March 30th is Doctors’ Day, and for most physicians that means a special lunch in the hospital cafeteria or a carnation on their white coat. But a few years ago, I hung up my white coat and made the transition to healthcare consulting. The questions immediately started. Won’t you miss seeing patients? What exactly will you do? Did you lose your license? That last one is my favorite. So what exactly is a doctor like me doing in a place like this?
Public Health
Loneliness is Lethal: Five Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes by Improving Social Connectedness
This blog post was authored by HMA clinicians Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, MPH, and Jeffrey Ring, PhD
While most people would agree that social relationships improve day-to-day quality of life, do social connections actually provide a health benefit? The answer is a resounding yes!
In 1921, a remarkable study began tracking the lives of 1,500 Americans from childhood to death. It sought to track what factors in life — such as faith, marriage, pets and exercise — increased longevity. The most significant finding was that strong social networks mattered the most. The quality of social connections was more significant than the quantity.[1] In an interview with National Public Radio, lead researcher Howard Friedman notes, “We saw that over and above the number of connections and the frequency of interactions that when those connections involved helping other people, reaching out, being actively engaged to do things for others, that was an added bonus on top of what we already see as quite beneficial from the social contacts themselves.”[2]
Save the Date for HMA’s 2017 Conference on Trends in Publicly Sponsored Healthcare
The Future of Medicaid is Here: Implications for Payers, Providers and States
Sept. 11-12, 2017
Chicago, IL
Health Management Associates (HMA) is proud to announce its 2nd conference on Trends in Publicly Sponsored Healthcare, Sept. 11-12, 2017, in Chicago. The theme of this year’s event is The Future of Medicaid is Here: Implications for Payers, Providers and States and features as keynote speakers some of the nation’s most innovative healthcare leaders.
HMA is launching a new blog
Change is the new normal for healthcare today. The industry is in constant flux. Healthcare reform is prompting us to reimagine what we do and how we deliver healthcare. It seems many public, private and nonprofit stakeholders are taking different approaches, sparking a daily stream of research, studies and trends to inform your next move.
But who has time to sift through all that data? Keeping current with the latest developments alone is a full-time job. That’s where HMA can help.
You’ve counted on us for decades to provide clear insights into policy, programs and financing to get the job done. We provide counsel, research, whitepapers, webinars and weekly updates.
And now, we’re writing a blog.