Author Archives: Optum

In a sea of apps, which is right for your employees’ health and well-being?

There’s an app for that! This is a familiar saying these days. Sometimes it truly does seem that there’s an app for just about everything. And when it comes to health, fitness and well-being, your employees are faced with a dizzying array of choices. There are more than 2.1 million apps in both the Apple […]
Read More »

Reducing clinical variation: Does it limit or enable patient care?

Reducing clinical variation continues to be a hot topic in health care. However, it’s the idea of reducing or eliminating variation that makes many physicians who may not like the idea of standardization take pause. As a physician myself, I understand the concern and have had the opportunity to see how evidence-based medicine can be […]
Read More »

The honor of caregiving

In her book, The Inspired Caregiver, Tia Walker writes, “To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.” As our population ages, all of us need to think about caregiving. Most of us, in one way or another, have been affected by it. Who among us hasn’t listened to […]
Read More »

Leading a team approach to value

Collaboration around the business of health care is critical In a recent marketplace survey by NEJM Catalyst on the transition from fee-for-service to value-based care, we gained interesting insight into the state of value in health care. These included snapshots of revenue distribution, models in use, barriers, important measures and more. All are important points […]
Read More »

Keep a finger on the pulse of future CVD care

The years ahead will see greater challenges in cardiovascular disease (CVD) care. To prepare for what’s coming, providers and payers will benefit from working together to optimize quality of care and patient outcomes and lower the total cost of patient care. The relentless rise of cardiovascular disease CVD is the costliest chronic disease in the […]
Read More »

On-site nutritionists serve up a healthy workplace culture (and now is a great time to start)

Ah, March. For college basketball fans, it’s a welcome time of madness. Those who enjoy all things green say “cheers” to St. Patrick’s Day. And when folks are ready to leave dreary winter behind, March signals the hope of spring. For RDNs (registered dietitian nutritionists) like me, there’s another reason March is a big deal. […]
Read More »

BPCI Advanced: March’s get-out-of-jail-free card

Has it been four months already? That’s when the first performance period began for CMS’ latest bundled payment model, BPCI Advanced. Now participants are less than a month away from the March 1st deadline. By March 1st, they can drop participation in any (or all) of the 32 clinical episodes without penalty or financial risk. […]
Read More »

Einstein, state procurement departments and innovation: An unbeatable combination to improve the well-being of citizens

One of my favorite quotes about the importance of encouraging innovation doesn’t include the word “innovation” at all. It’s Albert Einstein’s cautionary observation: “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” He’s right, of course, in so many ways. Whenever we’re trying to achieve breakthroughs, the key […]
Read More »

Five tips to help keep employees at the heart of your business

The heart is the symbol of Valentine’s Day. So it’s fitting that the American Heart Association deemed February American Heart Month. The focus of Valentine’s Day is the heart as a metaphor for romantic love. But we want to talk about the heart health of your employees’ real hearts. This amazing fist-sized powerhouse pumps blood […]
Read More »

3 ways Optum is working to end the opioid epidemic

Opioid medications can be an essential part of treatment for those with short-term medical conditions and serious chronic or long-term conditions. Yet opioids can come with a high risk of addiction, overdose and fatality. Every 13 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an opioid overdose.1 More than 68 percent of the 72,000 drug […]
Read More »