Melissa Sweet’s Post

BC Notaries Association - 'Keeping up with life's unpredictable twists and turns can be daunting. BC Notaries are by your side to help you navigate your future with an Advance Health Care Directive. Plan today' #Notary #BCNotaries #HealthCarePlanning

🚨🚨 Big news- California is taking a large step in working to make healthcare more affordable. From my work with the group focused on advanced payment models/ primary and behavioral health, it is clear patients and efficient systems are priority with nuanced thought about access to care and much more. Bottom line: The Office of Health Care Affordability’s Board approved a California statewide health care spending target of 3 percent to be phased in over time. The spending target is rooted in consumer affordability and based on the average growth rate of median household income from 2002-2022. It is a signal that health care spending should not grow faster than the incomes of California families. >50% of Californians report skipping care in the past year due to cost, and within this group ~50% say skipping care made their condition worse. > 1:3 Californians reported having medical debt in 2023, with >50% of Californians who are Black, speak Spanish, or have low incomes reporting having medical debt. Healthcare spending has increased by up ~30% between 2015-20, reaching $10,299 per person and $405 billion overall. Details: 💠 The spending target will apply to health care entities, including health plans, provider organizations (with at least 25 physicians) and hospitals 💠 Calendar Year 2026 target, OHCA will begin taking progressive enforcement action if health care entities that exceed the spending growth target. This means progressively working with entities to improve- technical assistance, requiring an explanation at public meetings, imposing performance improvement plans, and ultimately, if warranted, assessing financial penalties 💠 Spending growth targets are paired to increasing primary care and behavioral health spending which has been shown to improve health outcomes and lower overall health spending. 💠 There will be future opportunities to adopt alternative payment models that reward quality. 💠 Larger efforts in parallel focus on access and quality. E.g. Through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), California is addressing how social drivers of health, like access to housing and food, affect people’s health, and improving quality and equity. #healthcareaffordability #costsofcare #primarycareinvestment #behavioralhealthinvestment #accesstocare #spendtargets #policychange Vishaal Pegany Margareta Brandt, MPH Kevin Grumbach S. Monica Soni, MD Palav Babaria and many more, Costs of Care Neel Shah Vineet Arora MD MAPP Jordan Harmon Chris Moriates September Wallingford Christopher Petrilli, MD, SFHM Fumiko Ladd Chino Arjun Gupta Hannah Bassett https://lnkd.in/gxUdd_Er

🚨In a historic decision today following careful deliberation and public comment, the Office of Health Care Affordability's Board voted to approve a statewide health care spending target of 3% by 2029! Click below to learn more about why this matters: https://bit.ly/3UcKt0P

A few comments on the importance of rural healthcare in the US.

The Lancet recently released a review on the effect of private health care on quality of care that "provides evidence that challenges the justifications for health-care privatisation and concludes that the scientific support for further privatisation of health-care services is weak". This evidence is important to keep in mind when looking for solutions for health care challenges in Canada and globally. https://lnkd.in/eU6r8amP #evidence #privatehealthcare

📢 The State of Healthcare: It’s Time to Acknowledge and Act 📢 The recent article about Health NZ’s mounting pressures hits home for me. During my time at a tertiary hospital in Auckland, I witnessed firsthand the chronic understaffing, overworked staff, compromised patient safety, and a pervasive sense of dissatisfaction among healthcare workers. These issues aren’t just numbers on a page—they directly impact the quality of care our patients receive. It’s disheartening to see a system stretched so thin that even the most dedicated professionals are left struggling to provide the care patients deserve. Our healthcare workers are doing their best, but we’re at a breaking point. We can’t turn a blind eye anymore. It’s time to: • Speak Up for Real Change: Pressure policymakers to prioritise staffing and support, not just with words, but with tangible actions. • Support One Another: It’s crucial we stand together as healthcare professionals, advocating for a system that values both patient outcomes and employee well-being. It’s time to stop accepting the status quo. Our patients—and our colleagues—deserve better. #HealthcareCrisis #PatientCare #NursePractitioner #HealthNZ #ChangeNow

Primary care plays a critical role in delivering high-value services, yet disparities in access continue, leading to higher rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations among marginalized groups. #healthequity #health #qualityofcare #socialdeterminantsofhealth #sdoh #dataanalytics #healthequity #populationhealthmanagement #valuebasedhealthcare #valuebasedcare #vbc #healthequityandaccess #integratedhealthcare #AccountableCareOrganizations #HealthcareSpending #integratedhealthcaresystems #healthtech #Persivia #PersiviaAI https://lnkd.in/gqKCkBpM

Have you explored our manifesto yet? As the UK prepares for a general election, we present a manifesto that examines how well the NHS is meeting its users’ priorities and describes a set of high impact policies to create a more person centred health service. We recommend that policymakers set out a commitment and strategy to restore confidence in public health and care services. This should involve reducing waiting times, improving people's experiences of care, and listening to patients and the public before introducing important changes. To read how our expertise in measuring, understanding, and improving people’s experience of care could help to restore public confidence in the NHS, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/eq3eskBM #NHS #PersonCentredCare #PersonCentredHealthService #PickerManifesto #PickerPrinciples #HealthcareManifesto 

The NHS at a Crossroads: Restoring Britain’s National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is a beloved British institution, providing universal healthcare free at the point of use for over 70 years. Yet today, the NHS finds itself in a state of crisis, struggling with long waiting times, declining quality of care, and a growing gap between service demands and available resources. As the independent investigation led by Lord Darzi has revealed, the roots of this crisis run deep, stemming from a decade of austerity, the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longstanding structural and systemic issues within the health service. Our September editorial will explore the key findings of Lord Darzi’s comprehensive report, outlining the stark realities facing the NHS and the critical steps needed to put it back on a path to sustainable, high-quality care for all. With the health and prosperity of the nation at stake, the choices made in the coming years will shape the future of Britain’s most cherished public institution. #NHS #NationalHealthService #Healthcare #PublicHealth #HealthCrisis #LordDarzi #UniversalHealthcare #HealthReform #SustainableHealthcare #QualityCare #HealthcareChallenges #COVID19Impact #Austerity #HealthPolicy #UKHealthcare #FutureOfNHS #HealthEquity #NHSReform #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare

There is broad consensus that the health system must transition from a sickness service to a health creating service. Yet while the idea of shifting to a preventative model of care is not novel, the actualisation of this has proven consistently difficult and unsuccessful. 90% of daily NHS activity happens in general practice and the community; demand on the primary care system is not only increasing in volume but also in complexity. Primary care is uniquely positioned for early intervention, as the first point of access in healthcare, and needs to be able to intervene at the earliest possible point, deliver high-quality care when people need it, and empower patients to live independent, healthy lives. This report, from Reform Think Tank, explores how the primary care system can be fundamentally reimagined, aligned to three key principles: to intervene earlier, respond to clinical need faster and avoid preventable decline. NHS England Department of Health and Social Care NHS Providers NHS Confederation British Medical Association Royal College of General Practitioners #nhs #health #primarycare #generalpractice #reform #policy #healthcare Rosie Beacon Patrick King Florence Conway