RWL Newsletter #30
Greetings from the sunny and frigid University of New Hamspshire!
We're heading into week 2 of our spring semester here, so we are in full swing. I've got a great class this semester, and I am super excited to be trying out some new approaches. I learned about his concept of "open pedagogy" and self-managing classrooms, so I am giving it a try. If this newsletter suddenly ends this summer, you'll know it didn't work out and I got myself fired. But what's life without taking some chances?
No risk engaging with this week's selections, though! Volunteers, the Internet of Things, and Long Term Care! Enjoy!
Read
What: from Stat, Call in the cuddlers: Volunteers step up to soothe babies born dependent on opioids
https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/06/volunteer-cuddlers-opioids/
Why: I'm heading to Boston Medical Center this morning to interview Rich Silveria, the CFO. I was doing some Googling about the organization and came upon this really touching (pun intended) story about volunteers at BMC. One of the unique aspects of healthcare as an industry is the role of volunteers. I was just up visiting Littleton Regional Healthcare, a critical access hospital in NH's North Country on Wednesday and the former CEO (who is now the CEO of the system LRH belongs to) was telling me that he has more than 100 FTEs of volunteers. That's amazing for such a small organization. Small or large, it's clear that volunteers are a critical aspect of the healthcare industry. Some economic theory would say that this represents voluntary price discrimination. I'll have to see if I can find any research on that.
Watch
What: from Brookings, The 5G network, the internet of things, and the future of health care: Panel discussion
Why: I have an interest in regulation. Those of you who know me personally know I lean libertarian, so I tend to think we have too much regulation in general, and in healthcare in particular. One of the areas I think we have too much regulation is in the area of non-invasive devices and diagnostic tools. This is an interesting discussion of the future of medicine and the coming influence of the "internet of things".
Listen
What: Health Leader Forge interview with Tom Lavallee, COO of Alliance Health Management Services
http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2017/02/thomas-c-lavallee-coo-alliance-health.html
Why: We don't talk enough about long term care in my program, so I was pleased to get introduced to Tom a few months ago, and finally have the chance to interview him for the Forge. Alliance Health Management Services manages a chain of nursing homes in Massachusetts. Tom and I have a great conversation about his career in long term care and why it is such a rewarding field. I learned some interesting things about how health reform is affecting the industry, in particular how ACOs are pressuring skilled nursing facilities, which is something I had not heard up here in NH. Definitely worth a listen.
That's it for this week! Have a happy and safe New Year and I'll talk to you again next year!
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
That's it for this week! Have a happy and safe New Year and I'll talk to you again next year!
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
That's it for this week! Have a happy and safe New Year and I'll talk to you again next year!
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