A Call for Support and Systemic Changes in Healthcare
News outlets from the Los Angeles Times to Fox New to People have been reporting on the case of Dharmesh Patel, the doctor now living in California who tried to commit suicide, and kill his wife and children, by driving his car off a cliff. Miraculously, the family survived and Patel’s wife is pleading for the judicial system to get the physician the mental healthcare he needs instead of punishing him.
We have no knowledge of Patel’s individual circumstances or condition, but we do know that, today, too many clinicians feel hopeless. In a recent podcast called “Beyond the Stethoscope: Physician Burnout, Resilience and Wellness,” our own Dr. Adam Brown discussed how healthcare practitioners can safeguard their own mental health. While Dr. Patel certainly needed outside help, whether it is finding joy in hobbies or treasuring time with loved ones, there are many things doctors can do to prevent burnout. Listen here for more advice.
Of course, changing outcomes is not up to clinicians alone. As Dr. Brown also has said, to encourage more doctors and nurses to seek the care they need before it is too late, we need to prohibit employer questions about mental health.
Click through for our thoughts on other big healthcare stories that broke over the last two weeks.
U.S. Government Launches Healthcare Antitrust Task Force
On May 9, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the formation of the Antitrust Division’s Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (HCMC), which will guide the division’s enforcement strategy and policy approach in healthcare. The DOJ said the HCMC will consider widespread competition concerns shared by patients, healthcare professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs, including issues regarding payer-provider consolidation, serial acquisitions, labor and quality of care, medical billing, healthcare IT services, access to and misuse of healthcare data, and more.
The news comes after the Federal Trade Commission, DOJ, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled HealthyCompetition.gov, a portal where any individual can submit a complaint for antitrust agencies to review and potentially investigate.
Our BIG Thought: These moves are a good start, but Congress has some work to do as well. Why, and what do lawmakers need to do? Click here to read Dr. Brown’s December 2023 op-ed written after the Cigna-Humana merger fell apart.
Hospitals Get Creative In Order To Stabilize Bottom Lines
As Becker’s Hospital CFO Report noted earlier this month, “hospital financials, on average, worsened in the first quarter … [as] operating margins, volume and revenue declined.” Specifically, in March the year to date operating margin index for hospitals was 3.9 percent, a 0.2 percentage point drop from 4.1 percent in February. Meanwhile, hospital outpatient revenue fell five percent.
According to Politico’s “Future Pulse,” hospitals may have an answer. “Empowered by Washington and armed with Covid-inspired health innovations, health executives seek to increasingly move care outside of the hospital,” the news outlet reported. “Their aim: To make their systems more efficient and solidify their finances.”
Our BIG Thought: Hospitals are moving patients off site by investing in telehealth and hospital-at-home programs, creating new lines of business, and selling proprietary artificial intelligence tools they have developed, Politico explained.
If Amazon and CVS can launch into primary care, we see no reason that hospitals also should not get creative. The question is: will the move into news spaces be easier for providers than it has for Walmart …
Healthcare Is Hard! Walmart Opts To Stick With Retail
“Merely a year ago, it looked like major retail chains like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and even Dollar General might use their enormous consumer footprints in the U.S. to make primary care more available, especially in rural areas,” noted Politico’s “Future Pulse” on May 6. “Now those retailers say health care is too tough a business to crack.”
Indeed, Walmart has announced it will close 51 of its health care centers and its telehealth operations. VillageMD plans to shutter 160 locations after taking a $5.8 billion loss on its clinics, and Optum is shutting down Optum Virtual Care.
Our BIG Thought: What does it say about our healthcare system when even the world’s largest retailer finds these ventures unprofitable? While we don't have all the details behind Walmart's decision, what we do know is telling: a retail giant couldn't align the numbers to make their healthcare services profitable or leverage them to drive sufficient business to their stores. Read more insight on this issue on Adam Brown’s LinkedIn page.
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