Ravi Kavasery, MD

Private equity has a role, but too often, it's exploiting healthcare. The WSJ highlights how these firms inflate costs, impacting patients and providers alike. In anesthesia, we witness this daily. We must champion investments that prioritize patient care over profit margins. It's time for leadership that demands ethical practices and safeguards our profession from those looking to make a quick buck. https://lnkd.in/e_akBuWV #Leadership #Anesthesia #Healthcare #PrivateEquity #EthicalInvesting

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Great new insight from our Pivotal Analytics team. We spend a lot of time preaching about the value of localized data and this infographic is great way to see that in action - demand for Cardiology varies a LOT on a market-to-market basis. Utilizing claims data as an input allows us to tailor insight to a local population, something we see far too few people doing on a regular basis - I continue to be surprised how many strategy leaders rely on demand intel driven by national benchmarks.

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This weekend #CMS issued a #Medicare Final Rule with new #PartD technical requirements. In addition to regulatory updates, this rule itself is a crucial reminder for #MA plans:  ✅ This FR codifies previous Proposed Rules which remained unfinalized. ✅ This FR reminds plans that unadjudicated #MedicareAdvantage #StarRatings proposals (including increase of #Improvement measure #HoldHarmless from 4 to 5 stars and removal of cutpoint guardrails from non-CAHPS measures) remain alive and can be finalized by CMS without additional rulemaking. From a technical perspective, among other things, this FR:   1️⃣ Requires Part D plans, prescribers and dispensers to to exclusively use NCPDP Formulary & Benefit standard for electronic transmission of formulary/benefits info (including ePA) by 1/1/2027. 2️⃣ Requires RTBTs to comply with RTBT standard v13 (adopted by ONC) by 1/1/2027. 3️⃣ Codifies many technical/technological details to align CMS and #ONC. If you’re not in the pharmacy space, why should you care? Here are 4 reasons: ⚠ This illustrates that pending high-impact #Stars changes can still be codified. ⚠ CMS admits this FR is needed because recently-codified RTBT requirements were created in absence of industry-wide standards, and as ONC catches up to policy needs, new regs will be established despite impact to providers, plans and vendors. ⚠ Last week’s restated Star Ratings to correct #Tukey errors may increase 2025 Medicare spending by up to $1 billion. CMS may seek methods by which to make that change budget neutral, which the proposals to remove guardrails and change the Improvement measure Hold Harmless provisions could achieve. ⚠ January's #Interoperability FR was complex and TL;DR for many, but it will trigger more #HHS Interagency alignment and regulatory adjustments sooner rather than later. Here are a few things insurors, providers and vendors outside of Part D should consider in response to this FR: ✔ How ready are you for January’s Interoperability FR? ✔ What gaps exist between your current status and looming Interoperability requirements? ✔ How might greater CMS/ONC alignment impact your organization? ✔ What strategic investments do you need to consider to ensure your readiness? With #PartDRedesign and the #IRA about to kickstart the most disruptive pharmacy changes since Part D launched in 2006, early adopters of these new requirements will lead the way in #CAHPS and #memberexperience. This is a great time for Stars teams to continue reminding executives that ambiguity and uncertainty is exactly what CMS wants! They want free markets to force us to strive as high as we're willing in order to reap #QBP rewards. Whether you are seeking corporate or personal leadership development and growth, our Reality-Based Improvement Institute has been designed to drive success amidst uncertainty. Reach out if you’d like to learn more. #WhatGotYouHereWontGetYouThere #LetsRoll ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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This episode is getting a lot of love! internationally renowned AI experts, Drs. Tinglong Dai & Nestoras Mathioudakis, sat down with myself and co-host Mustafa Broachwala, DO to breakdown artificial intelligence in healthcare. Stay ahead of the curve with this riveting conversation! #artificialintelligence #AI #healthcare #medicine #bioinformatics

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Great work by my colleague Ankur Sethi MBBS FACC, published in Structural Heart and featured in Cardiovascular Business, that highlights the need for timely #TAVR in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Key findings: - Delaying TAVR in severe #aorticstenosis (AS) patients increases healthcare costs by $10,000 per year.** - Delays due to incomplete evaluations, referral issues, and systemic barriers lead to higher costs and increased mortality risk. [Cardiovascular Business Article](https://lnkd.in/g8-Fw3bZ.) [Publication] (https://lnkd.in/gJkU96tj) Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital #Cardiology #TAVR #HealthcareEconomics #HeartHealth #StructuralHeart #PatientOutcomes #HeartValveDisease #HealthPolicy #ClinicalResearch #Echocardiography #Medicare

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"The Middle Path to Innovation" (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2024) delineates a new model for how to make health care innovation happen. It explains how both large firms, struggling with sluggish revenue growth and product development, and start-ups, struggling to obtain the resources they need and "not invented here" cold shoulders from the large firms, can work together to achieve their goals. The article is based on the actual results achieved by co-author Duke Rohlen as he implemented this model to quadruple Cordis’s growth rate in two years, with the funding and expertise of PE firms KKR and Hellman & Friedman. We then illustrate how this model has been deployed in the moribund film industry and can be used to increase laggard defense innovation. (Herzlinger, Regina E., Duke Rohlen, Ben Creo, and Will Kynes. "The Middle Path to Innovation." Harvard Business Review 102, no. 4 (July–August 2024): 134–145. https://lnkd.in/d9GBWJJC) #healthcare #innovation #Cordis

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Kaiser nurses are protesting the use of AI in healthcare settings… This is interesting! Fear of AI integration is real, but what if it could help allow nurses to do more of the things that they actually want to do outside of administrative work? Healthcare organizations need to value workers and show them how AI won’t ‘take their jobs” or we’ll have more demonstrations like this. As we’ve seen with the new Federal AI policy that I’ve been creating videos about, AI should be an adjunct to care; not a replacement. There will need to be oversight and humans working with the tech? What are your thoughts on this? #ai #unions #nurses #rn #healthcare #healthtech #jobs #kaiser

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Single center EHR study of 5 064 pts w/ pre-diabetes compared those starting metformin (1154) vs 13 877 non-users w/ ~4 yrs F/U. Incidence of future gout was lower w/ metformin use (7.1 vs 9.5/1000PYs; HR 0.68); with no change in SUA or CRP https://buff.ly/3wDAERR

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There are many compelling reasons AI must augment physicians’ decision-making and not replace it. On the most basic level, it is crucially important to remember that while patients come to us for answers and facts – information we provide in the diagnosis of conditions and our care recommendations – we provide much more. Few endeavors draw on one’s humanity more than being a doctor. At times the very tone of our voice, a comforting hand on one’s shoulder, or even our mere presence in silence, is of great value, and solace, to our patients. As the tools at our disposal grow more advanced, we must absolutely embrace them where and when they help our patients, but we must never forget that providing care does not, and will never, be limited to providing correct answers. It is important that we never forget that being a doctor calls for so much more. Medical Xpress https://bit.ly/4aVdUe6

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A drumbeat about the acute burnout faced by clinicians continues to plague the healthcare industry — and rightly so. Today, 49% of physicians say they are burned out. Further, one in five physicians indicate they are likely to leave their practice within two years. Burnout harms individuals and encompasses a variety of injuries including chronic stress, depression, exhaustion, and loss of joy in work as well as increased substance abuse and suicide. Clinician burnout clearly presents a wicked problem to address. However, the negative impacts of burnout in healthcare extend far beyond clinician well-being. As Dr. Thomas L. Schwenk said in a recent article in JAMA, physicians have effectively been the "proverbial 'canary in the coal mine.' While the canary may be sick, it is the mine that is toxic. Caring for the sick canary is compassionate, but likely futile until there is more fresh air in the mine." Therefore, it is imperative to usher fresh air into the mine by pulling up to understand and address burnout in a more holistic and comprehensive manner.” Burnout is a critical issue…to read more about the issues, please continue reading in the latest issue of Wharton Healthcare Quarterly.   Linda Roszak Burton and I are honored Z. Colette Edwards, MD MBA has once again invited us to be part of her amazing publication with this latest article “Executives Face a Moral and Business Imperative to Address Burnout”

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Health care costs are simply not sustainable and health disparities are costing our system $320 billion a year. Across the industry, we are well positioned to work collectively to do something different than what has ever been done before. Recently, I was invited to participate in an episode of Becker's Healthcare Payer Issues podcast with Mariah Muhammad to discuss the opportunities ahead and how GuideWell and Florida Blue are working to address affordability by reducing health disparities. 🎧 Listen to the full episode of the podcast: https://lnkd.in/eNFTbiBu #health #healthcare #healthcareonlinkedin

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To my payer network: what would you do if you had Cohere Health's early trend signal intelligence to give you a heads-up on medical utilization up to 3 months earlier? How would that change your work?

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Want to create a Center for Excellence for managing #psoriasis? In this Medscape commentary Michael Garshick (a #cardiologist at NYU Langone Health), Leah Howard, J.D. (CEO of National Psoriasis Foundation) and I discuss how assessing #cardiovascular risk is such an important component for managing #psoriatic disease. The most common comorbidity in psoriasis is #cardiometabolic disease such as #obesity, #atherosclerosis, #diabetes, and #hyperlipidemia which are the leading causes for excess #mortality in our patients. Details at: https://lnkd.in/eSEwrmgh

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I am excited to announce the launch of Azara's new report “Bridging the Health Plan/Provider Gap: Data-Driven Collaboration for a Value-Based Future.” The report, based on a survey of 70 health plan and provider leaders, uncovers insights about the fractured plan-provider relationship—and where the two players can collaborate more effectively to unlock unparalleled value. Learn more and download the report: https://hubs.la/Q02zDYgR0 hashtag #valuebasedcare #azaraDRVS

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From NEJM Group X: In an effort to reduce racial disparities in prenatal health, a Yale-based transdisciplinary research team, clinicians, and payers developed a program to deliver prenatal care in a group format. Read the full Perspective: https://lnkd.in/etKkZKx6 My take: We can address many maternal and infant disparities by implementing group prenatal care, training and hiring midwives, and giving patients access to doulas. Even better if we can train a diverse maternal health workforce. I’m glad we have even more evidence that group prenatal care works. #maternalhealth

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3 Mistakes I Made Early In My Career—And What I Would Have Done Differently I have been working in consulting for 18 years. And in that time, I've gotten to do a lot of cool things: Presented at HIMMS in Las Vegas with my colleague from Johns Hopkins Health System Built the COVID testing operations for the State of Maryland Created a team of amazing professionals in India There isn't much I would change about my journey. But if I could go back, here are a few of the mistakes I made early on—and what I would have done differently: —— **1. Documented what I did and lessons learned** As I noted above, I’ve had some amazing experiences and achieved great outcomes for myself and my clients. But I wish I had better notes about how I did it and what I was thinking as I did it. If I did, I’d have materials to teach my team or even share more broadly with this community. Now it takes time to dig those lessons up and the details are lost forever. The knowledge and experiences I accumulate are an asset that I wish I had taken more time to document. —— **2. Built a better investment strategy** I’ve always believed in working because I wanted to, not because I had to. I never wanted money to be a reason why I did or didn’t take a job. But it wasn’t until relatively recently that I learned how to start converting the money that I earned into assets that could support that goal. Before I would just watch every penny. Now I focus on earning and then increasing my lifestyle off of the interest rather than the increase in earnings. Better late than never, but this is a philosophy I wish I had learned sooner. —— **3. Created deliberate plans to achieve bigger goals** If you’ve read my work for any time now, you know that I am hyper focused and have a process for building and monitoring my goals. That wasn’t always the case and in fact, is a relatively recent evolution of my career. I always wanted to achieve, but I never had a deliberate and detailed plan for getting there. Now that I have that process, my progress has accelerated tremendously. I wonder where I would be if I had learned it sooner.

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Also don’t outsource your hospital’s core services to a GPO ran by foreign PE… I do find it so odd that Vizient’s own contracts couldn’t stand on their own so they had to create a aggregation group with Mayo Clinic called Capits. (https://lnkd.in/gpiVDKvn) Which by the way Mayo Clinic is being sued because not only does Mayo control pricing on supply chain contracts for Vizient, but guess who controls pricing on their self insured insurance plan. (https://lnkd.in/guvx5mqr) Oh and as of November of last year Mayo Clinic lead their state in adverse healthcare events. (https://lnkd.in/gXsPi2sw) Should I go on or have I made my point clear on why Oklahoma hospitals should not blindly follow Vizient, Captis, and the Mayo Clinic?

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In the last 4 years, we've seen dramatic surges and falls in healthcare private equity deals and volumes. PE investments can revitalize existing healthcare organizations and breathe life into new, innovative approaches. Read more from my colleague Troy Keach on the top PE trends emerging in 2024.

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