Population Health

Steven Peskin, MD, MBA, FACP, discusses drivers of cost and goals of therapy in wet AMD, and Diana Do, MD, discusses the different treatment approaches to the disease.

Researchers are documenting how income volatility is affecting the middle class and healthcare decisions of its members.

Everyone seems to be gearing up for value-based care, 2.0. It is hard to argue against the goal of moving from “volume to value.” The jabbing and the jostling are about the best way to get there.

According to the CDC, use of any contraception has remained stable in the United States. From 2015 to 2017, approximately 2 out of 3 girls and women ages 15 to 49 used some form of contraception,and a similar proportion did so from 2017 to 2019.

The pandemic caused a temporary dip in 2020. But as public health spending has decreased, sexually transmitted disease trends have increased.

The model has put the patient at the center of healthcare.

Some of the usual suspects are on the list. And population health itself is trending as a competitive business and an area of study.

The four historically Black medical schools are part of the answer as U.S. healthcare reckons with racism and inequity. They are expanding and receiving record levels of donations.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recently released an updated recommendation addressing lung cancer screening criteria at a sooner rate starting at 50-years-old rather than 55. The task force says this expansion will be especially helpful to those who face disparities to screening. Although, it won’t cover all disparities.

The value-based model hasn't produced cost savings and is not likely "to make the cut" to become permanent, says Kavita Patel, a former top healthcare official in the Obama administration.

Insight into people’s irrational choices can improve healthcare.

Diabetes education has shifted from in-person classes to Zoom meetings.

Physicians may make different treatment decisions for patients of different races.

Some see the decline in healthcare utilization as an opportunity to eliminate ineffective, sometimes harmful healthcare.

Surveys are important, but respondents may hide their true thoughts and feelings.

Many of the large insurers are responding by expanding into new markets.

Applying lessons from behavioral economics, health systems are using “nudges” to influence the choices clinicians make.

The more we rely on technology, the further away we get from focusing on and addressing one of the most critical components of care: Trust between the patient and doctor.

What does it mean? When did it begin? How is it different from public health? Here are the answers to these questions and more.

William Shrank, MD, MPHS, Humana’s chief medical and corporate affairs officer, said value-based care underscores the need to take a more holistic view of health.

Second study shows minority children are half as likely to have surgery as white children.

As we continue to navigate the unknowns of the current pandemic, it appears we're still a long way off from living in a true post-COVID-19 era. Until then, improved health outcomes can still be realized through effective population health strategies, providing adequate financial resources that are available and encompassing all the determinants of health in communities, including social, behavioral and environmental factors.

The work of moving away from fee for service is in progress. The results so far? Mixed.