Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | November 14, 2022 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H E A L T H C A R E BY LAURA FINALDI Special to WBJ W hen John McDonough was doing his graduate studies, he was taught there were three pillars of U.S. healthcare policy: cost, quality, and access. Everything else, he said, could be compartmentalized under one of the three. Aer the Affordable Care Act, however, McDonough said he observed a fourth pillar start to emerge: population health. And two years ago, aer the COVID-19 pandemic started, he realized there was a fih: health equity, which he used to think could go under Improving health care America spends the most money on health care and yet has subpar outcomes. A WBJ panel of experts saw potential fixes to the problems. cost, quality, and access. For the first time, major healthcare providers in Massachusetts and across the country have started taking steps to rectify racial discrepancies in healthcare services and outcomes. Before COVID, it was rare to see the word "racism" inside a medical journal, McDonough said. But today, it seems that the U.S. healthcare industry is starting to wake up and directly address problems, like high C-section rates for pregnant Black mothers. "I taught a program two months ago and I said, 'Raise your hand if your institution is doing something new on health equity.' Every hand in the room went up," he said. "Whether it's real or for show, it's a different moment." Healthcare leaders throughout the region came together to discuss equity, population health, and the latest news at the Worcester Business Journal's annual Central Massachusetts Health Care Forum, held virtually Oct. 27. McDonough, a professor at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was the event's keynote speaker. Keeping the focus on health equity e panel of experts said strides are being made throughout the healthcare industry to provide care across ethnic and racial lines. Worcester-based insurer Fallon Health is working toward accreditation in health equity from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, said Matthew Herndon, the company's senior vice president, chief state programs officer. But with progress on the equity front has come backlash, McDonough said. Healthcare equity has become a political topic, in line with the national discussion surrounding critical race theory. "It's kind of a form of Trumpism," he said. On the other hand, some community health centers are wondering what took other providers so long. "I'm totally on board with the push for health equity, because we've been doing it as community health centers for more than 50 years. We're just thrilled that the healthcare delivery system overall is finally realizing the importance of it," said Stephen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester. Kristin Mattocks, associate dean for veterans affairs and professor of population and health sciences John McDonough, professor at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Matthew Herndon, chief state programs officer for Fallon Health Nursing students at Assumption University practice on a dummy patient. PHOTO | COURTESY OF ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY

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