Off the Chart with Medical Economics

Scott Rivkees, M.D., former head of the Florida Department of Public Health, describes how distrust of scientific expertise is undercutting state and local laws designed to improve public health.

Why do Black and Hispanic people find it harder to access medical care than whites? Income inequality is a significant reason, but a recent study finds that people of color also encounter more non-financial barriers to care than whites. Cesar Caraballo, MD, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral associate at the Yale School of Medicine, joins Off the Chart to explore its findings in more detail, and explain why disparities in care access have been growing worse.

How can the learning capabilities of artificial intelligence algorithms be used to complement primary care doctors' training and analytical skills to produce the best outcomes for patients? Ziad Obermeyer, MD, a researcher at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health focusing on the interconnections between machine learning, medicine and health policy, explains.

Kamala Green, MA, social drivers of health program manager for National Government Services, discusses how her organization's work with social service agencies and nonprofits is producing better outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.

Vivek Garg, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president for primary care with Humana, explains how the company has integrated based payments at its CenterWell Senior Primary Care facilities to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Jaime Bland, DNP, RN, CEO of CyncHealth, explains how doctors in Nebraska and Iowa now are able to exchange certain types of social health data on their states' HIEs, and what it could mean for improving patient outcomes.  

 Sanjay Rajagopalan, M.D., the Herman K. Hellerstein, MD, chair in cardiovascular research at University Hospitals, Cleveland, discusses the  evidence linking pollution to cardiovascular disease and strategies doctors can use for disease prevention. 

The Information Blocking Rule, which took effect in April 2021, was supposed to make it easier for Americans to get access to their health data. But many still find the process time-consuming and expensive. Deven McGraw, co-founder of the health data platform Ciitizen, sits down with Medical Economics to explain why, and why it matters to doctors. 

How can medical practices reduce the chance of employees resisting, or successfully suing over, vaccine mandates? Health care attorney Michelle Greenberg explains. 

Shawn Purifoy, MD, a family doctor in rural Arkansas, says hearing the facts from trusted sources is key to dispelling patients' fears about vaccination.

Samuel Edwards, M.D., discusses his recent study in Health Affairs of  why burnout levels differ among primary care practices and what practices can do to reduce burnout among doctors and staff. 

Micky Tripathi, the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, discusses his office's role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, improving EHR interoperability, and more. 

Tim Sullivan, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy market solutions for UnitedHealth Group, describes the EHR-embedded tool UnitedHealth has developed to ease the prior authorization process for prescription medications. 

Dr. Gidi Stein, cofounder of the Israeli company MedAware, talks about the growing potential of artificial intelligence in medicine, and how it can be used to help avoid diagnostic and prescribing errors. 

Health care attorney Jonathan Levitt explains pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and how they have come to play a major role in drug pricing and availability. 

Leon McDougle, MD, president of the National Medical Association, explains why Black Americans have been especially hard-hit by the COVID pandemic, and what policy changes the nation needs to improve health care for Blacks and other traditionally underserved communities. 

If telehealth is here to stay, it could bring major financial and operational changes for medical practices. Ron Holder, COO of the Medical Group Management Association, offers advice on how practices can prepare for what may lie ahead.

Josh Claman, the CEO of Rimidi, discusses how remote monitoring devices can provide doctors with important patient health data while also creating a new revenue stream for practices.

Where can a practice go when it needs to borrow money to expand? How should it decide whether to buy or lease a new piece of equipment? What are the pros and cons of venture capital? We explore these and other practice financing questions with Julianne Andrews, MBA, CFP, co-founder of Atlanta Financial Associates.

On November 10 the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. What would it mean for health care if the Court overturns the law? In the second of two episodes addressing that question, Jacqueline Fincher, MD, discusses the impact from her perspective as a practicing internist and president of the American College of Physicians.   

On November 10 the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. What would it mean for health care if the Court overturns the law? In the first of two Off the Chart episodes addressing that question, Christine Eibner, Ph.D., an analyst with the Rand Corp. discusses the health policy implications of ending the ACA.   

Former CMS Administrator and FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan outlines his vision for primary care medicine in a post-COVID world.

According to a recent survey, more than 40% of working-age Americans, including many with employer-sponsored health insurance, can't afford the care they need. These "underinsured" represent a growing challenge for health care policymakers, insurance companies and providers. In this episode of Off the Chart with Medical Economics, Dr. Sara Collins, vice president of The Commonwealth Fund and lead author of the study, discusses the roots of underinsurance and what can be done to address it.

Travis Singleton, a vice president with the physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins, discusses the job market for doctors and how it's being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joel Greenwald, MD, president of Greenwald Wealth Management, discusses the options available to physicians looking to build a retirement nest egg.

The challenge of forming relationships when patient encounters aren't face-to-face. 

Rebecca Etz, PhD, co-director of the Larry A. Green Center, discusses the challenges primary care practices face during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to overcome them.