Ashwin Patel, MD PhD

Shifting the financial model alone is not sufficient for the transition - the care delivery, workforce, and many other pieces of the ecosystem with which PCPs interact also need to adjust accordingly. Funding to allow for the startup costs of transformation must be made available. A comprehensive analysis from The Commonwealth Fund: To encourage participation, practitioners say upfront payments, investment in the primary care workforce, and less emphasis on simplistic quality measures are needed, as well as more support for practices to provide accessible, comprehensive care. #primarycare #integratedcare #teambasedcare #healthcare #healthcareonlinkedin

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Blue Health Intelligence, a data analytics and software company, undertook an evaluation of almost 170,000 unique GLP-1 users for weight loss, notes less than half of those prescribed stay on the medication for 12 weeks or more. Younger adults were less likely to continue the drug, whereas those who were prescribed the medication by an endocrinologist or obesity medicine specialist were more likely to continue for longer. Indeed, this data states 30% of patients dropped out of treatment after the first four weeks, and 58% at 12 weeks. Those who dropped out are unlikely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss.  The likelihood of continuance was further exacerbated for those with health inequities or who lived in underserved health regions. The data comes from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association members participating in Plans that provided coverage of these products, from 2014 through to end of 2023. Razia Hashmi, vice president for clinical affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to ‘…paint a clearer picture of what makes somebody successful.’ The missing piece here is why the patients stopped – side effects, failure to achieve initial weight loss, stigma and discrimination, or coverage issues related to cost and access. My longtime friend, colleague and bariatric surgeon at Stanford University, Dr. Dan Azagury rightly states ‘…The goal is for patients to stay on this for a significant amount of time. Most likely… beyond 12 weeks.’ https://lnkd.in/ediQskQx

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Main Point of Value-Based Care Value-based care is a healthcare model that ties the amount providers earn to the quality and cost-effectiveness of the care they deliver to patients. Unlike the traditional fee-for-service system where providers are paid for each service rendered regardless of outcome--value-based care rewards providers for improving patient outcomes while keeping costs down.

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Recap for Day 1 of APHL - Association of Public Health Laboratories’s Annual conference: The very first panel was AI Powered Public Health, highlighting the impact that this emerging technology will have on healthcare going forward. 💡Access to AI is the first barrier, only about 50% of labs surveyed in the room had the ability access. 💡Clinical Microbiologists are familiar with the saying - Garbage In, Garbage out - but the same is true with the AI. We need to recognize the gaps in our data sets when drawing conclusions from AI. 💡 Regulations are fresh on our minds (anyone else this thinking about the FDA LDT Regulations?) and those pertaining to AI privacy are not keeping up with the field. The next session was on NGS solutions for HAIs and AMR. It served as an excellent way to introduce the topic to the meeting, as there are several talks that will focus on the topic! The badge tags are also on point, showing off some that I haven’t see before below! #APHL #PublicHealth #PublicHealthMicrobiology #AI #NGS

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Physicians and other health care professionals must be engaged about the use of AI. We can't have a "wait and see" approach. Please check out the recent position paper by American College of Physicians (ACP) on how we should use AI in clinical practice. Honored to be part of the committee putting out this report. https://lnkd.in/eUKWY6xm #artificalintelligence #aihealth #ai #augmentedintelligence

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“I think it’s important that the person running the organization understands the core thing that the company does.” - Ben Horowitz, GP at a16z. Totally agree, but we actually see the opposite in healthcare. As care delivery businesses are mostly run by people who have no prior knowledge of how to deliver care. The ACA actually prohibits doctors from even owning hospitals. Which completely enables MBAs and other non-clinical administrators to influence how patients receive care. Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t the people trained and licensed to provide care delivery services be the ones running businesses where care services are delivered? 🤷🏽‍♂️ —— Hi, I'm Dr. Mario Amaro, Founder and CEO Ease and I talk about all things starting, running, and growing a private practice with AI. Follow me, if you are planning to start one or are currently figuring out creative ways to grow one. #PrivatePractice #SelfEmployment #HealthcareOnLinkedin #HeyEase #IndependentTogether

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“Digital Leap in Healthcare: GPs Embrace Tech to Transform Patient Services” - Tech-Enabled Pharmacies: Direct access to medications for common conditions without GP appointments. - GP Services Modernization: Strategic initiatives to enhance patient self-management and modernize healthcare delivery. - Expanded Pharmacy Roles: Increased availability of services like contraception and health checks at pharmacies. - Efficiency Boost: New measures expected to free millions of GP appointments annually. - Call Management Upgrade: Investment in phone technology to improve appointment scheduling. - Self-Referral Convenience: Patients can self-refer for certain services, bypassing GP visits. - Digital Triage Tools: Practices use digital solutions to prioritize urgent face-to-face consultations. - Innovation Emphasis: Commitment to maintaining high-quality care through innovative medical technologies - Streamlined Admin Processes: Technologies that reduce wait times and enhance healthcare efficiency. 🏥 Improving #Gp access to new #medtech innovations is the key for better #patients #access to #healthcare. #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #GPTech #PatientCare #ModernMedicine #GPAccess

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This is an interesting talk that challenges a basic assumption that more spending in healthcare leads to better outcomes. They defined health value by looking at mortality rates across 6 diaseases and healthcare spending per capital. Florida ranked 3rd and Vermont 46th. While healthcare spending was correlated with lower heart disease it was not correlated with opioid use disorder. This sheds light upon the fact that social determinants of health have a big impact on outcomes. #healthcare #healthspending

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💊 When I was tasked by Mr. Mark Cuban and Alex Oshmyansky, MD, PhD a while ago to build the Cost Plus Drugs Affiliate Pharmacy Network, I agreed on the condition that we'd provide mechanisms to never drown #pharmacies on our ingredient costs. We want to be a part of the solution for pharmacies, not another problem. I'm proud to say that we've kept our promise to this day. How? 1. We have our Cost Plus Drugs Marketplace (For Business) - so that any #pharmacy in our network may purchase drugs at our actual acquisition costs--the pricing that we also utilize for the #TeamCubanCard pricing for ingredient costs on #prescriptiondrugs and reimbursement. 2. If there's a drug shortage (which sadly happens pretty frequently these days), or if a pharmacy can't get it from Marketplace due to a shortage, we have a network appeals process that is fast, efficient, and pays the difference between our published TCC ingredient cost and what the pharmacy actually paid if the drug was not available at the Cost Plus Drugs Marketplace. I took the Pharmacist's Oath, which has been modified since I first became a pharmacist, but states the following, "I will embrace and advocate changes that improve patient care." Improving patient care includes ensuring community practice pharmacy not only remains alive, but thrives in local communities, as pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers in our communities. You can save $, and support your local pharmacy closer to home too! Check out www.teamcubancard.com to see if we have any pharmacies in our network closer to home for you and your family.

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39 Comments

There is such a need for new innovation in digital health. Whether it is Remote Patient Monitoring to support the new patient at home models, or better ways to streamline provider workflow or leveraging AI for better RCM- digital health investment is so necessary.

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It's wild to think in 2024 we're FIRST seeing the DOJ accuse telemedicine conglomerates of criminal drug distribution. How long have we known about these practices in brick and mortar care...? Answer: decades! Take it from someone who prescribed stimulants and other psychotropics to kids over the years - painstakingly measuring and documenting the need and impact - these appalling abuses by Done and Cerebral mean we need more calls for thoughtful pause when it comes to working with startups. Particularly about funding's role - my favorite topic! 🤑 How did we end up with venture capital and PE financing in healthcare that risk the safety of kids in the name of exorbitant returns? Not that all VC or PE dollars are bad, of course, but they're certainly key drivers who shouldn't be in that seat. Did we underestimate these funders as 'barbarians at the gate', much like the pharma reps of the 90's and early 2000's heyday? Have we not learned from Purdue Pharma's aggressive and deadly Oxoycontin marketing? Purdue pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid $600 million in fines in 2007. Or TAP Pharmaceutical Products's Lupron kickback scheme for the prostate cancer drug? TAP also pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid $875 million in fines in 2001. Or Pfizer marketing Neurontin, an anti-seizure drug, for off-label uses, such as treating pain and bipolar disorder, even though the drug was not approved for these purposes, and paying physicians kickbacks. In 2004, Pfizer pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid $430 million in fines. Cerebral and Done's playbooks were practically the same thing, just with a modern mid-pandemic, low-regulatory scrutiny, digital-platform twist. Will appropriate regulation ever outpace American venture greed? Is it even possible to ensure patient safety AHEAD of tragedies driven by the intersection of innovation and venture funding? If you're keeping score, healthcare regulatory reactivity: 1 million. Healthcare ounces of smartly preventive policy: 3. Blech. 😖 When will we finally own that prevention in-house? #healthcare #overdoseprevention #suicideprevention

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6 Comments

We need to highlight more bootstrapped healthcare companies. I rarely see founders of these small businesses profiled at conferences or in the media. The chances of building a $100M+ revenue healthcare company are very slim. But that’s the expectation once you accept VC funding (especially Series A and beyond). Let me remind you, most healthcare companies do lower revenue than total capital raised. And you can build a wonderful life and help your community with much lower revenue / growth, if you take minimal or no funding. And believe it or not, most VC-backed founders are fascinated by founders and business models that didn’t require external capital. Do you agree? Or would you prefer media and “influencers” to focus on venture-backed and publicly traded companies? Sometimes I feel like I’m shouting out into the void. Because majority of content is focused on the unicorn chasers. Would love to hear from founders of bootstrapped companies in the comments?

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108 Comments

You’d probably have to spend thousands of dollars to learn the skills I share here, for free. ------- I’ve written messaging and content strategies for countless healthcare startups, 100+ healthcare stakeholders – at all different growth stages. And, about a year ago, I decided to share much of what I've learned here. I do this to sharpen my expertise and remind myself of what works and doesn't. But, I also do this because I know that not everyone is ready, interested or able to hire the support. So, I share what I know, connect with those I wouldn't have otherwise, and sometimes gain new clients in the process. Here are a few healthcare communication topics I tend to cover: 💉 Aligning messaging to your growth stage 💉 Framing data in a nuanced, ethical way 💉Crafting a inspiring, forward-looking narrative 💉Communicating through my "Trifecta" lens 💉 Protecting brand reputation 💉 Bridging gaps between stakeholder preferences 💉 Crisis comms expertise These tips will help you successfully communicate your vision and get in front of the people who will cut you a check. Here are 4 ways you can gain access to my expertise: 1) Sign up here 👉🏻https://lnkd.in/daGUeB3e for my free quarterly newsletter, The Check-Up. (and make sure to sign up before the next release tomorrow, July 9th – I’m so excited to share this one with you!) 2) Keep following me here on LinkedIn and look out for information about my FREE webinar in August - on identifying and engaging with the right stakeholders for business growth. 3) Join my Digital Workbook waitlist to build your own messaging foundation with a step-by-step manual, 25+ templates to keep you on track and communication insights based on 15 years of client expertise https://lnkd.in/dtfm7wxg 4) Book a 30-minute call for complementary, personalized expertise on organizing your company's communication strategy https://lnkd.in/dRwCMA8c #ContentEngineer #HealthcareMessaging #Communication #Founders

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Should we pay physicians a flat salary rather than volume based payments? to resist the temptation to do the bare minimum have quality metrics each physician agrees to at the individual physician level. For 1 person it could be metrics around hypertension and someone else diabetes. The more metrics you agree to, the higher the incentive payment. Everyone starts w a “bonus” score of 100 and works down vs starting at 0 and working up. The more patients you see the less impact each individual patient has on your metrics. We have the technology to monitor and measure. Earlier in our careers maybe we weight volume higher and as we mature and gain experience we transition to quality based incentives? One size fits all probably doesn’t work. We need to find appropriate incentives with attention to unintended consequences to keep us motivated to improve. how much does a physician who is high quality and high volume deserve to make? then back into how to structure the compensation package. First posted in my #docsocial group

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JAMA and The JAMA Network #OriginalInvestigation #26December2023 : #Changes #in #Hospital #Adverse #Events #and #Patient #Outcomes #Associated #With #Private #Equity #Acquisition "Hospital-acquired adverse events (or conditions) were observed within 10 091 hospitalizations. After private equity acquisition, Medicare beneficiaries admitted to private equity hospitals experienced a 25.4% increase in hospital-acquired conditions compared with those treated at control hospitals (4.6 [95% CI, 2.0-7.2] additional hospital-acquired conditions per 10 000 hospitalizations, P = .004)."

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Did you know that your organization has probably already committed to spend budget every year with Microsoft Azure? And that’s a good thing, bc you can also purchase tech through the Azure Marketplace that 1) earns you discounts and 2) expedites purchasing!! Yes, that means instead of months spent in supply chain, you can transact in a matter of days. Amenities Health is proud to be a part of the Azure Marketplace and “MACC Eligible” (Minimum Azure Consumption Commitment) for health systems with such an agreement in place. Check out my HIStalk article to learn more. #DigitalFrontDoor #PatientAcquisition #ROI #BrandLoyalty #PatientLoyalty

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Great analysis and facts... Short term horizons reinforce poor decision making and ultimately undermine healthcare. Value creation, serving communities, tackling SDoH, building community wellness, and ultimately creating impact takes time. You can’t use short term horizons to achieve long term goals and objectives in healthcare.

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