RWL Newsletter #23
Greetings from sunny but very cold Seacoast New Hampshire! As you can see, we've had some snow. One of the luxuries I get to enjoy some days is I can walk to work through UNH's College Woods . This is a shot of the Oyster River, which I cross over to get to the back side of campus. I'm giving my last final today, so I'll be saying goodbye to my students for a few weeks. I'm looking forward to the break almost as much as they are, I suspect though for different reasons. I'm looking forward to getting ahead on my Health Leader Forge interviews and doing some research. They're probably looking forward to not having to listen to me.
But we'll keep in touch with RWL, even if school is out. Also, thanks to everyone who has been writing in - I really appreciate the feedback! Let me know what you like and what you want to hear more about - I will try to find more things that interest you to include here.
And here's this week's recommendations...
Read
What: Federal News Radio, Defense Health Agency poised for huge growth under just-passed Defense bill by Jared Serbu
http://federalnewsradio.com/defense/2016/12/defense-health-agency-poised-huge-growth-just-passed-defense-bill/
Why: I "grew up" (professionally speaking) in the Military Health System (MHS), and I know many of my readers did too, and many of you are still deeply engaged with it. This is a profound change in the way military medicine will be managed, with significant ramifications for the services. I actually think it makes a lot of sense, but making these changes work, and making them actually generate improvements in the provision of care as measured by cost, quality, and access, is not something that will simply happen by changing an org chart. I'd be interested to hear what you all think of this change. Could be a first step toward the merger of other aspects of the military, as well. There is a lot of redundancy in the Pentagon that could go away - and it is not limited to the delivery of health care.
Watch
What: TEDMED, America Bracho, What happens when patients become leaders on a health team?
http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=75778
Why: I'm very interested in the idea of patient centered care, and patient activation. Last year I wrote a book chapter about how social media can be and is being used to promote public health, and in particular how we are able to tap into the knowledge that is embedded in our communities that can help us improve our health. What America Bracho is doing is along that same line - activating communities to tap into their own knowledge, and activating them to take responsibility for their own health.
Listen
What: my latest Health Leader Forge interview is with Michael D. Peterson, the President of Androscoggin Valley Hospital, a rural critical access hospital in Berlin, NH.
http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/12/michael-d-peterson-fache-president-of.html
Why: Prior to coming to AVH, Mike had had a really interesting career, from being a social worker to working in information management to managing operations, all in the Eastern Maine Health System, which I find fascinating. As president of AVH, he is in charge of one of four critical access hospitals that constitute the newly formed North Country Healthcare system, a unique organization. Well worth your time to listen to this leader.
That's it for this week! Have a great weekend! If you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
I' d love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, or you can tweet to me at @bonicatalent .
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast: http://healthleaderforge.org
Twitter: @bonicatalent
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." - Henry David Thoreau