The Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way healthcare is provided, thereby accelerating the need for innovation between providers and payers.
To monitor its efforts, Medicare Advantage plan providers Scan health Appointed Dr. Scott Weingarten as its First Chief Innovation Officer.
Weingarten was appointed to a new position last month. He came to SCAN Health from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he served as senior vice president, chief clinical translation officer and professor of medicine. He also has experience in starting healthcare companies, including Zynx Health, a provider of clinical decision support solutions.
In an interview with MedCity News, Weingarten discussed his priorities as chief innovation officer, how his past experience will affect his new role and how he defines innovation.
MedCity News: Healthcare innovation means different things to different people. What does this mean to you?
Scott Weingarten: I believe that innovation is a means to an end. For me, it is ultimately better patient care.
For me, better patient care means better quality of care, better experience, more affordable care, and easier access to care. Therefore, if we can come up with a new care delivery system, it is an innovation that can significantly improve these results-for me, this is innovative care.
Medical City News: As the first Chief Innovation Officer of SCAN Group, what were your three priorities for the first year?
Scott Weingarten: My number one priority, what I want to say is the way I define innovation-consider new ways of delivering care through the four endpoints I mentioned: better quality, better member experience, more affordable care, and more Easy access to care.
I only have four and a half weeks, but [I’m] Started to learn a lot about SCAN and found that they are a highly innovative organization.My first role will be to lead a Elderly Primary Care Group A place where care is provided in the patient’s home. Therefore, we will send doctors, nurse practitioners and other providers to patients’ homes to ensure more convenient care.
Many elderly people have limited mobility and it is difficult to enter their doctor’s office. I think it is our duty to provide care for the elderly.Many seniors were [also] Fear of getting routine care during the pandemic.
Let me give you an example. My mother is a senior. I am biased, [but] I think she is very smart, and throughout the pandemic, it was difficult for me to persuade her to go to her doctor’s office. Although I am a doctor and she listens to me in many cases when seeking medical advice, she is still so scared that she will contract Covid-19 from someone in the waiting room and I cannot persuade her to go Routine inspection care. And I don’t think my mother is alone.
So, this is my first expense.We will take professional risks [in the geriatric primary care group]We believe that by providing primary care at home, we can provide higher quality care, a better patient experience, and more affordable care.
MedCity News: Will this group have nothing to do with the payer or only for SCAN Health members?
Scott Weingarten: This will have nothing to do with the payer.
MedCity News: I have a two-part question. First of all, what prompted you to switch from the provider to the payer? How will those past experiences, especially those at Cedar-Sinai, affect your new role in SCAN Health?
Scott Weingarten: I think what we do at SCAN is to provide care for patients. So, I think what we are doing, especially the new job I describe, is real care delivery, very similar to the provider job I did at Cedars.
For me, my focus at Cedars has always been the new care delivery model. How can we change what we are doing and bring results again, better quality, more affordable care, better experience, more accessible care? so, [my mindset at SCAN will be] It is very consistent with Cedars’ mentality-Polaris is patience.
MedCity News: You also have extensive experience in starting new companies. Will this also become the focus of SCAN? If so, what types of companies do you want to help launch?
Scott Weingarten: This is another reason why I went to SCAN. The new company I mentioned, the Elderly Primary Care Group, is a start-up company. I like startup companies. I like to start from scratch, just imagine how to provide better care, without being limited by the way of care over the years.
And there are many ways to accomplish this task. You can become a Medicare Advantage plan as part of what SCAN does. You can provide care for the elderly. You can imagine that the new company’s products and services can provide better care for the elderly. So what I want to say is that SCAN is taking a comprehensive look at various ways to achieve its mission, implement it on a large scale, and expand its impact.
MedCity News: With the proliferation of Delta variants of Covid-19, the pandemic is unlikely to end anytime soon. What do you think is the main responsibility of the payer during this period? With other key requirements having an impact on the healthcare industry, is there room for innovation?
Scott Weingarten: The pandemic has caused us to rethink nursing and innovation at a rate I have never experienced in my career. The adoption of telemedicine is an example that people often talk about. Another example is home care.This pandemic has indeed accelerated innovation, perhaps 5 or 10 years ahead of schedule, and [caused us to think about] How can we provide patients with a better experience?
I think we will see many of these changes continue for many years. I think this is a good thing.
[And] I see SCAN thinking-again, focusing on the elderly and how we can provide better, more affordable, and more convenient care-spending a lot of time and energy investing in new care delivery systems, services and products to make these results happen.
Photos: Khanisorn Chaokla, Getty Images, SCAN Health
