What the Health!

A Blog For Change.
Healthcare Change, That Is.

Closing the Quality Gap of TeleHealth

Posted by Ita Cremen

4 minute read

Working in the field of clinical navigation, I’m excited to see that Telehealth has grown exponentially in the last nine months and its purported effects on the healthcare system are positive. With the easing of regulations and expansion of coverage for telehealth services, physicians are now increasingly able to safely “visit” with their patients. Talk about a major win for a consumer-friendly, modern approach to delivering care!

As exciting as this news is to someone like me (having two small children), I’m in a quandary about how healthcare quality can be maintained in this new landscape when it’s been a significant endemic challenge to our healthcare system even prior to the pandemic.

As healthcare is being doled out, seemingly as a commodity through Telehealth, is there risk for even more misdiagnosis and sub-optimal treatment?

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Topics: Quality Transparency, healthcare quality, physician referrals, access to healthcare, doctor referrals, telehealth, telemedicine, virtual medicine

Making the Most of Your Telehealth Visit

Posted by Kathy Sullivan

Your QualityCare Connect Care Navigators always consider your preferences and call each doctor's office before recommending them to make sure they take your insurance, are accepting new patients and fit your specific needs. Now we ask physicians' offices if they support Telehealth for first and subsequents visits.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, physician referrals, access to healthcare, specialty care, doctor referrals, telehealth, telemedicine, virtual medicine

Misdiagnosis and the Gender Gap

Posted by Suzanne Clough, MD

3 minute read

It might be the year 2020, but when it comes to getting the right healthcare, gender equality hasn’t quite evolved yet. We haven’t been able to reduce the occurrence of healthcare errors, misdiagnoses and wasted spending either.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare, specialty care, doctor referrals, second opinion services

An Opinion About Second Opinions

Posted by Teresa O'Keefe

3 minute read

Friends who know I work in the healthcare industry often reach out to me with stories about their medical misfortunes and sometimes ask for help. An otherwise healthy friend – Stephanie - recently relayed a story to me about intermittent numbness in her arm which got to the point where it started waking her up at night and turned into her self-navigating down a rabbit hole in healthcare.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare, specialty care, doctor referrals, second opinion services

A New Approach to Referrals: Getting People to the Right Doctor the First Time

Posted by Suzanne Clough, MD

3 minute read

It’s 2019. Technology is everywhere. Information is everywhere. So, it should be really easy to find a doctor when you need one. Right? Nope. Unfortunately, many consumers of healthcare don’t even know what the “right” doctor looks like, even though they may think they do. This is not saying people aren’t intelligent. The reality is that navigating the healthcare system is like navigating a mine field whether you have a 6th grade education or you’re a PhD.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare, specialty care, doctor referrals

Please Get a Primary Care Physician

Posted by Suzanne Clough, MD

1 minute read

Let me get right to the point of this blog: Please get a primary care physician (PCP). I want you to have the best shot at your healthiest self and having a PCP quarterback your healthcare is a great way to do that.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare, primary care

When Denial of the Problem Turns Deadly (Part 3: The Solution)

Posted by Susan Torroella

2 minute read

A Crisis in Healthcare Access

(Part 3 of a 3-part series)

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this post, I described a fundamental problem we have in accessing quality healthcare: finding the right doctor and its impact on the quadruple aim of our healthcare system.

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare

When Denial of the Problem Turns Deadly (Part 2: The Impact)

Posted by Susan Torroella

2 minute read

A Crisis in Healthcare Access

(Part 2 of a 3-part series)

In Part 1 of this post, I described a fundamental problem we have in accessing quality healthcare: finding the right doctor.

Why is this happening? Let’s start by defining the “right doctor”. The process of accessing healthcare, specifically, the right doctor for a specific condition, is in the stone ages. Physicians are grouped into broad specialties, but tend to have a fairly narrow sub-specialization or “sweet spot” where their experience, training and passion coincide – this is when the “right” doctor is treating a patient. 

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare

When Denial of the Problem Turns Deadly

Posted by Susan Torroella

2 minute read

A Crisis in Healthcare Access

(Part 1 of a 3-part series)

Why are we in this mess?  What mess? 

I’m referring to the denial of the problem that US consumers face when trying to access healthcare. In case you haven’t been paying attention, we’ve been sweeping under the rug serious problems in our healthcare system. Access problems are pervasive and arguably more dangerous than in any other industry. Not only are consumers having trouble affording healthcare, physically getting to healthcare, knowing where to go for healthcare, but once they are in the system, they aren’t receiving the right care from the right provider. 

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Topics: value based care, healthcare quality, bad healthcare experiences, healthcare dilemma, physician referrals, access to healthcare

Reach for the STARS: How to Fix 5 Reasons Members Get Frustrated.

Posted by ArmadaHealth

1 minute read

Medicare Advantage is a large growth area where revenue opportunity abounds. Wondering what may be keeping your organization from achieving success with Medicare Advantage STAR ratings? It’s your member experience, starting with how your members access quality healthcare.

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Topics: Healthcare Access, Quality Transparency, value based care, healthcare quality, medicare star ratings, medicare advantage, access to quality healthcare, improve Star ratings

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About ArmadaHealth

Here at ArmadaHealth, we measure success by the number of people we help. Every day, we connect people to the right doctor for their unique needs. We pair industry-leading data science with a touch of clinical navigation expertise to provide our members with a High Tech. Right Touch.® exceptional experience that makes members (and companies) happy.  Visit ArmadaHealth.com to learn more.