Payer+Provider Syndicate Healthcare Consulting

Payer+Provider in the News – Q1 2013

BOSTON– April 1, 2013: During the first quarter of 2013, Payer+Provider Syndicate experts were featured in approximately one article per week. Numerous journalists turned to Payer+Provider for insights on changes occurring within the healthcare industry. Adam C. Powell, Ph.D., the President of Payer+Provider Syndicate, was asked to comment on the implications of a number of national issues: changes resulting from health reform in 2013, the impact of sequestration, and the implications of rising hospital food prices. Dr. Powell was also asked to comment on issues impacting a number of different organizations. He commented on the expansion of the Highmark PCMH initiative, the financial loss suffered by Steward Healthcare, the Cleveland Clinic / CHS Alliance, and the Mayo Clinic hospital consolidation. Finally, Dr. Powell addressed a number of topics related to healthcare costs and wellness. Forbes shared his insights on wellnesss apps, Fox shared his commentary on out of network coverage, and Becker’s Hospital Review shared his thoughts on how telemedicine can alleviate the physician shortage. DailyRx featured Dr. Powell’s commentary on health clinics, overutilization of care, and variation in healthcare pricing.

Dr. Michael Housman has continued to receive recognition for his research on hiring and employee productivity. Business Insider shared his surprising finding that honest workers are at a disadvantage on the job. The Grindstone publicized his findings on the impact that managers have on the productivity of their employees.

Dr. Adam Powell Appointed to the Indian School of Business

CHANDIGARH, INDIA– February 1, 2013: Adam C. Powell, Ph.D. has been appointed to the Visiting Faculty of the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Mohali, Punjab, India. The Indian School of Business was founded with support from Kellogg and Wharton, and augments its own faculty with visiting faculty from outside of India. In 2012, the Indian School of Business tied the Yale School of Management and Oxford’s Said School of Business for 20th place on The Financial Times’ global ranking of MBA programs.

Dr. Powell will be teaching the first half of a course on Health IT to MBA students from February 25th to March 11th. After Dr. Powell finishes teaching, the second half of the course will be taught by Professor Rajib Saha. The following is an outline of the five lectures that Dr. Powell will deliver:

Lecture 1: Introduction to Healthcare Information Systems

• The history of health IT in the U.S.
• The HITECH Act and the Affordable Care Act
• The current state of health IT adoption

Lecture 2: Technology Infrastructure in Healthcare Information Systems

• Approaches to infrastructure
• Benefits of infrastructure
• Infrastructure in China, India, the U.K., and the U.S.

Lecture 3: Electronic Health Records

• Evolving purpose
• Drivers behind adoption
• Barriers to adoption

Lecture 4: Personal Health Records

• Payer-based Personal Health Records
• Employer-based Personal Health Records
• Third party Personal Health Records

Lecture 5: Systems Acquisition

• The acquisition process
• Industrial purchasing theory

In reaction to his recent appointment, Dr. Powell stated, “It is wonderful to have the chance to explore healthcare from an Indian perspective. In 2008, I had the opportunity to visit the business school of Imperial College London and to learn about healthcare technology adoption from a British perspective. Last year, I learned a lot from my work on the Chinese healthcare system and the Affordable Care Act’s impact on China. As I develop and teach the course, I look forward to learning more about the Indian healthcare system from my colleagues and students and to sharing the perspectives on the business of healthcare that I have accumulated.”

While teaching at the Indian School of Business, Dr. Powell will continue in his duties as President of Payer+Provider Syndicate. Clients will be able to reach him daily between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST by e-mail and by dialing his usual telephone number; 1-617-939-9168. As calls to his American telephone number will be routed to India by Voice Over IP (VOIP), clients will not need to make an “International” call.

Payer+Provider in the News – Q4 2012

BOSTON– December 26, 2012: During October, November, and December 2012, Payer+Provider Syndicate experts were frequently featured in the media. Dr. Apurv Gupta was featured in an article in Brown Medicine Magazine about his role in Brown’s forthcoming Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership Program. An active member of the Indian American community, Dr. Gupta was also profiled by the Smithsonian Institution’s Indian American Heritage Project and in an article on Movers and Shakers in Medicine published by Lokvani.

Dr. Adam Powell was featured in a number of articles as well. In October, Becker’s ASC Review interviewed Dr. Powell to discuss how ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) can become a disruptive force in the healthcare market. The resulting article was one of the top ten most read articles on the site throughout the month of October, and subsequently appeared in the print edition of Becker’s ASC Review. Speaking of repeat appearances, an October issue of the Accountable Care Update eNewsletter summarized Dr. Powell’s September commentary on how time studies can be used to help ACOs understand their costs. Keeping with the accountability theme, Dr. Powell spoke to Healthcare Payer News about how patient navigation companies are helping consumers understand their healthcare costs.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), was a topic that Payer+Provider Syndicate frequently discussed this quarter. Adam Powell, Ph.D., was quoted in an article by The Christian Science Monitor describing how employers are reducing employee hours in response to Obamacare’s penalty for not insuring full-time employees. Dr. Powell was also quoted in a Flagstaff Business News article on health benefit exchanges. Finally, healthcare reform played a role in a recent article published by HealthLeaders Media in which Dr. Powell described how the Baylor / Scott & White hospital merger might affect healthcare costs.

Rounding out the 4th quarter, Dr. Powell continued in his role as a contributing expert at dailyRx. In this capacity, he commented on a series of articles summarizing health economic assessments.  Namely, he commented on an article on the relative cost-effectiveness of using individual and family therapy to treat depression, an article estimating the financial impact of cancer on employers, and an article examining the impact of Medicaid status on hospital length of stay.

Dr. Apurv Gupta joins Payer+Provider Syndicate

BOSTON– December 21, 2012: Apurv Gupta, M.D., M.P.H. has joined Payer+Provider Syndicate’s panel of experts. Dr. Gupta has expertise in performance improvement, change management, hospitalist care, and hospital administration. Dr. Gupta is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer on Healthcare Leadership at Brown University and has served as Vice President for Network Performance Improvement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Chief Medical Officer at Quincy Medical Center, Medical Director at Norwood Hospital, and Associate Medical Director at Beth Israel Deaconess Physicians Organization. Prior to formally joining Payer+Provide Syndicate, Dr. Gupta played an instrumental role in the development of the Payer Transformation Survey.

Payer Transformation Survey finds that 87% believe health insurers must transform to survive

BOSTON, Massachusetts–October 25, 2012– Payer+Provider Syndicate, the consulting firm which brings health services research into practice, today released findings from its comprehensive Payer Transformation Survey. The survey found that 87% of the health insurance employees surveyed believe that the industry must undergo a transformation in its business model to survive. To assess the degree to which transformation is taking place, the survey also examined the industry’s self-perceived degree of preparedness for reform.

The health insurance company employees surveyed expressed concern that payers are least prepared to understand how their members select products on the individual market. As health insurance exchanges are created in response to the Affordable Care Act, health insurers will increasingly have to sell their products directly to consumers, rather than to employers. Insurers are racing to understand consumer buying preferences, as health insurance exchanges will become nationally available at the beginning of 2014.

“Health insurers are currently pursuing a number of initiatives that all revolve around making their products more consumer-centric. Namely, they are focusing on increasing the value of their plans by both improving member outcomes and reducing costs,” said Adam Powell, Ph.D., President of Payer+Provider Syndicate. “Many of the insurers we contacted have invested substantial resources in developing Accountable Care Organizations, Patient-Center Medical Homes, and in using data to gain insights into how to take better care of members. Going forward, one major challenge that insurers face is determining which tools have the greatest impact on member outcomes. As the desire to bend the cost trend and improve population management is clear, an army of vendors have developed potential solutions. Our survey found that the majority of insurers are using external resources to engage members in managing their health risk.”

The survey behind these findings was developed by Payer+Provider Syndicate, in conjunction with the Physician Performance Improvement Institute. Payer employees were interviewed in August and September 2012, and then a closed online survey was conducted in September and October. A white paper summarizing the survey’s findings is available online at payerprovider.com/payer-transformation-survey.

About Payer+Provider Syndicate
Payer+Provider Syndicate provides market analysis, independent vendor evaluation, and performance improvement strategy to the health insurance and hospital industries. Founded by a Wharton-trained healthcare economist, Payer+Provider Syndicate utilizes teams of health services researchers and physicians to address healthcare’s most complex operational challenges. For more information, please visit payerprovider.com.

Press Contact
Adam Powell, Ph.D.
President
Payer+Provider Syndicate

powell@payerprovider.com
(617) 939-9168

8 Garrison St. Ste. 101
Boston, MA 02116

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