Independent Thinking » Department of Health and Human Services

Hip Hop Doc Takes on H1N1

Daria Steigman — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:45:21 +0000

The H1N1 virus is serious business, but talking about flu prevention shouldn’t be deadly dull. Now it’s not, thanks to this public service announcement by “hip hop doc” John Clarke, whose day job is medical director for the Long Island Railroad.

Clarke had the winning entry in a contest this summer by the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education to solicit PSAs about flu prevention.

I like how the judges thought about their primary audience (H1N1 is disproportionately affecting kids, teens, and 20-somethings) and looked for an approach that focuses on how to communicate, not just what to say.

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What Happens the Day After Health Reform?

Daria Steigman — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:52:19 +0000

Enacting health reform is the easy part. What happens the day after?

The University of Chicago held a terrific forum on health care on Sept. 10 in Washington. It was headlined by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who said that “what we’re really talking about is transforming a system of care in America.”

So what comes next? A panel withÂ some very smart people, including Kavita Patel from the White House Office of Public Engagement, offered their insights and a sense of how much hard work lies ahead. Some key takeaways:

Do we really want to reform health care, or do we want to reform the health of Americans? The latter means also tackling related issues, such as food deserts and the lack of sidewalks and open space.
Patients and providers need real-time data, which means we need to create information exchanges for outcomes-driven care based on objective, transparent information.
We need to reform the payment and incentive systems to get to better care rather than more care.
There is a moral imperative for health reform: the health of our community affects us. (Think SARS or H1N1.)
How are we going to handle the 46 million uninsured who will suddenly enter the health care pipeline?
When did it become socially acceptable for physicians not to take patients because they have no money?

My head’s still spinning. Your thoughts?

Photo by seiuhealthcare775nw (Flickr).

6 Reasons to Pay Attention to HealthReform.gov

Daria Steigman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:32:19 +0000

I got a great news release this morning from the Department of Health and Human Services. The headline: Secretary Sebelius Releases Inaugural Health Care “Success Story” Report.

Here are 6 reasons this resonated with me and should matter to you too:

1. The administration has a HealthReform.gov Web site. From a transparency perspective alone, this is really important.

2. The last time someone tried to do comprehensive reform, it was drafted in secret meetings and without participation from most stakeholders. This time, the adminstration is asking citizens to share our thoughts.

3. HHS just posted a “Success Story.” When was the last time you heard the federal government provide concrete, data-driven examples in simple English?

4. While the government supports a huge amount of great research in the health care sector, agencies have been notoriously bad at disseminating results outside of a narrow band of researchers. This time, they’re talking about “improving quality of care” and “a success story for patient safety.” Who doesn’t understand that?

5. The project, a Michigan initiative to reduce hospital infections, is pretty compelling. And HHS does a great job of explaining why this matters to us:

The Keystone Project is more than the story of a simple tool like the checklist making a dramatic impact. It is the story of complex organizational change across an entire state changing the attitudes and practices of doctors and nurses, creating incentives for cooperation, partnering with the state hospital association, and creating a social network amongst participating hospitals in Michigan to share best practices.

When I first heard about the project last fall, I vowed that I’d never walk into a hospital room again without a big bottle of Purell and an even-bigger box of disinfecting wipes.

6. I want to know more, and I’m waiting for the next success stories to be posted. And hoping this becomes a new trend in how federal agencies communicate what they do and why we should pay attention and care.