Tammie Jackson: In healthcare finance, bold pursuits require persistence and curiosity

I hope this message finds you and your family safe, healthy and having had the opportunity to enjoy the holiday season.

Safe and healthy is no small hurdle to surpass as of late. Over the past few months, we have encountered tornadoes, fires, storms and a new COVID variant that is making its way through our homes, workplaces and communities at an unrelenting pace. Entering our third year of the pandemic, the trickle-down ramifications seem to be endless. 

According to a recent CBS News poll, just 29% of Americans are making New Year’s resolutions this year.^a That is down from 43% the two years prior. Whether it be a lack of optimism or an acknowledgement that the foreseeable future is unpredictable, we are truly fatigued. We see that playing out all around us, and we certainly see it among our clinical teams and industry colleagues. 

Over the past several months, I have asked you to reflect on the ways we can take bold steps to forge a brighter path forward for a better tomorrow. We must persist. And despite current challenges, we do have cause to celebrate. 

Relative to tackling risk associated with social determinants of health (SDoH), I read recently about a children’s hospital integrating community-level SDoH information directly into their EHR.^b While individual-level data remains important, the integrated data helps to thwart physician burnout and enables sensitive conversations. Although work remains to be done, leaders at this Kansas City health system are encouraged by the positive feedback and high level of adoption.

CMS recently recognized two Health Equity Award winners: UnitedHealthcare and Atrium Health.^c

Focusing on three states, UnitedHealthcare deployed a number of interventions to reduce disparities in maternal health. As a result, between 2018 and 2019, disparities in timely postpartum care for Black women were reduced between 40% and 83% across the three states. 

To address racial and ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer screening rates, Atrium Health strengthened its data and used it to implement a number of interventions. As a result, from 2018 to 2019, Atrium Health reduced the disparity of colorectal screenings for Hispanic males by 62.7%.

I applaud all of these bold pursuits. 

Solving for the cost effectiveness of health (CEoH) is yet another bold pursuit. I trust you will use this issue’s conversation about CEoH to challenge your teams, your organizations and your own thinking. Because as Brené Brown says, “Resilience is more available to people curious about their own line of thinking and behaving.”

I think we can all use a bit of resilience about now. Hang in there. A better future is coming! 

Footnotes

a. Backus F., “Fewer Americans are making New Year’s resolutions this year,” CBSnews.com, Dec. 31, 2021.

b. Mace, S., “Social determinants of health find their way into the EHR,” healthleadersmedia.com, Dec. 15, 2021

c. “CMS Health Equity Awards,” cms.gov, Dec. 1, 2021