January 2019 Newsletter

Winter can be beautiful, but also harsh.

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles and on my website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: a federal contract employee whose husband’s life is put at risk by the government shut down; trends and initiatives in western New York, Arkansas and Memphis; the Institute for Medicaid Innovation report on social determinants and Medicaid Managed Care; A Health Affairs blog and Lund Report opinion on why current approaches to addressing living conditions are not enough; CVS and Kaiser investments; The two way relationship of public housing authorities and healthcare providers and insurers; two data initiatives — the SHELI project and Casenet’s integration of community services for Medicare advantage; The #1 JPMorgan takeaway and the NQF and Aetna foundation project to identify scalable approaches for improved living conditions.

Please share the newsletter and connect via LinkedIn or email kossoncare@starpower.net with your reactions and input.

Continue reading “January 2019 Newsletter”

December Newsletter

Best Wishes for 2019!

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles and on my website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: a barefoot patient; isolation during the holidays; a hands-on college class about living conditions; HomesRenewed modification initiative; Healthy People 2030 comment period; Cigna’s loneliness survey, the Cost of Care project; Community organizations partnering with health plans; Waystar’s social determinants survey findings; TAV Health and Health BI partnership and LexisNexis’ new socioeconomic health score.

Please share the newsletter and connect via LinkedIn or email kossoncare@starpower.net with your reactions and input.

Continue reading “December Newsletter”

November Newsletter

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles and on my website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: an inspiring community impact officer at Atrium Health; community initiatives in New Jersey and Minnesota; HHS Secretary Azar’s public announcement on emphasizing social needs; Changing ACA waiver guidance; Dignity Health, Humana Foundation and Geisinger investments in improved living conditions; and Harvard’s Housing America’s Older Adults 2018 report.

Continue reading “November Newsletter”

October Newsletter

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletter in my LinkedIn articles and on my website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: the living conditions and healthcare challenges of individuals who self-identify as transgender; Aetna Foundation awards; Manatt’s recent webinar on social determinants and Medicaid managed care; an award to Thundermist health center and its collaborating Health Equity Zone partners in Rhode Island; a collaboration on improved care for at-risk families in Oregon using a technology screening platform; the positive role of community health workers and care coordinators with tools to screen and refer to needed community services; and research showing the challenges of integrating living conditions data into electronic health records and healthcare workflow.

Continue reading “October Newsletter”

September Newsletter

 

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletter on this website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign. I plan to add new features to the website that break out resources, tools and research. I encourage all readers to send their suggestions.

This month you can read about: an older adult’s challenges and with the health system and her solutions; a foundation’s unique fellowship approach to changing community collaboration; Mathematica’s simulation model showing substantial loss of nutrition support if the House SNAP reauthorization became law; AHIP issue brief on safe and affordable housing; two studies highlighting the challenges of providers addressing living conditions and AAFP’s new tools for finding services and resources. Please share the newsletter and connect via LinkedIn or email kossoncare@starpower.net with your reactions and input.

Continue reading “September Newsletter”

August Newsletter

 

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles and now here on my livingconditions.health website. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: employment challenges after being in jail; LeBron James I promise school as a model for improving living conditions; The court decision to send back CMS’s approval of Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirement; Oregon’s declining health rankings due to living conditions; Community Health Workers; Inclusionary zoning and insurer’s paying for housing; an economic honest broker model for sustainable investment in community services; and two technology plays to better link health and community-based services and exchange needed data. Please share the newsletter and connect via LinkedIn or email kossoncare@starpower.net with your reactions and input.

This month’s graphic suggests ways to minimize back to school stress!

A personal story

Continue reading “August Newsletter”

July Newsletter

Summer Setting

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletter in my LinkedIn articles. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: School meals; Immigrant inclusivity in Telluride CO, Healthy homes initiative in Eastern NC, The impacts of poverty, race and other social risks on Medicare Advantage quality ratings, Intermountain healthcare’s $12M investment in the Utah Health Alliance seeking to improve living conditions and health, The Dogwood Health Trust Foundation that could help western NC if the HCA and Mission Health System merger closes, and anticipated benefits and risks of using data about individuals’ social and behavioral characteristics.

Continue reading “July Newsletter”

June Newsletter

RWJF Graphic on the difference between Health equality and equity

I shared this graphic from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation earlier in the month it is an elegant portrayal of the fundamental difference between equality and equity. Health insurance exists because of the uncertainty of health risks. Healthcare is heavily regulated to help ensure quality and equity. These concepts often get lost in the cost driven political discussions.

Introduction

Welcome to the monthly newsletter. You can find past newsletter in my LinkedIn articles. They have some additional background materials with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. My goal for the newsletter is to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: A family’s escalating challenges to have a viable living environment; the benefit of community intergenerational programs; the Administrations reorganization plan that could undermine social supports in contrast to two state initiatives that seek to address the needs; the medical communities’ need for tools and resources to address living conditions; AAFP’s population health profiler and MedPac’s recommendation for a single Medicare hospital incentive program that would risk adjust for living conditions.

Continue reading “June Newsletter”

May Newsletter

Kaiser Family Foundation Beyond Healthcare: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity

Introduction

If this is your first look at the monthly newsletter you can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles with some additional background materials that may be helpful and different stories and initiatives that may be of interest. Starting next month I will also have a website that will house past newsletters and other resources designed to shift the investment needle towards social services. This newsletter seeks to promote collaboration on improved living conditions that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can learn about: living conditions that create privilege; the Black Panther platform as a call for improved living conditions; the HUD legislative proposal to raise rents on subsidized housing; Medicaid resources for payment strategies for financing upstream prevention; a New York blueprint on integrating health and human services; Milken Institute’s panel The Next Urban Revolution: Reimagining Cities for Aging Populations; Kaiser’s $200M commitment to reduce homelessness; Commonwealth Fund ROI Calculator for valuing health and social services partnerships; NYU et al City Health Dash Board; and a survey about provider’s perspective on their role regarding patient’s living conditions.

Continue reading “May Newsletter”

April Newsletter

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Spring is a great time to focus on Community, This is a picture of the City of Red Wing’s garden

Introduction

If this is your first look at the monthly newsletter you can find past newsletters in my LinkedIn articles they have some additional background materials that might be helpful along with different stories and initiatives that might be of interest. I have started this monthly newsletter to inform improved and coordinated initiatives that advance health, health equity and community and healthcare redesign.

This month you can read about: loss and loneliness; Toms River Culture of Health; Tools and resources from New Jersey’s Mayors Wellness Campaign; Flexibility for Medicare Advantage Plans to cover aspects of living conditions; several provider and payer initiatives; and county rankings. Continue reading “April Newsletter”