Payer+Provider Syndicate Healthcare Consulting

Payer+Provider in the News – Q2 2013

BOSTON– July 17, 2013: Payer+Provider Syndicate experts were featured in numerous articles during the second quarter of 2013. The continued wave of provider acquisitions and partnerships served as fodder for commentary. Adam Powell, Ph.D. commented on the hospital consolidation within the Mayo Clinic, the HCA / First Choice ER alliance, SSM Health Care’s acquisition Dean Health Systems, Highmark’s Acquisition of West Penn Allegheny Health System, Montefiore Medical Center’s acquisition of Sound Shore Health System, Catholic Health Initiatives’s acquisition of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, and Tenet Healthcare’s acquisition of Vanguard Health Systems.

Dr. Powell was additionally featured in articles related to healthcare finance. Managed Healthcare Executive featured his commentary on the financial impact of Essential Health Benefits requirements. Healthcare Finance News had him comment upon how medical records expenses are impacting hospital budgets. DailyRx featured his thoughts on the increasing cost of stroke and the difficulty that people have when comparison shopping for healthcare. He rounded out the quarter by speaking on a panel during an hour-long radio special about telemedicine and by being highlighted in a lighthearted article in The Wall Street Journal.

Finally, Payer+Provider Expert Dr. Michael Housman was featured in The New York Times. Dr. Housman is known for his ability to productize conclusions derived from Big Data. He was featured in an article that described his efforts to improve the employee hiring process by utilizing Big Data. Through a combination of statistics and survey design, he enabled an employer to select employees more likely to remain at their jobs.

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.