As 2017 draws to a close, the recent CVS Health-Aetna merger continues to dominate the healthcare conversation. David Buchanan, president, Buchanan Strategies, weighed in on the non-traditional partnership during Trends Shaping the Healthcare Industry in 2018: A Strategic Planning Session, a December 2017 webinar now available for replay. In this HealthSounds episode, Buchanan predicts the future of mega mergers in healthcare, the impact of the CVS-Aetna alliance on brand awareness, and the real ‘bonanza’ of the $69 billion partnership beyond bringing healthcare closer to home for many consumers.

Healthcare Trends in 2018: Synergies from the Non-Traditional CVS Health-Aetna Merger

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While shared savings could be several years in the future for fledgling accountable care organizations, there are shortcuts for physician practices in ACOs to generate population health revenue immediately, explains Tim Gronniger, senior vice president of development and strategy for Caravan Health. In this HealthSounds episode, Gronniger outlines the rationale for using three Medicare billing codes--the annual wellness visit (AWV), chronic care management and advanced care planning--to create revenue that offsets ACO infrastructure costs.

Waiting on ACO Shared Savings? Here’s 3 Ways to Generate Population Health Revenue Now

As patients of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) began to utilize the features of its newly minted portal, LVHN and its physician providers soon recognized the added benefits of this interactive tool. In this HealthSounds episode, LVHN’s Lindsay Altimare outlines seven ways the LVHN portal, the fastest growing portal on the Epic® platform, improves efficiency and quality for her organization.

7 Benefits of Leveraging a Patient Portal to Promote Population Health

How do you engage community residents in their health when many are distrustful of and feel disrespected by the healthcare system? Encourage them to both direct and participate in the initiative, advises Charmaine Ruddock, project director of Bronx Health REACH. In this HealthSounds episode, Ms. Ruddock shares what Bronx Health REACH learned early on in its coalition-building from community focus groups, and how this local feedback informed program development for a community traditionally ranked last in New York in terms of health outcomes and health factors.

Focus Group Findings Shape Bronx Community Health Improvement Action Plan

How can care teams encourage patients to open up about sensitive social determinant of health (SDOH) factors? By employing motivational interviewing to establish a respectful partnership, advises Cindy Buckels, TAV Health director of population health. In this HealthSounds episode, Ms. Buckels explains why motivational interviewing is more effective than the usual Chunk-Check-Change approach in transforming patient ambivalence and effecting the kind of behavior change that improves health.

Healthcare Trends in 2018: Synergies from the Non-Traditional CVS Health-Aetna Merger

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