Knowledge@Emory -- Health Economics

The Future of Quality Benchmarking in Improving Healthcare Outcomes

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:41:31 EST

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

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:44:33 EST

“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

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:06:29 EST

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

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:59:33 EST

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

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:07:31 EST

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?

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:20:37 EST

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?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:38:34 EST

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?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:48:02 EST

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

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:54:41 EST

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

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:52:01 EST

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.

Can Information Technology Cut Healthcare Costs?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:01:04 EST

As U.S. President Barack Obama refocuses efforts on universal healthcare, the burdensome question of how to fund it returns. With American healthcare costs skyrocketing, many industry experts argue that technology could be one of the most effective ways to slash rising expenses in the sector. But just what are the right and wrong ways to implement IT initiatives, and will hospital management and clinicians be willing to make needed and expensive investments in technology? Faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and an industry expert from McKesson Technology Solutions debate the healthcare IT dilemma.

Why a Radical Cultural Change in Healthcare is Overdue

Wed, 13 May 2009 16:56:54 EST

Fred Sanfilippo, executive vice president for Health Affairs, CEO of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare, knows well that the healthcare industry suffers from inertia, entropy, and resistance to change. In a recent lecture as part of the fifth annual healthcare industry forum at Emory's Goizueta Business School, Sanfilippo shared his vision of improved healthcare, stressing that "We need to provide 24/7 care in a way to fully engage people in a system they can navigate. It means developing new, interdisciplinary teams focused on the patient—a different approach.”

Why the Complex U.S. Healthcare System Will Challenge America�s Next President

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:24:54 EST

America’s healthcare system is on life support and the contenders for the White House all say they have plans for jumpstarting the system. But panelists gathered for a discussion on healthcare coverage design change during a recent healthcare forum at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, contend things on the healthcare front won’t change much, regardless of who is sworn in as President next January. Why? While the political buzz has focused on how to cover the 47 million uninsured Americans, several of the panelists view rising healthcare costs as the root of the problem and a much bigger policy issue.

Exploring the Growing Appeal of Medical Tourism

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:53:48 EST

The evolving medical tourism phenomenon is thriving globally and it’s an area of fascination and research for Dr. Michael Horowitz, a graduate of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and Jeffrey Rosensweig, a professor of finance at Goizueta. The two have written several articles on medical tourism and the globalization of the healthcare marketplace. Their latest, “Medical Tourism vs. Traditional International Medical Travel: A Tale of Two Models,” was published recently in the International Medical Travel Journal and details the heterogeneous features of people who travel for medical care. For instance, while patients from highly industrialized nations like the U.S. are enticed by the low cost of overseas medical care, residents of Canada, Britain and other countries with national health systems are more likely to pursue medical tourism in order to avoid long waiting lists.

Can Charitable Organizations Protect the Health of Women in Poor Nations?

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:47:03 EST

�We need to see the health of women in poor nations as an invasion that corrupts societies like slavery did,� says William Foege, an epidemiologist and emeritus professor of international health at Emory University�s School of Public Health. Speaking at the first conference on World Law & World Health, sponsored by the World Law Institute, Foege stressed that simply combining the good works many charitable organizations and foundations do for women in poorer countries with government support can empower women everywhere.

Can Anyone Make Sense�or Money�Out of Personal DNA Testing?

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:28:32 EST

It seemed only right that James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA with Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin, was the first to receive a DVD holding the sequence of his own DNA produced by 454 Life Sciences, a division of the Swiss drug giant Roche, and academic researchers. While DNA mapping technology under development at Roche and other companies has the potential to bring the long-awaited era of personalized medicine closer, there are enormous ethical, legal and investment hurdles to building successful business models based on decoding an individual's DNA, according to Wharton faculty and executives in the industry.

Is Six Sigma the Prescription for Ailing Healthcare Industry?

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:28:32 EST

Six Sigma principles have been applied to a variety of industries, since its introduction in the early 1980s as a process improvement system originally designed by Motorola leaders, and later improved upon by former GE head Jack Welch. Now authors Dr. Brett E. Trusko, Carolyn Pexton, Dr H. James Harrington, and Praveen Gupta, have taken this process and applied it to the crisis in the United States healthcare system. The authors, all industry insiders as well, say that Six Sigma should appeal to healthcare leaders interested in intrinsic improvements in a cost-laden, overburdened, and complex system.

Can Big Pharma Fix What Ails it?

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:55:41 EST

This should be a golden age for the pharmaceutical industry. Advances in information technology and in the understanding of the genetic code have given scientists powerful new tools for research, and led to the development of drugs that have made life better and longer for millions. And yet, prescription prices rose only 1.9% in 2006 and the pressure for generics, including Wal-Mart�s move to offer some brands for $4 per month, have created big headaches for Big Pharma. Can pharmaceutical companies recapture their glory days by making some strategic moves? Professors at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School explore the challenges and offer their prescription for stronger returns.

Can the NIH and Education Ensure Commercial Viability of Medical Innovation?

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:52:15 EST

Bringing a drug or innovation to market in the United States is a complicated endeavor. Even as the National Institutes of Health tightens its requirements to stipulate that grants issued for research must benefit consumers, the drug approval process and the needs of potential investors convolute matters even further. Is a more equitable means of balancing science and return on investment (ROI) possible? Researchers and marketers at Emory University�s School of Medicine, its Goizueta Business School and others examine the issues.

Can Organizational Theory Help Resolve Ethical Dilemmas in Medicine?

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:06:40 EST

Amit Nigam, a visiting professor of organization and management at Emory University�s Goizueta Business School, is taking a close look at the medical profession�s shift to managed care and the consequences of such a shift. In March, Nigam met with a group of healthcare professionals as part of a seminar series sponsored by Emory�s Center for Ethics to discuss his research; specifically, how organizations and systems can shape the ethical choices individuals make.