Right now, National Health Service (NHS) managers and clinicians in the UK are under phenomenal pressure to find big efficiency savings while improving the value of services to patients. Many in the NHS see integrated care as the answer. But the first step is finding innovative ways to increase the
Tag: healthcare
Suppose someone needs a kidney transplant and a family member is willing to donate one. If the donor and recipient are incompatible (because of blood types, tissue mismatch, and so on), the transplant cannot happen. Now suppose two donor-recipient pairs A and B are in this situation, but donor A
Historically healthcare has been most ‘self’ motivated to improve its ‘cost containment’ processes and methods. This is evident from the significant gap that exists between the technology and process in finance versus healthcare. Many healthcare organizations (either government or commercial) are not ‘profit’ oriented – take the Blues for example,
So much for a single version of the truth.
Last year, my SAS Simulation Studio R&D team began a discrete-event simulation modeling project of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with two doctors from Duke University’s Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. After several initial meetings discussing such things as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), patent ductus arteriosis (PDA), and
Today’s healthcare system is under tremendous pressure to reduce overall costs without losing track of the patient. Legislative changes and challenging economic realities make it increasingly difficult to deliver both improved outcomes and cost savings for the most complex patients. The Physicians Pharmacy Alliance (PPA) recognizes the changing healthcare landscape
For 38 years, SAS CEO Jim Goodnight has run this company by a simple philosophy: Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. It was with that philosophy in mind 30 years ago that SAS opened the doors to its on-site healthcare center – with just one employee!
We are careening towards the holiday season, and this year more than ever before it's going to mean one thing: Online Shopping. As you enter your credit card number over and over to complete your many purchases, you might occasionally transpose or mistype your account number. Does it surprise you
The lines at clinics, hospitals and pharmacies seemed endless. My people, the people of Datapolis, were growing wearier by the day… The targeted, on-time communications intended to inform citizens about new healthcare options and relieve stress on the system were arriving late, or being delivered to the wrong consumers. And
The League of Analytic Heroes is growing. With the addition of each new member, we are better able to combat the chaos of big data. Illumino and Magnacomm are eager to welcome their newest team member. Keep your eyes on www.analyticheroes.com for his arrival. He's already got his eye on
It is becoming clear that a fair percentage of the health care community, particularity outside of the United States, are uncomfortable using the word, “fraud.” Instead, you see the words "risk" and "error" used more often to describe fraud. There appear to be many different reasons for the discomfort with
The men, women and children of Datapolis are falling ill at an alarming rate, forcing me to turn my attention away from my ongoing battle with Obscuro and toward helping the Datapolis Council of Elders distribute its medicine before it is too late. As it happens, just as we most
In most of the articles and press pieces that speak of health care fraud, the topic is usually covered in broad terms regarding the type or activity that has taken place: over-billing to Medicare/Medicaid, services billed and not delivered, over subscription of medication (by members or Pharmacies), and the list
When discussing fraud and abuse, it often (very often) becomes a philosophical discussion of whether aberrant activities are fraudulent or abusive. The quick difference being that fraudulent is intentional and abuse is not. The distinction quickly becomes an issue of legal and illegal as opposed to right and wrong. What
For the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the communications team of the National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness (NCB-P), of which SAS is a partner and the analytics provider. That experience was heavy on my mind as I recently watched the film Contagion. I may drop some minor
As part of the staffing efforts for the new SAS Center for Health Analytics and Insights (CHAI), SAS recently hired Dr. Graham Hughes, MD, as the company’s first Chief Medical Officer (CMO). When I heard the news, I sent a few questions to Graham to learn more about the new
Due to the rapid changes in both the health care market and more specifically the amount of fraud being committed in it, it is even more important than ever to maintain some degree of life cycle management to update the analyses used to detect and identify aberrant activity. However, many
In the health care field, the impact of fraud, waste and abuse on payers -- whether insurance companies, government agencies or self-insured employers -- is enormous. Fraud losses weaken a payer’s financial position, with fraud loss estimates rivaling net income. Fraud losses feed the escalating care cost curve, undermining a
Recently I was listening to an NPR (National Public Radio) documentary about the history of cancer and medicine’s evolution in understanding and treating cancer. This was an amazing story. I would venture a guess that nearly everyone who is reading this post has been affected by cancer in one way
I am back home in Denver and catching up on all my thoughts from AHIP 2008. Every year I come back wishing I could divide my time exponentially. After all, a quick count of this year’s session tells me that I could only scratch the surface. In total, the Institute
Twice this year, I have been privileged to hear Clayton Christensen outline the principals around disruptive technologies and their impact on redefining industries. I left Friday’s closing day general session, “Diagnosing the Disease: A Disruptive Remedy for Health Care”, equally excited, reenergized yet perplexed. AHIP, again, did not fail to
As I head over to Moscone Friday morning, I keep thinking about one statistic I heard yesterday as presented by Dr. Sobel, The Permanente Medical Group: Who provides the largest source of care provision in the US? You do! 80% of all primary care is self-care. In today's age of
AHIP brings each year a bit of a surprise. In my pre-AHIP posting, I discussed the dedication to improving the healthcare system all the while your industry is being painted as the “bad guy”. That point was driven home this morning. As I was getting charged-up learning about the opportunities
An afternoon of sessions followed by the exhibit hall mania to the AHIP Opening Night Reception…..from the discussions to exhibits to the presentations, there is no doubt that the business of health insurance plans is changing…..but I am not convinced we are all on the same page as to how,
AHIP’s 2008 Institute is getting cranked up and the streets of San Fran are filling with bag-carrying registrants scurrying back and forth between their “conference hotels” (1 block to 15 blocks away) while the early session workshops are underway. This morning’s AHIP Evidence Policy “update” was a good supplement session
As we head into the week before America’s Health Insurance Plan’s annual Institute, just a few thoughts…….. How healthy is our healthcare system? It depends of course on your definition of healthy. Imagine spending 24/7 tirelessly working to improve “the system” and always being painted as the “bad guy.” What