Healthcare Costs Too Much
Recently when I was writing about IBM’s Watson as an innovation that could help reduce waste and lower the cost of care I made the statement, “…the greatest threat to the future health of the nation… [is] our continuing inability to reduce the cost of...
IBM’s Watson and the Triple AIM
I recently attended Simpler Consulting’s 11th Annual North America CEO Symposium. Like much of healthcare, Simpler has been a player in a serial process of mergers and acquisitions. Two years ago, Simpler and JWA, another Lean consultancy were acquired by Truven...
Healthcare, Finally!
It is important for you to realize that this posting is not an effort to convince you to cast your vote for any candidate, up or down the ticket. It is probably clear where I stand before the election. If you have not decided for whom you will vote, you may...
Understanding the Politics Behind the “Craziness” of the ACA
Since the political conventions ended in early August I have been obsessed with the election. Things have changed so fast this week that I have had to revise this post since writing most of it last Friday. Friday was the day that the Washington Post released the...
Looking Into The Mirror of The Election
There was some concern that the option of watching the New Orleans Saints lose to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football might reduce the audience for the first Presidential Date of 2016. Despite the football option, more people watched the debate than ever...
How To Think About ACOs
Elliott Fisher first described the concept of the ACO in an article in Health Affairs in December 2006. As of January 2016 there were over 800 ACOs, but there is huge variation in form and execution of an idea that looked simple at the start. Since 2011 the number of...
Is It Time For ACA 2.0?
Back in April when we were not absolutely sure who the nominees for president would be. Michael Cohen wrote “Obamacare: an unheralded success” in the Boston Globe. He  commented then that healthcare was not getting much discussion by Republicans beyond a flat out...
Old Fashioned Values Applied to Complex Times in Healthcare
An “Interested Reader “ and friend recently sent me a eulogy that he delivered at his father-in-law’s funeral. Let me give it to you to read, and then invite you to think with me about Don Berwick’s recent call for Era 3, the “Moral Era” of healthcare. I...
Patient and Family Centered Care and Lean in Healthcare Transformation
Patient and Family Centered Care and Lean in Healthcare Transformation Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the power of combining patient centeredness and Lean in healthcare transformation. These ideas became more focused after a recent call that worried me from...Case Study – Elizabeth Mcarthy
A .pdf reader is required to read this document. You can obtain the latest version of Adobe Reader at: Get Adobe Reader