or not. One example that really hit home was about a family facing a grim diagnosis. Despite receiving medical updates, they were left with a profound misunderstanding of their loved one's prognosis, holding onto hopes that recovery would be swift. This painful gap between expectation and reality could have been minimized with more comprehensive resources and guidance, helping the family to fully understand the situation and navigate the complexities of care. I’ve also experienced this firsthand while helping my father manage his care. Even though I understand medical jargon, dealing with the intricacies of Tricare for Life and Care in the Community has been anything but straightforward. It made me realize that if it’s hard for me, how challenging must it be for those without a healthcare background? This is why health literacy matters. Every patient deserves to understand their diagnosis, treatment, and the steps needed for care. Health literacy is not just about explaining medical terms—it's about ensuring open communication between healthcare professionals and patients to make informed decisions. One tool I’ve found valuable is the Myhealthfinder website, available through health.gov. It offers simple, easy-to-understand guidance on preventive care, wellness, and managing chronic conditions. Tools like this empower individuals to advocate for their health. Improving health literacy isn't just important—it's essential for patient advocacy, better outcomes, and reducing stress for families during difficult times. We need to continue advocating for better health literacy and bridge the gap between patients, families, and healthcare providers. For more resources, check out the link to My Healthfinder https://lnkd.in/gW6xJbjJ and other helpful tools here: https://lnkd.in/gZTFMZpP

In honor of Patient Experience Week, here is a reflection on patient- and family-centered care. In my experience, this term is utilized frequently but not always well understood. The Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC) defines it as “an approach to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnership among healthcare providers, patients, and families.” IPFCC additionally describes four core concepts of patient- and family-centered care as: -Respect and Dignity: Health care practitioners listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care. -Information Sharing: Health care practitioners communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful. Patients and families receive timely, complete and accurate information in order to effectively participate in care and decision-making. -Participation: Patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level they choose. -Collaboration: Patients, families, health care practitioners, and health care leaders collaborate in policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation; in facility design; in professional education; and in research; as well as in the delivery of care. The IPFCC has many resources and best practices available, from Family Advisory to Health Care Provider education. https://lnkd.in/g9wRH25M Communication techniques can positively impact not only patients' perception of centeredness but their overall health outcomes. Check out this recent study published by Zhou et al., (2023) entitled "What does patient-centered communication look like?" Linguistic markers of provider compassionate care and shared decision-making and their impacts on patient outcomes. https://lnkd.in/gfask9Py

Text messaging can play a significant role in improving health equity by overcoming barriers to access, promoting education and awareness, and facilitating communication between healthcare providers and underserved populations. 1. Increased Access: Text messaging reaches individuals who may have limited access to traditional healthcare services due to factors such as geographic location, transportation barriers, or socioeconomic status. By delivering health-related information directly to their mobile phones, text messaging ensures that underserved populations have access to essential resources and support. 2. Health Education and Awareness: Text messaging can be used to deliver targeted health education messages, reminders, and preventive care tips to individuals, empowering them to make informed decisions about their health. By promoting awareness of preventive screenings, healthy behaviors, and available healthcare services, text messaging helps bridge knowledge gaps and promote health equity. 3. Appointment Reminders and Follow-ups: Text messaging can help reduce missed appointments and improve continuity of care by sending automated appointment reminders and follow-up messages. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with limited access to transportation or flexible schedules, ensuring that they receive timely and appropriate healthcare services. By leveraging text messaging as a powerful tool, healthcare providers and organizations can work toward a more equitable healthcare system that prioritizes the needs of all individuals. #TextMessaging #HealthEquity #Healthcare #Education #Awareness

Introducing our Patient Voice Partners 2024: Melanie Funk, Kris Pierce and Karen van Gorp (she/her). The Patient Voice Initiative is thrilled to begin these partnerships with three outstanding representatives from patient communities who've been growing their knowledge in health technology assessment (HTA) and still want to go deeper. We can't wait to learn with Melanie, Kris and Karen during their 25-reimbursed hours with us over the next 12 months, plus join the Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) Annual Meeting Seville in June. What does this mean for our Patient Voice Partners? "Excited to be a Patient Voice Partner with Patient Voice Initiative, fostering understanding in health decision-making, building confidence, and encouraging active patient involvement, particularly in HTA. Eager to connect with fellow patient groups for shared learning and impactful collaboration in our healthcare system."- Melanie Funk "Being awarded the Patient Voice Partner role presents a unique opportunity to enhance my understanding of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes and the broader health policy landscape. This experience will enrich my advocacy for the rare epilepsy community by equipping me with new knowledge, strategies, and networks. Through this partnership, I'll be able to leverage my insights and experiences to amplify the understanding of HTA, ensuring the voices of those living with rare epilepsies are not just heard but are influential and prioritized in decisions impacting their care and quality of life."- Kris Pierce "I am beyond delighted to announce that I have been accepted as one of three #PatientVoicePartners (2024) for Australia. What does that mean? Overall, our role will be to identify and work through activities that will lead to the scale up of current programs working and educating patients to grow Health Technology Assessment (HTA) knowledge and enable them to network beyond the silo’s of disease type." - Karen van Gorp Patient Voice Initiative is a patient-led organisation. We recognise that patient communities have differing needs and goals regarding HTA. Some seek just enough information to give input to HTA (check out our Patient Voice Hub), while others want a deeper knowledge. #htai2024seville #patientvoiceinitiative #patientvoice #patients #HTA #access #patientengagement #advocacy #patientadvocacy #patientadvocate #australianhealthcare #australianhealth