The Collective Voice of Health IT, A WEDI Podcast

In June, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new primary care model – the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model – that will be tested under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation in eight states. We welcome CMS Deputy Administrator and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Director Dr. Liz Fowler to discuss the Making Care Primary Model, the process in developing the model, and it's connections with health equity. 

Matthew chats with Derrick Higgins, Head of Enterprise Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Health Care Service Corporation (BCBS of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). Derrick discusses how his organization is leveraging artificial intelligence, his thoughts on future applications, and federal government role in AI governance. 

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference. The Health Care Payment and Learning and Action Network (HCPLAN) established the Health Equity Advisory Team (HEAT) to help identify and prioritize opportunities to advance health equity through alternative payment models (APMs). The HEAT’s goal is person-centered and focuses on leveraging APMs to help make needed care more accessible, drive better patient outcomes, and reduce disparities.  We welcomed HEAT's co-chairs, Dr Marshall Chin from the University of Chicago and Karen Dales from Amerihealth Caritas to discuss the group's work and their mission to address and eliminate health disparities while identifying payment models that aid communities. The session was moderated by Michael Pattwell from Edifecs who also serves as WEDI's Payment Model Workgroup Co-Chair.  

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference, Michael and WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner chats with Jonathan Burow, VP Customer Experience and Digital Transformation with Independent Health. Jonathan discusses best practices for measuring customer satisfaction across product lines and engagement channels including call, chat, website and app. 

The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. Regarding healthcare, collecting data on intersectional social factors like race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation can help identify disparities experienced by specific populations in order to develop initiatives that target community’s needs thus yielding (hopefully) positive health outcomes. Matthew speaks with 4medica President Gregg Church on how incorporating intersectionality and Social determinants of health (SDOH), healthcare systems can improve the quality of data used to address health equity.

Michael welcomes Scott Gray, CEO of Clincierge, a patient concierge services provider in clinical trials. The two discuss the current state regarding diversity in clinical trials and how the need for minority participation can help serve a more accurate, realistic population, establish trust between patients and providers, and improve the patient experience. 

From WEDI's recent Spring Conference, a conversation on the importance of data, partnership, and health equity buy-in and bake-in with prominent health equity leadership from UnitedHealth Group and Mayo Clinic. U. Michael Currie, Chief Health Equity Officer, UnitedHealth Group Adam Milam, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, Mayo Clinic Ajay Jayakumar, Director, Strategy and Analytics Diversity Science, Mayo Clinic Marquita Davis, Enterprise Director, Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, Mayo Clinic

Responding to the commonwealth's public health and workforce needs, George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) launched the first and only College of Public Health in Virginia.  Michael chats with Dr. Melissa Perry, Dean of the College, on her early motivations and inspirations, the school's importance in teaching, learning, innovation and community involvement and its importance to the state's future health. 

This is an excerpt from a discussion from WEDI's Health Equity Forum earlier this year on how payers are leveraging data to address health disparities, prevent disease and promote health and digital literacy. His guests are Dan Rivas, Senior Manager at Blue Shield California and Kurt Johnson, Vice President Operations with UnitedHealth Group.

We chat with Elevance Health Chief Technology Officer Geeta Wilson about how her company is embracing artificial intelligence to improve and enhance the patient experience.