APG: Taking Responsibility For America’s Health

“As devastating as the #COVID-19 pandemic has been, I do not believe it's the worst pathogen we're going to see,” says @drcharitydean, CEO and Co-Founder of @ThePubHealthCo. She believes an even greater threat is coming and our healthcare system is no better prepared for it at this point. @AmerPhysGrps President and CEO @DonCrane talks with Dr. Dean about the pressing need for developing technology and software that gives real-time intelligence to identify and deal quickly with emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Dean is a keynote speaker at the #APGAC21 meeting, December 9-11, in San Diego. #publichealth #pandemic  

We need to stop the separate and unequal system of funding and access to healthcare for our low-income, underserved communities, says Elaine Batchlor, MD, MPH, CEO of MLK Community Healthcare @yourMLKCH. Dr. Batchlor talks with @AmerPhysGrps President and CEO @DonCrane about why simply adding more people to #Medicaid without correcting the payment disparity between #Medicare and Medicaid won't give people adequate access to quality medical care. Listen to this frank and straightforward discussion about how the provider reimbursement system is a good example of structural racism and why we must change it to achieve #healthequity. #SDOH  

Humility is the watchword when it comes to making assumptions about #COVID19 because every new piece of data often upends what we thought we knew about the virus, says @Bob_Wachter, Chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine, and one of the most respected medical voices in the nation today. Join APG President and CEO @DonCrane as he talks with Dr. Wachter about the likelihood of COVID-19 vaccine boosters, what characteristics healthcare systems need to handle the next pandemic, and why artificial intelligence is going to be the biggest disruptor to healthcare. @UCSFMedicine @AmerPhysGrps #AI #populationhealth     

If we don't address social determinants of health (SDoH), we will never get a handle on healthcare costs, says @SenBillCassidy (R-LA), a gastroenterologist by training, and one of four physicians in the Senate. Senator Cassidy spoke with @AmerPhysGrps President and CEO @DonCrane about the wide support for value-based care in Congress, the lack of urgency among his colleagues about the danger of the #Medicare trust fund going bankrupt, and what we must do to prepare for the next pandemic. #sdoh #telehealth

There is a lot of avoidable waste in the basic delivery of care, but this waste is actually an asset for alternative payment models (APMs). Unlike the fee-for-service model that discourages eliminating waste and low-value care because it loses money, APMs can get paid to eliminate that same waste and improve healthcare quality, says health economist @Michael_Chernew, PhD, professor of #healthcare policy at @harvardmed school, and chair of MEDPAC @medicarepayment. In a timely interview with APG President and CEO @DonCrane, Professor Chernew talks about the premise of his recent JAMA article, “A Path Forward for Alternative Payment: Build a Portfolio Not a Garden.” @AmerPhysGrps #Medicare #valuebasedcare  

What does the only physician in Congress who has personally managed the delivery of care in a capitated integrated physician group have to say about the future of the #valuebasedcare movement? Listen to this compelling and lively podcast conversation about the politics impacting our ability to change the #healthcare system to capitation as APG President and CEO Don Crane interviews Ami Bera, MD, U.S. Congressman from #CA07. @AmerPhysGrps @DonCrane @RepBera  

How does reading a book to a child under age four affect their adult health, ability to learn, and succeed in life? Epigenetics tells us that cancer, asthma, diabetes, and other #healthcare problems can be significantly reduced with a simple addition of books into the home. Join APG President and CEO Don Crane as he interviews George Halvorson, Chair and CEO of the Institute for InterGroup Understanding and co-author of the Better Care Plan. Mr. Halvorson explains why we must focus on early childhood development, why #Medicaid expansion is a great idea, and the need for a more sophisticated purchasing model for healthcare. @GCHalvorson @IntergroupPeace @DonCrane @AmerPhysGrps #healthequity #healthdisparities

“Culture allows us to see the things that are in our interest and not see the things that are not.” Listen to this fascinating interview with Robert Pearl, MD, former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group (Kaiser Permanente) as he talks about the basis of his new book, “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors & Patients.” The current healthcare system is designed to do well for insurance companies, hospitals, drug companies, and medical device manufacturers – everyone except doctors and patients, says Dr. Pearl. The post-coronavirus era is going to be the potential catalyst for the kind of change in healthcare “that we were waiting for decades.” @RobertPearlMD @DonCrane @AmerPhysGrps #Uncaring  

What does the head of America’s Health Insurance Plans think is in store for the future of Medicare Advantage? Join APG President and CEO @DonCrane as he talks with Matt Eyles, CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) about the misconceptions around Medicare Advantage, the pros and cons of private equity investments in healthcare, the benefit of partnerships to achieve better patient outcomes at lower cost, and why focusing on health disparities is so important. @AHIPCoverage @AmerPhysGrps www.apg.org

Consolidation in the healthcare industry is not automatically good or bad for consumers, but the details matter. Join APG President and CEO, Don Crane as he talks with Glenn Melnick, PhD, Professor at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and world-renowned expert in health economics and finance, about how horizontal and vertical consolidation in healthcare can generate value for patients, but too much consolidation can take away market pressure for competition and raise costs. @USCPrice @DonCrane @AmerPhysGrps www.apg.org  

What does the consolidation and merger trend in the healthcare industry mean for patient care and costs? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the number of medical liability cases? Listen to this podcast episode where APG President and CEO Don Crane talks with Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, Chair and CEO of The Doctors Company, Leader of the TDC Group of Companies, as they explore these topics and more, including the rise of consumer-driven care and retail medicine, the need for decent electronic health records and better patient data, and the future of value-based care. @DonCrane @AmerPhysGrps @doctorscompany www.apg.org

“The time has come to move aggressively toward capitated payments to providers, no matter who writes the checks…” says Merrill Goozner, former editor of Modern Healthcare. In this episode, Merrill Goozner discusses the conflict between competition and capitation in healthcare that he sees coming on the horizon. He addresses ACOs, antitrust, employer healthcare costs, universal health coverage and the public option, Medicare Advantage, and much, much more.

What does the future of healthcare look like under the Biden Administration? In this episode, APG President & CEO Don Crane interviews John Kitzhaber, MD, former Governor of Oregon and the chief architect of Oregon's coordinated care organization initiative. Dr. Kitzhaber discusses the COVID-19 crisis, Affordable Care Act subsidies, Medicaid expansion, and increasing Medicare costs, as well as how Oregon saved a billion dollars by moving away from fee-for-service to value-based care.

How does a successful integrated healthcare delivery system work? APG President and CEO Don Crane talks with Raj Shrestha, CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, about the strategy behind the success of the Intermountain healthcare model: Grow and retain membership, keep people healthy, and provide the best care at the lowest cost. Shrestha also explains how Castell launched its successful hospital-at-home program in just four weeks to help alleviate pressure on the healthcare system from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the downside of America's fee-for-service reimbursement system. Take a listen as Don Crane, APG President and CEO, talks with Mark McClellan, MD, former head of CMS, FDA, and current Professor at the Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, about where he sees things headed with value-based care. Dr. McClellan says the pandemic provides a real opportunity that we haven’t had before to engage the public around the value of care models that are centered on them and are flexible enough to deliver the best care they need to stay well.

Legendary healthcare expert Don Berwick, MD, Founder & CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and former Administrator of CMS, talks with APG CEO Don Crane about his assessment of where we are today with progress in the value-based care movement a decade after passage of the Affordable Care Act. “It’s a mixed bag…I wish we were seeing more progress than we are.” Dr. Berwick elaborates on the four things that he believes will move us toward a better healthcare system: universal healthcare, addressing social determinants of health, improving quality of care, and reducing costs.

What does the founding CEO of the California Health Care Foundation, Mark Smith, MD, believe will help fix American healthcare? APG President and CEO Don Crane sat down with Dr. Smith, now Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California-San Francisco, to find out. Smith says getting all Americans covered by health insurance, focusing more attention on value-based payment for big-ticket medical devices and drugs, establishing a more rigorous scientific standard for what Medicare will cover, and accelerating people towards value-based payment are key items that will help improve healthcare in the U.S.

Europe and other wealthy developed democracies spend about half as much on healthcare as we do in the United States. But these countries get much better outcomes than the U.S. because they spend twice as much on social care. APG President and CEO Don Crane talks with June Simmons, MSW, CEO of Partners in Care about the importance of social determinants of health. June explains how assessing patients for social determinants like nutrition, safe housing, mental health, family support, fall risks, and proper prescription medication usage all help to improve health outcomes, lower costs, and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.

How do you successfully convert a practice based on volume to one based on value? What are the challenges? Don Crane talks with Bob Margolis, MD, former CEO of HealthCare Partners and Founder of the Duke-Margolis Center on Health Policy, about his career and about what it took to develop HealthCare Partners (now Optum) into a highly successful multi-state, physician-owned-and-operated medical group, independent physician association, and management services organization. Dr. Margolis also discusses why he thinks we need a national health czar.

It is possible to fix our broken healthcare system with a holistic and preventive approach. Don Crane talks with Chris Chen, MD, CEO of ChenMed, a successful globally capitated, primary care organization focusing on providing preventive healthcare for seniors that’s caught the eye of the whole country. Listen as Dr. Chen describes how ChenMed became such a successful model of value-based care. You will also hear Dr. Chen, a cardiologist, talk about his own harrowing experience with COVID-19 infection and what he learned from being a patient in the ICU.

What does our healthcare system look like post-COVID? How is healthcare innovating to meet the many challenges? How will this pandemic impact the value-based care movement? APG President and CEO, Don Crane, talks frankly with Ian Morrison, author, futurist, internationally known consultant and speaker specializing in the future of healthcare and the changing business environment. Morrison gives his insight about the changes and challenges ahead for employer-sponsored commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused a spotlight on our healthcare system and our government’s ability to respond to a national health crisis. Join APG President and CEO Don Crane for a candid discussion with Andy Slavitt, Chair of the United States of Care, and former Acting Administrator for CMS. Slavitt, host of the popular podcast “In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt,” shares his views on our nations’ response to dealing with COVID-19 and its impact on the value-based care movement. You’ll also hear Slavitt’s thoughts on the future of healthcare in the U.S. and why talking to patients is key to transforming it.

Since COVID-19 hit the US earlier this year, we have heard plenty about how American hospitals are dealing with the pandemic. But what about the physician groups that are on the front lines with patients—how are they coping and adapting? What impact has COVID-19 had on the way primary care physicians operate? How have medical groups dealt with the rapid deployment of telehealth services? What will healthcare look like, post-pandemic? Listen in as APG President and CEO Don Crane talks with John Jenrette, MD, Executive Vice President of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network in Los Angeles about how his prominent organization is pivoting to meet the needs of its patients in the time of an unprecedented worldwide pandemic.

APG On American Healthcare to launch soon. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app or visit www.apg.org

Bill Barcellona, APG's VP of Government Affairs interviews Leif Haase, Director, CA Program New America Foundation & Micah Weinberg, PhD, President, Bay Area Council Economic Institute about their whitepaper titled, "Heathcare Reform in the Balance - California and the Future of the Affordable Care Act".

In this episode listeners will gain valuable insight and strategies for healthcare delivery systems from Dr. John Kitzhaber, former Governor of Oregon, who is later joined by APG's President & CEO, Don Crane to discuss Oregon's healthcare reform as a potential for the rest of the nation. This audio is taken from a General Session at the APG 2018 Annual Conference in San Diego.