January 2015                                                                                                                              Issue No. 1
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In Upcoming Issues
Leading Leaders on the Way to Becoming a "Superconducting" Healthcare Organization - Part 4

Employee Well-Being and Company Performance:  Are Your Employees at the Center of Your Business? - Part 2

Reinvent Healthcare. Help Change the World.

The (Hidden) Cost of Insecurity: Can Un-ease Lead to Dis-ease? (Reprint from HR IQ)

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Happy New Year! We are starting 2015 off with a bang.

I am excited to announce the launch of not one, but two, new standing columns as we expand our coverage of the healthcare landscape:
          • Not a Freudian Slip - issues and trends in behavioral/mental health
          • Affidavit: Healthcare and the Law - issues and trends in the legal arena
And in the July issue, we plan to include an article which will feature those who have been in the news for their leadership and accomplishments in healthcare.

So without further ado, read on! And be on the lookout soon for the winner of a free WHCMAA membership in follow-up to the Wharton Healthcare Quarterly December feedback survey.

Z. Colette Edwards, WG'84, MD'85
Managing Editor

To learn more about Colette, click here.


presidentThe President's Desk

Contributor: Jeff Voigt, WG'85

Find out about "Healthcare Transformation: The Dance of Disruptors, Incumbents and Rule-Makers," October's annual healthcare alumni conference, and the celebratory status of the June Kinney Scholarship, as well activities which closed out 2014 and those on their way in 2015.
openwideOpen Wide: Revisiting a Tried and True Friend
Column Editor: Harris Contos, DMD, WG'80

In this quarter's Open Wide column, let's revisit one of the cornerstones not only of dental health itself, but of public health in general. I'm referring to community water fluoridation (CWF), termed by the CDC as "one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century," along with vaccination, control of infectious diseases, motor vehicle safety, and decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke. Not bad company to be in. Read more.


philosopherThe Philosopher's Corner
Contributor: Steven J. Davidson, WG'89
 
This eclectic standing column features insightful musings, words of wisdom, life lessons, and stepping stones to business success. This month's philosopher is Stephen Davidson, MD, WG'89, founder of EMedConcepts.  Read more

 

We'd love to hear from you and invite you to click here to participate in future editions.  Column Editor: Z. Colette Edwards, WG'84, MD'85.  

 



In this multi-part series, we will address how each component of an individual's biopsychosocial (BPS) profile influences mental health and well-being. We will look at health not as a stand-alone entity, but as one that is influenced by multiple factors, including our upbringing, our day-to-day experiences, and our gender. Ultimately, we demonstrate why efforts to both understand and treat ill health must be tailored to the individual.  In Part 1, we explore mental health: its impact on a person's lived experience, the importance of addressing mental health in all dimensions of healthcare, and introduce how mental health is influenced by gender. Read more.


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LawAffidavit: Healthcare and the Law - Big Data Opportunities in Health Care: Privacy and Security Must Be Part of the Discussion
Column Editor: Lisa W. Clark, JD'89

"Big Data" refers to "data of sufficient volume, complexity, or velocity that it exceeds the capability of conventional current technology or methodology to process or analyze" it.  According to IBM, "Every day, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data - so much that 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone." Because data is everywhere - in storage, on servers, on private computing devices, in transmission - the opportunities to cull, query, and learn from Big Data are endless. In healthcare, Big Data opens up possibilities in population health, research, personalized medicine, patient education, and advertising.  Indeed, the exploration of Big Data is one of the key drivers of healthcare reform. So how does HIPAA apply to address privacy and security issues raised by Big Data? Read more.

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SuperfluiditySuperfluidity: Engaging Resistance to Pick Up Speed in Healthcare - Part 3
This is the third in a series of four articles about working toward being a "superconducting organization," where results come faster and sustainable. In this article, learn one of the levers that can help build this kind of organization, Superfluidity. Read more.
 

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EnhanceEnhancing Decision-Making with Simulation-Based Learning to Improve Health and Healthcare Outcomes.
Contributor: Bob Yayac, WG'89 

In healthcare, educators need to continually evaluate, improve, and refine learner's strategies for decision-making. Most traditional approaches focus only on increasing knowledge or comprehension. Learn how Decision Simulation, LLC provides a novel simulation- based education and training platform, DecisionSim™.  This approach is designed to enhance the decision-making skills of healthcare providers and patients, leading to enduring change and improved outcomes. Read more.
 
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TherapeuticCan Patient Stories Be Therapeutic?
Contributors:  Robert Quinn, Ph.D and Neal Sikka, M.D. 


It is challenging to identify tools that can help to inform, engage, motivate, and empower patients to be activated in their care and make the best personal care decisions.  Examine the evidence that suggests stories (both listening to the personal stories of others as well as writing one's own) can be therapeutic in different settings and explore the mechanisms by which personal stories exert a positive influence on health. Read more.


RisaRisa-Lavizzo-Mourey Named 2014 Recipient of the Prestigious Wharton Healthcare Management Alumni Achievement Award
Contributor: Jeff Voigt, WG'85

On Thursday evening, October 30, 2014, over 60 WHCM alumni and guests gathered in Philadelphia to honor Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, WG'86 for her lifetime work in healthcare and at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she has been President and CEO since 2003.  Read more.




Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within are those of the authors and editors of the articles and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Wharton School and/or the University of Pennsylvania, and/or their respective organizations. Publication in this e-magazine should not be considered an endorsement. The Wharton Healthcare Quarterly e-magazine and WHCMAA make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information in this e-magazine and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.