I regularly share stories and worries with friends who have aging parents and in-laws. I know that I am not alone in wishing our health care delivery system was better connected. Being a physician and administrator, I have been on multiple sides of this equation. As Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist, I contributed to comprehensive […]

It is exciting to see Dr. Atul Gawande chosen as the new CEO of the joint venture between Amazon, Berkshire, and JP Morgan.  Gawande has a track record of thought leadership in public health, patient safety, and is a best-selling author. He is a natural for medical students to follow.  He consistently encourages the provision […]

  It has been a pleasure to host another talented group of pre-medical students from my alma mater Wabash College this summer.  Wabash has developed a wonderful program called the Global Health Initiative which provides students experiential learning opportunities addressing social determinants of health and health care disparities in the context of a liberal arts […]

The conventional wisdom during recent years has been health care system consolidation which includes both physician employment and hospital mergers. There are numerous potential advantages which include group purchasing, improved contracting, and standardization of services. In theory, this should result in lower costs to patients but rarely if ever does. Instead, community hospitals should be […]

How can specialists participate in value-based payment care? Value-based payment requires the deeper use of electronic health records (EHR) to capture and transmit standardized data.  This analysis will include a review of 3 working models that specialists should consider joining to enhance both clinical and financial performance. These models include high-functioning primary care and pharmacy networks […]