100 INFLUENTIAL MINNESOTA HEALTH CARE LEADERS
3100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders from cover
Sue Abderholden, MPH Executive Director | NAMI Minnesota Challenges: Living with uncertainty; physical isolation; and
NNESOTA’S MI
disruptions in employment, health, school, and life events are negatively affecting the mental health of Minnesotans. The murder of George Floyd and racism has added to trauma experienced by the BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color) community. The CDC says that more people struggle with anxiety, depression, and substance use. Our fragile mental health system may not be able to respond to increased demand. Strategies: NAMI is working to raise awareness, especially around suicide prevention.
We are advocating for increased funds for our mental health providers, continuing the lessening of restrictions surrounding telehealth, and expanding and diversifying the mental health workforce. H
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Sen. Jim Abeler, DC Abeler Chiropractic Clinic
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HEALTH CARE LEADERS In preparing this feature we asked each of the nominated health care leaders to answer the two questions listed below. Their responses provide a unique and kaleidoscopic overview of health care in 2020.
Challenges: All the challenges that existed before the Covid-19 pandemic are now magnified. In my view, a huge share of the access, quality, and cost issues are related to the extreme overinvolvement of the payers. That focus continues on doctors as though they are all outliers. Not true. The payer “middlemen” extract a huge cost toll while providing little benefit. The best care coordination is still best done at the clinical level with empowered doctors and staff. Quality care still has to matter. Strategies: The Legislature is really poorly suited to address these problems. “Health care” has become a slogan. Large systems and payers stifle the innovation that doctors would wish to implement. Instead they are silenced. Patients suffer while payer profits drive care.
1. What are the biggest challenges facing health care delivery today?
Todd Archbold, LSW, MBA
2. How is your organizations preparing to meet these challenges?
CEO | PrairieCare Challenges: We face a mental health crisis and systems that lack the ability to adequately identify and treat both physical and mental health in a fully integrated way. Accessing mental health care can be difficult, due in part to stigma and fragmented care networks. Emergency rooms have become a common entry point for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Strategies: We work closely with hospitals, clinics, and schools to create integrated care models that allow for easier access to timely mental health care. Tools such as online screening help with early identification, telephone consultation, and community education to help increase awareness of services, shine light on the prevalence of mental illnesses, and decrease barriers in accessing mental health care.
Kyle Bauer, CPA CEO | Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Challenges: We will be challenged to keep costs at a sustainable
growth rate while seeing significant increases in the health care needs of all patients, including growing numbers of Baby Boomers. Much of our experienced work force is part of that generation, so we will step up our efforts to recruit and retain workers across our spectrum of services. Strategies: Most health care costs are driven by individuals with one or more chronic
conditions. We have initiated a number of programs such as focused care management, palliative care, and hospice care to help manage these conditions and avoid trips to the emergency room and the hospital. We have also developed a number of programs to recruit, retain, and engage staff.
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NOVEMBER 2020 MINNESOTA PHYSICIAN