What’s Really Killing Us?
Alexandra Drane | Founder & Chair, Eliza Corporation Co-Founder, Seduce Health Co-Founder, Engage with Grace
What’s killing us? Is it high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or even diabetes? Or are all these symptoms of something else? Alexandra Drane calls it “life sucks” disease. It’s made up of all the other things that monopolize our time and distract us from taking care of ourselves: caregiver stress, financial stress, relationship stress and workplace stress.
The Upstream Effect: What Makes Us Sick?
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH | Chief Medical Officer, The Wonderful Company
What is the “upstream effect”? For that matter, what is an “upstreamist”? Dr. Rishi Manchanda is an upstreamist. (We checked Webster’s about that one. It’s not there.) He’s also chief medical officer at healthy snack producer, The Wonderful Company. The upstream effect is Dr. Manchanda’s approach to improving the quality of primary care: tackle social and environmental issues before they lead to health problems—before they reach a doctor’s door.
Treating Addiction Within the Health Care System
Nora Volkow, MD | Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Dr. Nora Volkow knows about the addiction battles many Americans lose—how addiction destroys relationships, livelihoods and lives. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health, says the immediate response is to wholly integrate behavioral care as part of our routine health care expectations.
Beyond #Moonshot: Back-to-Basics Cancer Care
Otis Brawley, MD, MACP | Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society, Inc.
The underbelly of health care is hard to look at. But Otis Brawley, an oncologist who grew up in inner-city Detroit, worked in the largest public hospital in the U.S. and is now a leader at the American Cancer Society, has seen it all: how the rich are over-treated and the poor are under-treated, patient care based on how big a payment the doctor can expect, rising health care costs for unnecessary and unproven treatments.
Tailored Cancer Care: Less Can Be More
Laura Esserman, MD, MBA | Professor, Departments of Surgery and Radiology, and Affiliate Faculty, Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Director, Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, Co-Leader, Breast Oncology Program, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Less is more. That’s the philosophy earning fans (and foes) for Dr. Laura Esserman, director of the University of California San Francisco’s Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. The doctor has long preferred a less invasive approach when treating the breast condition known as DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ). Conventional treatment often means biopsy, surgery and radiation.
Fighting Cancer. Cutting Costs. At the Same Time.
Barbara McAneny, MD | Chief Executive Officer, New Mexico Cancer Center
No one wants to hear their oncologist is looking to cut costs. Patients would want to know, “How will that affect my care?” Their natural assumption might be “not for the better.” But Dr. Barbara McAneny gently reminds us our instinctive reaction may be off base.
Save Money. Live Better. Here’s Where You Start.
Marcus Osborne, MBA | Vice President, Health and Wellness Transformation, Walmart
Everyone knows that if you visit your local Walmart, you’re likely to find almost anything you could ever need—but if not for the greeter at the door, you might not know where to look for it: there’s just so much. That’s a metaphor for how Marcus Osborne describes the health care system now and in the future.
Performance Reporting: Easing Your Grief
Joseph Territo, MD | Associate Medical Director for Quality, Kaiser Mid Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
In life, some laws are universal. The five stages of grief, for instance: denial and isolation; anger; bargaining; depression; and, finally, acceptance. Dr. Joseph Territo says there is a painfully similar universal truth with performance reporting.
Telehealth Is Revolutionizing Care Delivery: Can It Change the Value Definition?
Reed V. Tuckson, MD, FACP | Managing Director, Tuckson Health Connections, LLC
Delivering value in health care tops the priority list for leaders across the industry. Defining value can be much more subjective. But whatever your definition, Dr. Reed Tuckson says that telehealth will be a key component. Tuckson is managing director of Tuckson Health Connections and president of the American Telemedicine Association, and his prognosis for telehealth’s future is nothing short of exuberant.
