A Health Podyssey

Christine Ritchie from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School joins A Health Podyssey to discuss what a re-imagined health system truly designed around the needs of older patients could look like and what it would take to get there.

Show Notes

When the Institute of Medicine defined health care quality, patient-centeredness was one of the five core dimensions. Yet as many have noted, the health system often seems to be more organized around the needs of providers than patients.

This reality is particularly true when it comes to older Americans. An entire system of coverage and care has built up around institutional needs and institutional definitions - nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living centers, rehabilitation centers, and more.

Christine Ritchie from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School joins A Health Podyssey to discuss what a reimagined health system truly designed around the needs of older patients could look like.

Ritchie and coauthor Bruce Leff of Johns Hopkins University published a commentary in the May 2022 issue of Health Affairs describing the elements of a new home and community-based care ecosystem for older people.

They argue for a system grounded in principles like respect for caregivers and medical and social integration.

Order the May 2022 issue of Health Affairs for research on telemedicine, disparities, pharmaceuticals, and more.

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What is A Health Podyssey?

Each week, Health Affairs' Rob Lott brings you in-depth conversations with leading researchers and influencers shaping the big ideas in health policy and the health care industry.

A Health Podyssey goes beyond the pages of the health policy journal Health Affairs to tell stories behind the research and share policy implications. Learn how academics and economists frame their research questions and journey to the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Health policy nerds rejoice! This podcast is for you.