Last September, I was a guest on a podcast hosted by Todd Schnick and Charles Davis of Sivad Business Solutions. Afterwards, we decided to share content if and when it made sense. That hasn’t happened until now (actually last month — I’m just getting around to posting now).
Schnick and Davis interviewed Deborah Gordon, chief marketing officer of Network Health, a health insurer in Massachusetts, to discuss healthcare reform. I wouldn’t be posting this if it didn’t have a focus on real reform of health care, and not just insurance expansion, with a strong element of patient safety and attention to outcomes.
From Sivad:
An honor to welcome Deborah Gordon, the Chief Marketing Officer for Network Health. Debbie joins us to talk about one of the more innovative non-profit health plans one can find across the US. You can learn more about Network Health here, the number three health plan for Medicaid health plans.
Discussion topics included:
1. The challenges of serving a very diverse population and customer base, along with lower income customers as a result of income or job situation.
2. Network Health, and states like Massachusetts, have lead the nation in Medicaid health care. How can that trend, and how can the reforms found in Massachusetts, spread across the land?
3. The creation of the Health Insurance Exchange is the key to success…which brings competition and market forces to bear in health care. “It is like Expedia for health insurance…”
4. A focus on quality patient care going forward…
5. What are the challenges going forward, and how does the heated national debate impact the work they are doing.
6. The innovation that’s possible when market forces are at play… “Regulators spawning innovation…”
7. More technology is available and serving the health care markets, which is exciting. But, will access to that technology be accessible to the low income markets?
8. The e-discharge program…
9. The utilization of analytics…
10. Exposing more information to the consumer makes them better patients, healthier, and more compliant to health recommendations…
11. The patient should be the center of the health care system… not the doctor.
12. Debbie was recently named a 2013 USA Eisenhower Fellow, a prestigious fellowship which recognizes emerging leaders who are making momentous contributions to society. In 2013, she will travel to Singapore and Australia where she will explore how these countries have successfully established systems and supports that allow consumers to make good decisions about their health care. The goal is to gather insights and best practices that can be applied here in the U.S.
