At our recent 2023 Summit in April, Health Evolution Fellows participated in exclusive conversations that brought together Fellows from across our ten, year-round Forum Roundtables to confront some of health care’s most pressing challenges. Health Evolution’s in-person gatherings provide a perfect venue to convene Fellows and examine critical issues that permeate across multiple of the topic-specific Roundtables.
Read on to learn more about where leaders are working to drive collaboration and collective action in health care—and how you can join them in Health Evolution Fellowship.
Advancing Research and Equity: Demystifying, Diversifying & Decentralizing Clinical Trials
In the Fellowship breakout session “Advancing Research and Equity: Demystifying, Diversifying & Decentralizing Clinical Trials,” moderator Carolyn Starrett, CEO, Flatiron Health, and discussion leaders Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, President of Product Development & Chief Medical Officer, Verily, and former Principal Deputy Commissioner, FDA; Nimesh Jhaveri, EVP & Chief Impact Officer, McKesson; and Edmondo Robinson, MD, Chief Digital Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center, examined how cross-industry leaders can maximize opportunities for engaging and benefitting underserved communities in clinical trial participation.
During the interactive conversation, executives discussed strategies for collaborating across the health care ecosystem to diversify and decentralize clinical trials to advance health equity. Participants explored concrete ways that cross-industry and cross-sector organizations can partner to make clinical trials more accessible in underserved communities, such as by using an interdisciplinary, team-based approach that involves health care professionals and community workers who already are rooted in those areas.
Executives also talked about the need to build trust in the health care system to facilitate better participation and representation of diverse groups in clinical trials. For example, participants discussed strategies for ensuring patients are informed about and engaged in clinical trial opportunities with people they trust to give them accurate information and support them through the clinical trial process.
Better Together: Harnessing the Power of Peer-to-Peer Problem Solving
In the Fellowship breakout session “Better Together: Harnessing the Power of Peer-to-Peer Problem Solving,” discussion leader Aneesh Chopra, President, CareJourney, and former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, led a group of cross-industry CEOs and innovative executives who participate in Health Evolution Fellowship in an exercise to identify top issues executives are grappling with in today’s health care environment and facilitate interactive, peer-to-peer dialogue to share ideas and solutions.
During the conversation, Fellows brainstormed areas where Health Evolution is uniquely positioned to drive collaboration and collective action. Topics Fellows discussed include:
- Demystifying “what is real” versus “what is hype” in AI and fostering consumer comfort with AI;
- Modernizing the policy landscape, especially to align incentives around value-based care and data sharing across the health care ecosystem;
- Accelerating innovation, especially transitioning pilot projects from point solutions into sustainable, scaled solutions;
- Boosting workforce productivity while alleviating burnout;
- Attracting talent and recruiting into health care careers; and
- Leading transformation while facing significant industry headwinds.
Executives noted that participating in Health Evolution Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for leaders to connect and share “successful and simple solutions to common challenges” that can help to move individual organizations—and the health care industry as a whole—forward.
Medicaid at a Crossroads: Leveraging Lessons of the Past to Redetermine Our Path Forward
In the Summit Fellowship breakout session “Medicaid at a Crossroads: Leveraging Lessons of the Past to Redetermine Our Path Forward,” moderator Tim Spilker, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State, and discussion leaders Kathryn Lawler, CEO, Saint Joseph’s Health System/Mercy Care; Meera Mani, MD-PhD, Partner, Town Hall Ventures; and Trenor Williams, MD, CEO & Co-Founder, Socially Determined, led a candid and interactive conversation around how leaders can successfully navigate and balance Medicaid redeterminations and potential coverage losses with new flexibilities to offer more robust Medicaid benefits, especially to address drivers of health. The group also discussed ways leaders across the industry can come together to leverage past learnings and innovate solutions to ensure a less volatile and more equitable path forward for our most vulnerable patients.
During the conversation, health care executives shared examples of what their organizations are doing to address these challenges. Fellows stressed the imperative for cross-industry and cross-sector collaboration to ensure patients with the most need can access coverage, care, and other resources that address their whole health and keep them engaged. Leaders also expressed the need for greater investments to support primary care and community organizations that often serve as safety-net providers.
The Digital Mental Health Boom: Can New Solutions Improve Access and Ensure Quality?
In the Fellowship breakout session “The Digital Mental Health Boom: Can New Solutions Improve Access and Ensure Quality?,” moderator Stephen Klasko, MD, Executive in Residence, General Catalyst, and former President & CEO, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, and discussion leaders David Ko, CEO & Board Member, Calm; Kristina Saffran, Co-Founder & CEO, Equip; and Andrew Watson, MD, Chief Medical Digital Health Officer, UPMC Health Plan, discussed the promise of new models of digital and virtual care for mental health, as well as questions around whether these new models expand access to high-quality, equitable, and sustainable care.
During the conversation, executives examined how their organizations can help to define a new standard of care for mental and behavioral health that blends in-person and virtual care with digital therapeutics to help solve the United States’ mental and behavioral health crisis. Participants discussed the need to ensure virtual and digital models for mental and behavioral health are rooted in and held accountable for evidence-based care that drives toward optimal patient outcomes. Participants also talked about ways payers, providers, and policymakers can partner to make sure patients are directed toward effective, high-quality care pathways that best match their needs.
Value for Whom: How Do We Center Patients in Value-Based Care?
In the Fellowship breakout session “Value for Whom: How Do We Center Patients in Value-Based Care?,” moderator Mark Smith, MD, Founding President & former CEO, California Health Care Foundation, and discussion leaders Adam Boehler, CEO, Rubicon Founders, and Martha Wofford, President & CEO, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, led an interactive and frank discussion on what health care leaders must do to ensure patients see the impact of initiatives intended to move the U.S. health care system toward value-based care. During the conversation, leaders discussed strategies for:
- Balancing mandates to improve affordability, quality, and accessibility of care, such as by leveraging value-based care to invest in primary care to improve access;
- Creating cross-industry and cross-sector partnerships to address health comprehensively, including housing, education, and social services; and
- Further aligning incentives and processes so payers and providers can succeed under and expand value-based contracts across different patient populations.
Join us for Health Evolution’s 2023 Connect
We look forward to creating more opportunities for Health Evolution Fellows to come together to address cross-industry issues at 2023 Connect in Nashville, Sept. 27-29. Apply to attend Connect here: https://www.healthevolution.com/apply/
To make sure you can access the full benefits of attending Connect, become a Health Evolution Fellow! For more information on Fellowship or to explore organizational memberships, please contact Brad Polen at BradP@healthevolution.com or Marina Turner at MarinaT@healthevolution.com.
