Health Care Rounds

To all of our listeners, we hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! In this episode, John shares an an abbreviated our take on the second part of May focused on FDA and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) take on lowering drug prices. Steps are being taken to lower drug prices—but which, if any, will work? The FDA posted a list of more than 50 drugs for which generic drugmakers have been unable to obtain samples of certain branded products from the manufacturers. CMS also weighed in last week by announcing enhanced “drug dashboards” that include year-over-year pricing changes for drugs reimbursed by Medicare Part B and Part D and Medicaid. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Darwin’s client list includes forward-thinking biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, as

John shares our take on the first half of May which includes the proposal by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to scale back its quality measures for fiscal year 2019 and the current administration’s “blueprint” to tackle soaring prescription drug prices. CMS is looking to reduce the number of quality measures across the five quality and value-based purchasing programs for its FY 2019 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System. President Trump announced his much anticipated proposal to control prescription drug pricing. In his remarks in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said, “The drug lobby is making an absolute fortune at the expense of American consumers.” About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-ba

In this two-part podcast, John Marchica speaks with NCH Healthcare System’s president and CEO, Dr. Allen Weiss. Dr. Weiss breaks down how they have changed the mindset of community health at the health system level with astounding statistics and fruitful outcomes. Here are some of the highlights we cover: Part 1 - 17 min. Present day history of NCH Healthcare System Focus on community health with Blue Zones project Behavioral economics for reducing health care costs Part 2 - 13 min. Health System trends Other health care systems going the same path as NCH Healthcare Advice to new physician residents Speaker Bios Dr. Allen Weiss graduated from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and is board certified in Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, and Geriatrics. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology. In 2017, Dr. Weiss became an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and was also elected to the American Hospit

In this two-part podcast, John Marchica speaks with NCH Healthcare System’s president and CEO, Dr. Allen Weiss. Dr. Weiss breaks down how they have changed the mindset of community health at the health system level with astounding statistics and fruitful outcomes. Here are some of the highlights we cover: Part 1 - 17 min. Present day history of NCH Healthcare System Focus on community health with Blue Zones project Behavioral economics for reducing health care costs Part 2 - 13 min. Health System trends Other health care systems going the same path as NCH Healthcare Advice to new medical residents Speaker Bios Dr. Allen Weiss graduated from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and is board certified in Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, and Geriatrics. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology. In 2017, Dr. Weiss became an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and was also elected to the American Hospital

John shares our take on the second half of April highlighting the health of ACA under the current administration and Humana’s statement to acquire and merge Curo Health with Kindred Healthcare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provided enrollment statistics for Healthcare.gov and the state-run exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In its last tax package, the Republican-led Congress zeroed out the individual mandate penalty—a cornerstone of the ACA. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 13 million people will lose or drop coverage as a result of this move over the next decade. Reuters reported that Humana, along with two private equity firms, will acquire Mooresville, N.C.-based Curo Health Services for $1.4 billion. Humana will merge Curo Health with the hospice business of Kindred Healthcare, which Humana agreed to acquire in December 2017. Of Note: Our Take Narrations will be twice monthly after these inaugural episodes. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Re

John shares our take on the first half of April highlighting Walmart’s talks to acquire Humana, and California's suit against Sutter Health. Reuters and The Wall Street Journal independently reported that Walmart is considering an acquisition of health insurer Humana. Citing people familiar with the matter, Reuters said the companies are in early talks about developing closer ties, with one possibility being an acquisition. The state of California has filed an antitrust suit against Sutter Health, alleging anticompetitive behavior. Among other complaints, the suit alleges that the Sacramento-based health system imposes gag clauses on prices and in some cases charges “punitively high” amounts for out-of-network services. Of Note: Our Take Narrations will be twice monthly after these inaugural episodes. About Darwin Research Group Darwin Research Group Inc. provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems

In this three-part podcast, John Marchica speaks with Commonwealth Primary Care ACO president and CEO, Dr. Curtis Page, and Lance Donkerbrook, chief information officer. Last year, Commonwealth Primary Care ACO was Darwin's Western Region ACO of the Year. Here are some of the highlights we cover: Part 1 - 20 min. (Page) Accountable Care Organizations defined How to deliver high-quality patient care Origins and growth of the Commonwealth Primary Care ACO Part 2 - 20 min. (Donkerbrook) Impact of policy changes on ACOs Lessons from the 2018 HIMMS conference Patient attribution and self-selection Application of quality metrics How to improve physician engagement Part 3 - 18 min. (Page and Donkerbrook) Commonwealth’s use of technology, challenges Partnering with Pharma, other suppliers and providers Strategic priorities Wrap-up Speaker Bios Dr. Curtis Page is quite invested in health care reform and currently serves as the CEO & president of the Commonwealth Primary Care Accountable Care Association, an

In this three-part podcast, John Marchica speaks with Commonwealth Primary Care ACO president and CEO, Dr. Curtis Page, and Lance Donkerbrook, chief information officer. Last year, Commonwealth Primary Care ACO was Darwin's Western Region ACO of the Year. Here are some of the highlights we cover: Part 1 - 20 min. (Page) Accountable Care Organizations defined How to deliver high-quality patient care Origins and growth of the Commonwealth Primary Care ACO Part 2 - 20 min. (Donkerbrook) Impact of policy changes on ACOs Lessons from the 2018 HIMMS conference Patient attribution and self-selection Application of quality metrics How to improve physician engagement Part 3 - 18 min. (Page and Donkerbrook) Commonwealth’s use of technology, challenges Partnering with Pharma, other suppliers and providers Strategic priorities Wrap-up Speaker Bios Dr. Curtis Page is quite invested in health care reform and currently serves as the CEO & president of the Commonwealth Primary Care Accountable Care Association, an

In this three-part podcast, John Marchica speaks with Commonwealth Primary Care ACO president and CEO, Dr. Curtis Page, and Lance Donkerbrook, chief information officer. Last year, Commonwealth Primary Care ACO was Darwin's Western Region ACO of the Year. Here are some of the highlights we cover: Part 1 - 20 min. (Page) Accountable Care Organizations defined How to deliver high-quality patient care Origins and growth of the Commonwealth Primary Care ACO Part 2 - 20 min. (Donkerbrook) Impact of policy changes on ACOs Lessons from the 2018 HIMMS conference Patient attribution and self-selection Application of quality metrics How to improve physician engagement Part 3 - 18 min. (Page and Donkerbrook) Commonwealth’s use of technology, challenges Partnering with Pharma, other suppliers and providers Strategic priorities Wrap-up Speaker Bios Dr. Curtis Page is quite invested in health care reform and currently serves as the CEO & president of the Commonwealth Primary Care Accountable Care Association, an

From Darwin Research Group HQ, we welcome you to our table to discuss health care policy and issues, our take, and the opinions of today’s leading health care experts. Darwin Research Group provides advanced market intelligence and in-depth customer insights to health care executives, with a strategic focus on health care delivery systems and the global shift toward value-based care. Your host for this podcast is John Marchica, a veteran health care strategist and CEO of Darwin Research Group. He was the founder and CEO of FaxWatch, a leading business intelligence and medical education company and two-time member of the Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing companies. John is the author of The Accountable Organization and has advised senior management on strategy and organizational change for more than a decade. John earned his B.A. in economics from Knox College, an MBA and M.A. in public policy from The University of Chicago, and completed his Ph.D. coursework and doctoral exams in clinical epidemiolog