By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    Cognitive Psychology and Risk-taking in Extreme Sports
    Theodore Rex Walrond Highlights the Connection between Cognitive Psychology and Healthcare
    April 1, 2025
    stress management for healthcare workers
    3 Tips For Healthcare Professionals: How To Stay Beautiful, Healthy, and Happy
    November 2, 2021
    importance of relaxing on the weekend for your health
    Importance of Relaxing During the Weekend for Optimal Health
    March 25, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Person-Centered HealthCare: The FDA Gets Patient-Centric
    May 31, 2013
    Does the Supreme Court Understand Health Reform?
    April 12, 2012
    Racial Health Disparities Among People with Chronic Conditions in the US: Facts and Statistics
    July 25, 2013
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: First HHS Innovation Fellowships’ Meeting Focuses on New Measures of Quality in Healthcare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > First HHS Innovation Fellowships’ Meeting Focuses on New Measures of Quality in Healthcare
BusinessHealth ReformMedical InnovationsPolicy & Law

First HHS Innovation Fellowships’ Meeting Focuses on New Measures of Quality in Healthcare

Caroline Popper
Last updated: December 11, 2012 8:03 am
Caroline Popper
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

In its quest to find ways to reduce healthcare costs but boost healthcare quality, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its first fellowship program in September. For the next year, I’ll be a technical advisor on the part of this program that focuses on quickly developing ways to measure clinical quality under the new healthcare act.

In its quest to find ways to reduce healthcare costs but boost healthcare quality, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its first fellowship program in September. For the next year, I’ll be a technical advisor on the part of this program that focuses on quickly developing ways to measure clinical quality under the new healthcare act.

I’ll be working on a team with Mindy Hangsleben, an innovator in Lean technology at Intel in Portland, Oregon. We’ll be examining the challenge presented by the Affordable Care Act, which aims to move reimbursements from “fee for services” to” fees for performance.” Our questions are: “how do you measure performance? How do you pay for it?” Some aspects of health care delivery are easier to measure; e.g., what percentage of the relevant population gets a mammogram. But basing performance upon a more holistic measure of patient outcomes is tricky because all patients are not equal, and a comparison and ranking of outcomes is not easy. In addition, we’ll be looking at ways to determine the role played by various electronic health records (EHRs) in the capture of these performance parameters, as required under the new Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

The other HHS Innovation Fellowship projects include:

More Read

Expanding Medicaid benefits for improved behavioral health care, substance abuse treatment
Jon Huntsman Could Help the HealthCare Debate
ADA Compliance in Your Medical Facility
Hospital Marketing Lessons from the Mayo Clinic
Four Lesser-Known Ways to Enhance Your Web Presence
  • Finding ways to quickly determine Medicaid or CHIP eligibility for people. This is going to be very important under the new healthcare law because a significant percentage of the 30 million new health-insurance eligible people will be covered under Medicaid.  It will take a sophisticated infrastructure to make sure people know about the coverage they are eligible for and are getting the care they need, at the right time. Could a combination of the fulfillment ability of Zappos with the innovation of Apple show the way to some solutions?
  • Optimizing services in the event of disaster. Preparing for disasters is problematic because disasters are rather rare—but as “Superstorm”/Hurricane Sandy showed, the need for care is acute when these types of natural disasters occur. This team is looking at ways to optimize devices and services for rare disasters and that may have collateral benefits for routine events. While only an advertising line, Motel 6’s “We’ll leave the light on for you” hints at ways to provide a constant state of comfort, if not readiness.
  • Developing electronic tracking and efficient transport for the nation’s organ transplant system. Could the logistics expertise of United Parcel Service (UPS) provide new avenues, for example?

The fellowship program was spawned when HHS met with other federal agencies to determine issues that might require some outside help (very much like the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency). For the first round of the program, the teams assembled make for an extremely varied group, which should foster fresh ideas and perspectives, some of which are readily borrowed or repurposed from other industries.

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare with the ACA in place? Are the ones outlined above “it” or are there others that HHS might consider next? How would you develop a fee-for-performance system, perhaps borrowing ideas from other industry segments? Are there specific ideas you’d like to share with me as an advisor in this effort? Let me know your thoughts.

TAGGED:HHSQuality
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Healing Hands: Navigating Medical Malpractice with a Lawyer
Health care

Healing Hands: Navigating Medical Malpractice with a Lawyer in Richmond

February 25, 2024

Doctor Wes Speaks on on Doctor Privacy

April 26, 2011
eHealthMedical Education

How Online Learning Is Essential In The Health Care Industry

August 1, 2020

7 Best Blogs to Follow About Healthcare Legislation

June 2, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?