Can Better Conversations Promote Better Health?
Living in a “purple state” I often meet interesting people with whom I share some possible connection that both of us choose not to explore because a little superficial exchange quickly reveals that we see the world through the lenses of different political...
Dr. Gabow’s Question: Can the American Healthcare System Deliver Health?
Dr. Patty Gabow, the retired CEO of Denver Health has recently been making a presentation that begins with a rhetorical question, “Can the American Healthcare System Deliver Health?” Any rhetorical question is designed more to get the audience thinking than to...
Obamacare Is Not a Disaster!
Congressional Republicans and the president can’t seem to coordinate their activities to “repeal and replace” the ACA, or get much of anything done. Their inability to deliver on their promise to give the public something better than the ACA is a surprise, since they...
The Journey to “Being Lean”
“Being Lean” is rare among the many healthcare institutions that have tried “doing Lean.” There are many steps along the way from the initial introduction of Lean into an enterprise to the day when Lean becomes its operating system and the foundation of its new...
Gun Rights and Healthcare as a Right: Where Do We Go From Here?
“Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” evolved from a Southern gospel song to become an anthem of the Civil Rights movement of the fifties and sixties. It’s a phrase that frequently pops into my head when I am frustrated with my progress against a goal. It comes to mind now...
The Patient Centered Value System
The Patient Centered Value System: Transforming Healthcare through Co-Design by Anthony M. DiGioia, MD and Eve Shapiro was recently published. The forward was written by Don Berwick. I had the honor of authoring the preface. It was fun to have a really good...
Patient Access, Patient Engagement, and the Triple Aim
The Triple Aim will never be realized without increasing our ability to engage patients in their own care, and nothing is more critical to patient engagement than the access patients have to their care providers. I recently attended the fourth Annual Thought...
The Importance of Patient Engagement
I believe that we must become more effective practitioners of patient patient engagement if we are ever going to have any hope of achieving the Triple Aim. Dr. Ebert told us what would not work in that quest. He said that more money, more personnel, and more...
Are Consolidation, Competition, and Innovation the Answer? Part 4: A Closer Look at Competition
Is vigorous competition between providers of healthcare likely to be an effective part of our collective efforts to lower the cost of medical care? It would seem likely because there is nothing more fundamental to our American culture than our belief in the benefits...Case Study – Elizabeth Mcarthy
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