Wellness/Prevention/Access

A Medical Career Spent in Service of Improving Health Disparities

CommonSpirit

Growing up, Lloyd Dean saw the impact of health disparities in his own community. His experiences motivated him to use his formidable leadership abilities to change things for the better. He will retire this summer after a long and impactful career. “Imagine 11 people in a house of three bedrooms and being on welfare when Read More

The Future of Health Systems: Caring for People and Populations

Imran Andrabi, MD, president and CEO, ThedaCare

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Four health system executives imagine the future and what it will take to succeed. In a fee-for-service world, “there’s a pretty hefty incentive to continue to drive more care into these hospital platforms,” says Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, president and CEO of Geisinger. But is that what consumers want Read More

A Champion for the Common Good

Lloyd Dean, president and CEO, CommonSpirit Health

View from the C-Suite, with Lloyd Dean, President and CEO of CommonSpirit Health // By Jane Weber Brubaker // Growing up, Lloyd Dean saw the impact of health disparities in his own community. His experiences motivated him to use his formidable leadership abilities to change things for the better. He will retire this summer after Read More

Looking Into the Root Causes Underlying Health Inequities

Ndome Yvonne Essoka

The “Three C’s of Health Equity” aim to enhance providers’ knowledge about the cultures or groups usually defined by racial/ethnic or sexual minority groups, says attorney Ndome Yvonne Essoka. Here’s an excerpt from her new article: In recent times, buzzwords like “cultural competence”, “cultural humility,” and “cultural safety” have grown in popularity and become rooted Read More

A Systemic Approach to Mental Health Care

Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN

More than 20 years ago, Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN, recalls being invited by Intermountain Healthcare (IH) primary care doctors to help improve the quality of mental health care for their patients and families. She recalls the doctors’ challenge: “Our biggest burden is stress, substance use, domestic violence, and depression our families are coming in with,” Read More

Establishing a Case for the Social Determinants of Health

Susan Dubuque

// By Susan Dubuque // As payers shift to value-based reimbursement, paying attention to social determinants of health is no longer optional. When you think about supporting the health of your patients and building a healthier community, what comes to mind? A robust medical staff? Great technology? A beautiful new hospital facility? A wide range Read More

Beyond Cultural Competence: Cultural Humility, Cultural Safety, and Recommendations for Better Communication

Ndome Yvonne Essoka

// By Ndome Yvonne Essoka // The “Three C’s of Health Equity” aim to enhance providers’ knowledge about the cultures or groups usually defined by racial/ethnic or sexual minority groups. Safety and humility are key. In recent times, buzzwords like “cultural competence,” “cultural humility,” and “cultural safety” have grown in popularity and become rooted into Read More

Technology Platform Integrated with Primary Care Takes Aim at One of Health Care’s Most Crushing Problems: Mental Health

Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN

// By Cheryl L. Serra // Fragmentation and lack of coordination in health care are still rampant. Intermountain Healthcare has proven that a team-based, holistic approach to mental health, rooted in primary care and enabled through technology, improves outcomes and reduces cost. More than 20 years ago, Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN, recalls being invited by Read More

UCLA Health Is Tackling Health Care’s Racial Inequities Head-On

Mikel Whittier, director, health equity, diversity, and inclusion, UCLA Health

UCLA Health is emerging as a national leader in addressing racial inequities in health care and across society. In light of growing local and national awareness, the health system became one of the first health care organizations in the country to form an Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. “It’s perhaps the most visible Read More

Tele-Mentoring Model Connects Specialists with Primary Care Providers

Sanjeev Arora, MD, MACP, FACG, director and founder, Project ECHO

Health care industry expert Paul Keckley challenges the belief that all health care is local, calling it “the myth that refuses to die,” in his 2018 post on The Health Care Blog. But he notes one exception: “For the least fortunate in our communities, staying at home for care is reality.” Taking time off from Read More

UCLA Health Leading the Way in Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Linda Ho, executive director, marketing innovation, technology, and operations, UCLA Health

// By Brian Griffin // A prominent West Coast health system is building a care environment, work culture, and community presence that takes health equity, diversity, and inclusion to the next level. UCLA Health is emerging as a national leader in addressing racial inequities in health care and across society. In light of growing local Read More

Project ECHO Moves Knowledge, Not People

Ben Cloutier, director of communications and marketing, Project ECHO

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // One physician specialist’s vision for sharing his expertise with primary care providers has grown into a global movement that extends specialized care to patients in underserved communities. Health care industry expert Paul Keckley challenges the belief that all health care is local, calling it “the myth that refuses to Read More

How Walmart Is Remaking Itself as a Health and Wellness Destination

Karissa Price, vice president of marketing, food, consumables, and health and wellness, Walmart

Notwithstanding the health care industry’s keen interest in Walmart and figuring out what its next move might be, most consumers still think of Walmart as a retail store, not a health and wellness destination. Karissa Price, Walmart’s vice president of marketing, food, consumables, and health and wellness at the time of our reporting, sought to Read More

A Strong Retail Presence is a Gamechanger for Summit Health

Summit Health

The story of health care over the past two years is the story of provider organizations adapting to extreme circumstances and constant change, which continues to this day; as of this writing in late December 2021, the U.S. reported 488,000 new COVID-19 infections, breaking its single-day record. But back in August 2019, no one knew Read More

Personalized Content Key to Earning Consumers’ Trust in Walmart As a Health and Wellness Destination

Diana Jones, communications and wellness consultant, Walmart

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Walmart’s marketing VP believes that high-quality, personalized health care content is the start to building trusted relationships with consumers, and supporting them on their health care journeys. Notwithstanding the health care industry’s keen interest in Walmart and figuring out what its next move might be, most consumers still think Read More

Summit Health: Why a Health System Without a Hospital Makes Sense

Matt Gove, chief marketing officer, Summit Health

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // The story of health care over the past two years is the story of provider organizations adapting to extreme circumstances and constant change, which continues to this day; as of this writing in late December 2021, the U.S. reported 488,000 new COVID-19 infections, breaking its single-day record. But back Read More

Why Tracking Lifetime Value Metrics Can Help Retention Efforts

Suzanne Sawyer, SVP, chief marketing and communications officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If acquiring a new customer is up to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one, why is so much attention paid to patient acquisition and so little to retention? Even the definition of “new patient” is relative. At what point does a former patient who has leaked out of the system have to Read More

One Top Trend for 2022: Health Care at Home Is Booming

Wunderman Thompson Health

“The ability to attract, activate, and guide consumers through health care’s labyrinth depends not only on reimagining the business of health care but building relationships of value and trust that result in inspired, confident customers,” says Lindsay R. Resnick of Wunderman Thompson Health. Here’s an excerpt from his new article: Health care transformation was all Read More

Mobile Screening Targets Lung Cancer in West Virginia

Jenny Ostien, director of the Mobile Cancer Screening Program, WVU Cancer Institute

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in West Virginia, with more deaths each year than breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers combined. According to the 2019 West Virginia Cancer Burden Report, lung cancer accounts for 18 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in the state. Only 22 percent of those receiving a lung Read More

Strategies for Making Vaccine Mandates Work

Don Stanziano, chief marketing and communications officer, Geisinger

With the ongoing public health threat posed by COVID-19, a growing number of hospitals, health systems, and medical groups are adopting employee vaccine mandates. The opposition this has generated among some groups of medical workers and the general public make crafting mandate communications and messaging critically important for health care marketers. At Geisinger Health in Read More