UPCOMING ABL HEALTHCARE ROUND TABLES

• 12/4 – Orange County ZOOM Table – “How Will We Finance Making America Healthy Again?” – Featuring Greg Buchert, MD, of Makani Science  

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• 12/19 – Bay Area ZOOM Table – “Re-Planning for 2025: Back to the Future” – Featuring Debbie Toth of Choice in Aging

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• 12/20 – Los Angeles ZOOM Table – “Leading Through Healthcare Market Chaos” – Featuring Bob Rose of NPIx / MD Remote Connect

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Todd Cornell is President and CEO of MedWand Solutions, Inc., a pioneer in telehealth technology. Todd joined MedWand in 2023 as COO and was promoted to his current leadership position in 2024. MedWand seamlessly integrates traditional tools and Bluetooth connectivity for vitals capture and remote patient evaluations to enhance efficiency, convenience, and access to care. Created by a team of physicians and engineers to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services regardless of physical location, MedWand is a multi-sensor medical device that assists clinicians in providing a comprehensive patient assessment from any location. The company offers advanced telemedicine solutions for multiple applications, including hospitals, remote clinics, nursing homes, schools, and workplaces. Todd began his career in the Medical Device industry by joining US Surgical Corp in 1994 as a Sales representative. This was followed by positions at Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular, Emphasys Medical, Pulmonx Corporation, and Sirtex Medical before being named President of Broncus Medical from 2019 to 2023, prior to joining MedWand Solutions. Todd has joined the OC Healthcare Round Table.

Bob Rose is Managing Partner of Rose Strategic Partners, which is working with multiple associated companies, including MedWand, to help configure and deploy a Patient-Centric, Provider-Driven, Hybrid 5G Health Ecosystem across the entire continuum from hospital to home and back again, with an immediate focus on facilitating decentralized clinical trials. Most recently, Bob was CEO of MedWand, which he co-founded in 2014, and where he continues to serve as a Strategic Advisor. Earlier, Bob founded Cypher Scientific as a commercial design firm, where the MedWand device was born. Later, MedWand Solutions, Inc. acquired Cypher. Previously, Bob spent 30 years in engineering, operations, and manufacturing, beginning his career in medical equipment manufacturing, later becoming the Technical Liaison to Japan for Toshiba America. After serving as Director of Engineering and Manufacturing for an airborne video equipment company, he moved back into consumer electronics, including Leadership positions with Tandy Corp, CompUSA, Systemax, Wyle Systems, and RED Digital Cinema, where the 4K cinema camera they invented obsoleted film. Bob has joined the LA Healthcare Round Table.

Medicare Advantage on the 50 Yard Line

BLOG by by David Saÿen, former Regional Administrator at CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and currently the President of the Board of Trustees at the Alameda Health System

Recently, former Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal, published an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal titled “Biden Sabotages Medicare Advantage.” With the program nearing 50% penetration, he frets about the annual payment adjustment being too stingy. Just a few days later the same paper trumpeted, “Health Giant’s Earnings Lift Stocks for Sector.” Despite the fiasco caused by the hack of Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, revenue climbed 8.6%, beating analysts’ estimates. Apparently shoddy work by health insurers isn’t a problem like it is for airplane manufacturers.

Medicare Advantage is a private program where the federal government pays an age- and health-adjusted premium for beneficiaries opting for private plans. It is lauded by conservatives as beneficial for consumers. It’s sort of like vouchers for public schools, block grants for Medicaid, and cutting Social Security. Always in fashion for some. While it may benefit investors and health insurance companies, it’s not always advantageous for all seniors and disabled folks in Medicare.

Medicare has a punishing calendar for the folks at CMS. Every year there are changes, and there is an annual rule updating payment for each program area: hospitals, physicians, and health plans in particular. Jindal’s concerns stem from changes outlined in the April 4, 2024, MA rule. The complexities of Medicare payment are beyond the scope of this blog, but the upshot is that the rule trims the base payment by 0.16%, the program changes overall are expected to yield a 3.7% increase in payments to plan. These changes aim to improve access to behavioral health providers, enhance transparency regarding supplemental benefits, introduce standards for special supplemental benefits for chronically ill individuals, and refine star ratings for plan evaluations. Additionally, there’s a focus on ensuring equitable utilization management practices, emphasizing health equity expertise.

Despite Jindal’s apprehensions about payment updates, the regulatory changes seem positive overall. While some plans may exit certain markets, as is common, Medicare Advantage appears set for another successful year.

David Saÿen is the former Regional Administrator at CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
and is currently the President of the Board of Trustees at the Alameda Health System

BLOG by Mimi Grant, President of ABL Organization

IT’S BACK TO THE FUTURES OF HEALTHCARE

Mimi recently participated in the “Living Longer Festival: Health + Wellness 2050,” held at the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building on the National Mall. Here, Mimi shares a brief photo journal, with captions, of her incredible experience.

In 1879, the “National Museum” – the nation’s first, was “crowned” on the Washington Mall. Last November, after being closed for the past 20 years, the renamed Smithsonian “Arts + Industries Building” (AIB) reopened its doors to host the “FUTURES” exhibit. Over the eight months of the exhibit, FUTURES looked at a number of themes, including the future of AI, Generative Design, Conservation, Energy, Transportation, Work, Fashion, Gaming, and “Healthcare – in 2050.”

On June 25th, the “Living Longer Festival: Health + Wellness 2050,” highlighted a special demonstration entitled, “The Doctor Is In (SPACE),” “demonstrating” how an astronaut using a MedWand on a patient in space could conceivably link with a terrestrial doctor for an exam. MedWand’s Co-Founders, Bob Rose, CEO, and Samir Qamar, MD, CMO, were frequently seen on-hand answering questions from the 12,000 visitors who toured the Exhibit on “Solstice Saturday,” when several of the Smithsonian museums, including AIB, stayed open late – some till midnight.

Later, I had the honor of moderating an outstanding panel of experts, supplemented with questions from the audience who “Interrupted Your Regularly Scheduled Panel” throughout “WIYRSP: Living Longer in the Future.” To kick it off we introduced “Elizabeth,” a great grandmother, who was captured on her grandson’s iPhone for the masses when she demonstrated her impressive moves as she got down to Bruno Mars at her 100th birthday party surrounded by friends and family…

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF MIMI’S BLOG WITH MORE, LARGER PHOTOS