Pulse: Healthcare


5 Days that Shook the Healthcare World

In 1919, journalist John Reed published Ten Days that Shook the World, a first-hand account of the October 1917 Russian Revolution. During that dramatic 10-day period, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks took control of the Russian government and established the world’s first socialist government. Russia and the world would never be the same.
 

Lexington, Concord and Medicaid Drug Formularies: Massachusetts Fires Another “Shot Heard Round the World”

On the 19th of April in 1775, a ragtag Massachusetts militia confronted the mighty British army in search of Colonial munitions and rebellion leaders. The Battle of Lexington and Concord marked the first military engagement between American revolutionaries and their British colonizers. The Americans carried the day and began their long arduous march toward independence.
 
Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson captured the battle’s mythical meaning to American patriots at the July 4, 1837 dedication ceremony for the Battle of Concord memorial. In his “Concord Hymn” Emerson wrote:

Honey vs. Vinegar: Value-Based Pricing Wins Customers and Market-Share

Common wisdom holds that “it’s easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar.” That aphorism also applies to payers seeking lower prices for routine healthcare procedures. It “tastes” better when providers attract new customers with “bottom-up” high-value services than when payers hammer providers through “top-down” payment reform.

Taxing Consequences: House Republicans Target Tax-Exempt Hospital Bonds

Having failed to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, House and Senate Republicans have set their sights on reforming the U.S. tax code, a daunting undertaking that hasn’t occurred since the mid-1980s. Their principal objective is to reduce the corporate tax rate from its current level of 35% to 20%.

Capitalizing on Comprehensive Care: Cultivating a Medicare Advantage Mindset

Co-authored with Richard Jones, president and CEO of Essence Healthcare, one of the nation’s first accountable delivery systems and a consistently high-rated Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) health plan. 

Good Intentions Aren't Enough: Choosing Wisely Misses the Target

Earlier this year, the Choosing Wisely campaign celebrated its 5th anniversary. Choosing Wisely is a well-funded, practice-focused organization created to reduce “wasteful or unnecessary medical tests, treatments and procedures.”

Crony Capitalism Has Consequences: Opioid Distribution, Destruction and Death

Talk about bombshells. On October 15th, the Washington Post and 60 Minutes released a detailed and damning investigative report titled “The Drug Industry’s Triumph Over the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency).” The report chronicles how Big Pharma and its Congressional allies orchestrated passage of legislation that has severely weakened the DEA’s ability to curtail illegal distribution of opioid drugs.   
 

Moving at the Speed of Medicine Part II: Taking Systemness to the Next Level

Co-authored with Jake Crampton, founder and CEO of MedSpeed.

Merle Power! Living Long and Prospering

Merle Phillips is a petite 110-year old 4’9” fireball who keeps doing big things. She’s writing her twelfth book and recently created a new version of Scrabble to pitch to game-maker Hasbro. Reaching 110 makes Merle a “super-centenarian.” This is a most exclusive club. There are likely fewer than 50 American super-centenarians alive today.

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