It’s no secret that the Black community tops the list of groups afflicted by hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, and cancer. What the statistics do not show is the pain, mis

A bright future for the nation depends on the health and prosperity of rural America, and unfortunately, we are at a moment in time where life is not ideal in the rural heartland.  Although most rural

The arc of the future bends in the direction of person-centered care. While payment reform is critical, our nation must also deliver whole-person care models that are exquisitely attuned to both medic

As we talk about the current zeitgeist moving us towards value and equity, we also have to think about how polarized our country is politically. Democrats and Republicans live in separate worlds, or “

Healthcare costs due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is in excess of $32 billion due to high rates of re-hospitalizations and ED visits, complex and inefficient clinical pathways durin

This week we are talking about how value-based care transformation is related to the “Hero’s Journey” monomyth that was initially described by Joseph Campbell, an intellectual known for his work in co

George Halvorson is a retired American healthcare executive who served as CEO of six health plans over the last 30 years.  From 2002-2013, he was the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and was listed several ti

This week is Nurses Week – a time for all of us to reflect on the contributions that nurses make to our society. During this important time of observance for one of our most valued professions in cari

As leaders in the value-based care movement, we must think about the synergism between lifestyle medicine and traditional Western medicine. The tenets of lifestyle medicine force us to think more holi

Have you ever had an idea that you just had to make real? No matter what it took… no matter what obstacles were in your way… no matter how many times people told you no… you just couldn’t stop until i