As health equity initiatives play an increasingly important role in CMS programs, Medicare Advantage plans must commit to addressing social factors hindering access to care and driving members to take action to improve their health, such as scheduling a preventive care visit or completing a missed screening. Industry leaders from 4 & 5-Star plans discuss strategies to advance health equity and improve care access to achieve higher Star Ratings.

Topics include:

Panelists:

Elizabeth Benz, Vice President of Quality and Clinical Integration, Network Health; Gene Huang, Executive Chairman, ReferWell; Brindha Sridhar, Vice President, Customer Experience Strategy, MetroPlusHealth; Alexandria Tusek, Director, HEDIS & Data Analytics, Priority Health

Panelist Bios:

https://www.sharedpurposeconnect.com/events/equity-timely-access-as-a-stars-strategy/

Bright Spots in Healthcare is hosting our first in-person event on August 24 & 25, 2023, in Boston. The Executive Roundtable Summit is a unique and transformative gathering, bringing together like-minded leaders from health plans, ACOs, health systems, hospitals, government agencies and community-based organizations for large-scale conversations that matter to the future of healthcare.

Payer & Provider Roundtable Summit brochure: https://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/SPC_/attach/SPCEventBrochure3.pdf

Summit Registration: 

https://brightspotssummit.eventbrite.com

This episode is sponsored by ReferWell

ReferWell helps health plans advance health equity by scheduling underserved

members for the care they need, be it medical, care gap appointments or — through

your community partnerships — appointments for services like transportation

assistance, nutritional counseling, mental health services and other community-based

organization offerings.

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on February 18, 2023 on Bright Spots in Healthcare with Eric Glazer. Listen, follow and subscribe at https://healthpodcastnetwork.com/show/bright-spots-in-healthcare/

How can we be more intentional about making sure health technology is equitable in terms of its design, development, and deployment? And can we ensure that health technology benefits everyone?

On this episode, we discuss Tequity with Alexis Anderson, a principal with Ipsos Healthcare Advisory who specializes in patient engagement, digital health, and Tequity; Ricky Choi, a pediatrician who is interested in the health of children, especially under-served communities; and Janna Guinen, the executive director of the HLTH Foundation, who focuses on health equity for patients and innovators, particularly founders and the healthcare workforce. 

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health -| This episode originally aired on February 7, 2023 on HIT Like a Girl. Listen, follow and subscribe at https://healthpodcastnetwork.com/show/hit-like-a-girl/

On episode 406 of The Nurse Keith Show nursing and healthcare career podcast, Keith interviews Dr. Donna Nickitas, Ph.D, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, FNAP, FAAN, the Dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden. In the course of their conversation, Keith and Dr. Nickitas take a deep dive into issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (aka: "D.E.I.") and how these issues must be addressed in both nursing academia and the wider nursing and healthcare spheres.

Dr. Donna M. Nickitas, Ph.D, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, FNAP, FAAN is the Dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden, as well as the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Interim Provost. She is a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet and a member of the university’s Executive Vice President’s Academic Affairs Committee.

Dr. Nickitas assumed the deanship in July 2018 after a distinguished career at the City University of New York’s Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing and The Graduate Center, where she was a professor, the executive officer of the nursing science Ph.D. program, and served previously as the former specialty coordinator of the dual degree in nursing administration/public administration.

 A retired major in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Reserve Corps, Dr. Nickitas previously served as assistant director of maternal-child health nursing at Bellevue Medical Center in New York and as a staff nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. She is an exceptional administrator, a noted health policy scholar, and an energetic visionary regarding the future of health care and nursing education in America.

Dr. Nickitas believes wholeheartedly that nurses serve society and do public good by advancing health, driving public policy, and promoting access to quality, patient-centered care. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of peer-reviewed books related to the nursing profession.

Connect with Dr. Nickitas and Rutgers School of Nursing - Camden:

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Nurse Keith is a holistic career coach for nurses, professional podcaster, published author, award-winning blogger, inspiring keynote speaker, and successful nurse entrepreneur. Connect with Nurse Keith at NurseKeith.com, and on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Nurse Keith lives in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely fiancée, Shada McKenzie, a highly gifted traditional astrologer and reader of the tarot. You can find Shada at The Circle and the Dot.

The Nurse Keith Show is a proud member of The Health Podcast Network, one of the largest and fastest-growing collections of authoritative, high-quality podcasts taking on the tough topics in health and care with empathy, expertise, and a commitment to excellence. The podcast is adroitly produced by Rob Johnston of 520R Podcasting, and Mark Capispisan is our stalwart social media manager and newsletter wrangler.

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on January 27, 2023 on The Nurse Keith Show. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kweku A. Awotwi during the 75th Anniversary Gala for National Medical Fellowhips Inc. Kweku Awotwi is Board Chairman of United Bank for Africa (Ghana) Ltd, the Multimedia Group Ltd in Ghana, and the non-profit sports for development organization, Playsoccer Ghana which he co-founded in 1999. He has been the past Board Chairman of Stanbic Bank (Ghana) Ltd (2012 – 2018), and Ghana’s Volta River Authority (“VRA”) (2017-2021), and served on the boards of several organizations in Africa.

Kweku started out his career as an electrical engineer designing integrated circuits for telephones and TVs. After his MBA, he spent his career in the metals, mining, and energy industry, mostly in Africa. Most recently, he has been the Executive Vice President of Tullow Oil plc (UK), the operator of Ghana’s Jubilee fields, producing the majority of the country’s oil and gas. Kweku has also been an entrepreneur and has co-founded a number of companies that are operating across Africa today. PlaySoccer Ghana and PlaySoccer International, of which he is a founding member, have used soccer to teach young boys and girls in at-risk communities good healthcare practice, leadership as well as soccer skills. Over the years, it has been sponsored by organizations ranging from Manchester City FC to FIFA. Kweku remains passionate about contributing and giving back to his communities, in Africa as well as in the United States.

He currently serves on the Global Advisory Council as a Board Member for National Medical Fellowships.

In this episode, we talked about:

To support NMF and its mission go to their website

For more information about developing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, complete an inquiry form here

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on January 20, 2023 on Women Physicians Lead. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

Drs. Sarah Szanton and Deidra Crews kick off Aging Fast & Slow Season 2 with guest Dr. Paris "AJ" Adkins-Jackson, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. One big question for health researchers is how to measure structural racism in different places and systems. Dr. Adkins-Jackson is among the leading number of scientists working in this area. She joins us to discuss her research on the health impact of structural racism and to provide recommendations for how epidemiologists and other health researchers can measure structural racism, including approaches taken by other fields. 

References:

1.      Adkins-Jackson PB, Incollingo Rodriguez AC. Methodological approaches for studying structural racism and its biopsychosocial impact on health. Nursing Outlook. September 2022

2.      Adkins-Jackson PB, Chantarat T, Bailey ZD, Ponce NA. Measuring Structural Racism: A Guide for Epidemiologists and Other Health Researchers. American Journal of Epidemiology. April 2022

3.      Adkins-Jackson PB, Jackson-Preston PA, Hairston T. “The only way out”: How self-care is conceptualized by Black women. Ethnicity & Health. 2022

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on January 3, 2023 on Aging Fast & Slow. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

Dr. Errol L. Pierre, Senior Vice President, State Programs at Healthfirst, joins Eric to discuss how health plans, providers and other organizations can create a culture of health equity. He notes the challenges of obtaining the data necessary to understand where to start. Errol advises organizations to gain the patient's or member's trust to get the information. He also touches on setting ROI expectations for health equity programs, defining terms to normalize the discussion of health disparities within the organization and the business imperative of diversity. 

Errol shares his identity-defining moments and experience as an executive of color in the healthcare industry. He talks about his new book, The Way Up: Climbing the Corporate Mountain as a Professional of Color, which profiles Errol’s career journey from working in a beauty salon warehouse to being a health insurance executive. The book also offers guidance from prominent executives of color and delivers a pragmatic and actionable guide to help underrepresented individuals from all ethnic backgrounds uncover their passion for achieving their professional goals and elevating their careers.

About Errol

Dr. Errol L. Pierre is a business executive, healthcare strategist, public speaker, professor, and author. He currently serves as a senior executive of Healthfirst, the largest nonprofit health plan in New York. He is also the former Chief Operating Officer of Empire BlueCross BlueShield, the largest for-profit health plan in New York.

Errol graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He later obtained a master’s degree in Health Policy and Financial Management from New York University. He completed his Doctorate in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, focusing on Health Economics. He is a professor at Baruch College, Columbia University, and New York University, teaching Health Economics and Health Transformation and serves on several boards, including the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and MediNova.

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health -| This episode originally aired on December 21, 2022 on Bright Spots in Healthcare with Eric Glazer. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

Season1. Episode 3. Even amid the COVID-19 outbreak, chronic conditions don't take a break. In honor of National Kidney Month, we talk to Aging Fast & Slow’s own Dr. Deidra Crews, a nephrologist at Johns Hopkins. She tells us how kidney health inequities impact us all and how common they are. Dr. Crews also helps us understand what epidemiology and intervention research are, how they differ, and how she uses both in her work. Podcast References:

Episode 3 Transcript

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on April 1, 2020 on Aging Fast & Slow. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

Omolara Thomas Uwemedimo, MD, MPH joins Eric to discuss place-based interventions and how they are used to address health inequities. The place-based model focuses on improving health that aligns with community members, businesses, schools, churches and other institutions in a specific geographic location (a specific community or zip code).

Omolara is a healthcare social entrepreneur, board-certified pediatrician, community health equity consultant, career transition & business coach, public health researcher & health justice advocate. She is CEO & co-founder of Strong Children Wellness, a multi-award-winning healthcare practice network in NYC, providing integrated physical, mental, and social health services for low-income communities of color. 

This Episode of the Bright Spots in Healthcare is sponsored by Socially Determined

Socially Determined is leading the transformation of healthcare delivery and payment through social risk analytics and solutions. Their social risk analytics platform, SocialScape, social risk data and industry-leading expertise empower health plans, providers, and other risk-bearing organizations to manage risk, improve outcomes, and advance equity at scale. To learn more, visit sociallydetermined.com

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on November 3, 2022 on Bright Spots in Healthcare with Eric Glazer. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

We continue our podcast series with Dr. Efrain Talamantes, a Board Member of National Medical Fellowships. He is dedicated to serving historically underinvested communities and advancing health equity and leads initiatives throughout the country to enhance leadership and diversity in the healthcare workforce.

As the Chief Operating Officer of Health Services at AltaMed Health Services, Dr. Talamantes shapes the AltaMed experience across the entire healthcare delivery system spanning over 40 clinics throughout Southern California. He oversees every aspect of day-to-day care and incorporates patient-centered solutions to address social determinants of health. Prior to becoming the Chief Operating Officer, he served as Medical Director for the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity and Medical Education, leading health services and community-partnered research and training to advance health equity and medical education at AltaMed.

Dr. Talamantes is a primary care internal medicine physician and previously served as Associate Director for the University of California, Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, as Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and co-directed the Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce (CDHW). He co-founded MiMentor.org, serves as the Chair of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, he is a board member of the National Medical Fellowships, University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, and the Chicago School of Psychology.

You can learn more about the distinguished awardees, host committee members, and event speakers at nmfonline.org/reimagine. Support an organization working hard to reduce healthcare disparities.

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on November 21, 2022 on Women Physicians Lead. Listen, follow and subscribe here.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, five percent of the U.S. population accounts for half of the nation’s healthcare spending. They represent our most complex care challenges. To address the complex needs and circumstances for this five percent, it takes a village – a collaborative partnership of agencies, hospitals, shelters, law enforcement and more – who deeply understand what matters most to the individuals they serve.

In this episode, Lauran Hardin, MSN, CNL, FNAP, FAAN, Senior Advisor at National Healthcare & Housing Advisors and Illumination Foundation shares the stories, proven solutions, and care models that are meaningfully improving the health and lives of our most complex community members. By inviting a broad range of community agencies to partner in collaboratively addressing and solving complex situations and care needs, the models reduce avoidable and unnecessary hospital visits, improve housing access, support behavioral health, and provide the deep satisfaction healthcare professionals experience when patients get the full range of health and human services they need for healthy, joyful, connected lives.

-| The Health Equity Podcast Channel is made possible with support from Bayer G4A. Learn more about how Bayer G4A is advancing equity, access and sustainability at G4a.health

-| This episode originally aired on December 2, 2022 on See You Now. Listen, follow and subscribe here.