Dr. Ward

Richard E. Ward, MD, MBA, CEO of Reward Health. Also physician, health care analytics and informatics innovator, husband, father, tenor & gradually improving swimmer

People are recognizing that medical informatics is about people, not just installing software. But, unfortunately everyone is trying to find such people at the same time.

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) /

I have long criticized the “informatics,” “analytics” and “business intelligence” industries for over-emphasizing the value of installing analytic software or producing a pile of routine reports.  As described in a previous blog post, I have found such tools to add value only in the hands of talented, trained people with the ability to tell interesting, truthful,

People are recognizing that medical informatics is about people, not just installing software. But, unfortunately everyone is trying to find such people at the same time. Read More »

To resolve conflicts, re-frame polar positions as optimization between undesirable extremes. But, sometimes there is no way to win.

3 Comments / ACO Culture, Decision Analysis, Dr. Ward's Methods Notes /

In politics and professional life, achieving success requires the ability to resolve conflicts.  I’ve noticed that conflicts often become entrenched because the opposing parties both simplify the conflict in black and white terms. They conceptualize their own interest as moving in one direction. And, they conceptualize their opponent as wanting to move in the opposite,

To resolve conflicts, re-frame polar positions as optimization between undesirable extremes. But, sometimes there is no way to win. Read More »

CBO: Bundled payments for bypass surgery saved 10%, but pay-for-performance and gain-sharing was not effective in 3 Medicare demonstrations

ACO Reimbursement and Gain Sharing /

Lyle Nelson from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has been busy. Two weeks ago, I commented on the results of Nelson’s review of 6 Medicare Care Management demonstration projects over the last decade. At the same time that report was released, Nelson also released a companion report on the 4 “Value-based Payment” CMS demonstrations over

CBO: Bundled payments for bypass surgery saved 10%, but pay-for-performance and gain-sharing was not effective in 3 Medicare demonstrations Read More »

Coconut oil as an Alzheimer’s treatment? Please don’t short-circuit science.

7 Comments / Evaluation Methods /

My father recently forwarded an e-mail he received from a friend with a link to a TV news story about a physician who treated her own husband’s worsening Alzheimer’s disease with coconut oil.  My father is interested in the topic, particularly since he knows someone who suffered and died from the disease.  He forwarded the

Coconut oil as an Alzheimer’s treatment? Please don’t short-circuit science. Read More »

Congressional Budget Office: Care management programs only work if care managers have face to face contact with patients and substantial interaction with physicians

1 Comment / Evaluation Methods, Provider-based Care Management /

This month, Lyle Nelson of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a “working paper” summarizing the results of a decade of experience with 6 care management demonstration projects in the Medicare population.  These demonstrations included a total of 34 disease management or care coordination programs. All of the 34 care management programs were designed to reduce

Congressional Budget Office: Care management programs only work if care managers have face to face contact with patients and substantial interaction with physicians Read More »

I agree with the protesters that the proposed SOPA/PIPA anti-piracy legislation is more bad than good

Uncategorized /

Today, a number of web sites, including the amazingly useful Wikipedia.org site, have gone black to protest proposed anti-piracy legislation making its way through the U.S. Congress. On the one hand, the entertainment industry does face a real problem as people are so easily able to steal their product and widely distribute it to people

I agree with the protesters that the proposed SOPA/PIPA anti-piracy legislation is more bad than good Read More »

CMS Announces 32 Pioneer ACOs, including 3 in Michigan

1 Comment / Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) /

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the final list of 32 health care provider organizations that are to participate in the “Pioneer ACO” program during 2012. The Pioneer ACO program was intended to allow provider organizations that had experience and sophisticated population management and care coordination capabilities to get started under a

CMS Announces 32 Pioneer ACOs, including 3 in Michigan Read More »

The Humunculus is a metaphor for Clinical Process Improvement Frameworks

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Clinical Practice Guidelines and Protocols, Clinical Process Improvement, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Lean Thinking, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) /

During the last 20 years, we have experienced wave after wave of new frameworks for improving health care.  Each had its own terminology, ardently promoted and enforced by its zealous advocates.  Each had a lifecycle that began with a long incubation period, followed by a period of explosive growth in popularity and influence, rapidly leading

The Humunculus is a metaphor for Clinical Process Improvement Frameworks Read More »