Articles 1 to 10 of 61
The Future of Quality Benchmarking in Improving Healthcare Outcomes
According to Steven D. Culler PhD, associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and an adjunct professor at Goizueta Business School, quality benchmarking of medical providers can improve patient outcomes and decrease healthcare costs. In a recent interview with Knowledge@Emory, Culler admits that change in the healthcare system is certainly difficult. However, healthcare reform and the implementation of electronic health records will usher in a new day for rating the quality of hospitals and doctors.
The Economics of Chronic Care and its Impact on Reform
“The primary factor driving healthcare costs is the use of advanced medical technologies, applied to an aging population coping with myriad chronic illnesses, ” says Sam Nussbaum, executive vice president of clinical health policy and chief medical officer for WellPoint Inc. Speaking before a packed auditorium of doctors, faculty, and community members as part of the Future Makers Lecture Series sponsored by Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Nussbaum discussed why current legislation doesn't begin to tackle the high cost of care in America. As a case in point, Nussbaum says that of WellPoint's more than 33 million members, five percent, those with chronic illnesses are responsible for more than one-half of the insurer’s medical spending. The solution? A collaborative approach with healthcare delivery systems, such as Emory, working in concert with health insurers and other healthcare stakeholders to ensure high-quality health care.
Grady Medical System CEO Michael Young on Healthcare Reforms and Innovation
It's been three months since U.S. President Barack Obama, overcoming considerable political and public resistance, signed sweeping healthcare reforms into law. A May CBS News poll showed that 43 percent of Americans now support the new measures. Although this is good news for the president, those left to sort out the implications of the bill remain hard at work. Michael Young, CEO of Atlanta-based Grady Health System, spoke to Knowledge@Emory about the legislation and what it means for the internationally recognized teaching hospital he leads.
The Doctor is Out: An Inside Look at the Doctor and Nursing Shortage
The U.S. is facing a growing doctor and nursing shortage. But according to healthcare experts and practitioners at Emory University, Emory Healthcare, and Goizueta Business School, the issue is much more complicated than the numbers indicate. They note that personnel problems can be resolved by addressing healthcare quality, training, access, cost and efficiency.
Looking Abroad for Solutions to the Healthcare Dilemma
In T.R. Reid’s book titled The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, the journalist compares the U.S. healthcare system to public and semi-public healthcare efforts in a number of Western nations. Reid and experts from Emory Healthcare and Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health discuss the alternatives abroad, as well as the pros and cons of overhauling the U.S. healthcare system.
Can Academic Medical Centers Save Health Care?
Academic medical centers provide sophisticated and innovative care, in addition to training future medical professionals. They also should be taking a more active role in the rapidly changing healthcare debate, argues Darrell G. Kirch, MD, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges. During his Future Maker lecture to a group of medical faculty at Emory University, Kirch spoke on the limits of current healthcare reform legislation, noting in particular that, “what started as a discussion of healthcare reform is now a discussion of health insurance expansion.” The necessity of reform persists, Kirch said, stressing that since academic medical centers deliver one-fifth of the total hospital care in the U.S. and nearly half of all care to the uninsured, they should exploit that critical mass and design a superior system of healthcare delivery that redefines the healthcare business model and better serves patients.
Will Biomedical Informatics Improve Healthcare Outcomes?
Biomedical informatics is making it possible to collect, weed through, and analyze widespread data on patient treatments and outcomes, says Dr. Joel H. Saltz, director of Emory University’s Center for Comprehensive Informatics. Given the national debate over costs in the healthcare system, medical practitioners and IT experts say that this evolving interdisciplinary field can provide large scale improvements in treatment processes, and ultimately, in the price tag for care. But what hurdles exist in this new field of medical research? Saltz and Barbara A. Maaskant, chief information officer for Emory’s Goizueta Business School, explore the issues.
Will Medical Practices Survive Malpractice Insurance Rates?
U.S. President Barack Obama's planned overhaul of America's healthcare system took a step forward October 13 when the powerful Senate Finance Committee voted 14 to 9 along party lines, except for Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, to move its healthcare bill along for broader consideration. While this vote is a positive sign in a debate that has raged on for years, it comes too late for many physicians in high-risk specialties who have made the difficult choice to either restrict their practice, relocate to friendlier states, or to shut down shop altogether because of galloping increases in malpractice and other liability insurance. Faculty from Emory University, it's Goizueta Business School and other experts discuss the complexities of insurance and healthcare.
Aflac CEO Dan Amos on the Economy and Healthcare Reform
Like many executives, Daniel Amos, chairman and CEO of the insurer Aflac, is watching the healthcare reform debate in the United States with interest. No stranger to national healthcare—Aflac insures one out of four Japanese households—Amos does see the need for reform in the U.S. and does not believe it will necessarily impact his company’s business. Amos spoke to Knowledge@Emory following the panel discussion "Lessons of the Global Financial Crisis and the Road Ahead," co-hosted by Emory University's Goizueta Business School and the New York Stock Exchange.
Beyond Diagnosis: The Technological Revolution in Healthcare Administration and Patient Care
Healthcare administrators and government leaders are looking to advancements in information technology to transform both the management of healthcare and the quality of patient care. One of the first steps in the process is the implementation of electronic health records to aid in data capture and access to comprehensive, longitudinal patient medical information. But will physicians and other healthcare providers readily embrace the changes underway at hospitals across the U.S.? Experts from Emory Healthcare and Goizueta Business School examine the issue.
