Reznet

It’s amazing how fast a year goes by. Last May, when I met with the selection committee for the Kaiser Media Fellowship, I outlined my project. Several folks on the committee said I shouldn’t wait until fall to begin. The health care reform debate might be over by then – or so we thought.

Enacting health care reform was easy. Executing on real reform, now that’s a challenge.

What do people who work (or who have worked) for the Indian Health Service, think about the Indian Health Service?

Has the Indian Health Service been an effective, government-run delivery system?

It’s hard to communicate the failure of public policy in this great American city. A drive around town highlights the consequences from decades of neglect: Abandoned and burned out homes, office buildings as ruins, near-permanent unemployment, and thousands of empty lots capped with mounds.

Congress passed the health care reform legislation – and President Barack Obama signed the bill into law. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act was included – and now we can put this debate to rest. Right?

The enactment of health care insurance reform raises a thorny (and complicated) question for Indian Country: Should American Indians and Alaska Natives eligible for services in the Indian health system buy their own insurance?

President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Dr. Donald M Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

What does this mean for Indian Country? First, the U.S. recognizes its trust and treaty obligation for health care delivery to Natives. Second, there will be more money pumped into the Indian health system. And, third, President Barack Obama has delivered on a major promise to Indian Country.

Depending on where you live, you might be seeing TV commercials every few hours warning about the dangers of health care reform. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending millions to stop this legislation.

How does a health care agency listen to patient complaints in the era of social media? Well, the easiest thing to do is to ignore complaints or to explain them away. The best practice: Treat complaints as critical nuggets of information.

I didn’t figure the Indian health system would be a huge agenda item at the Blair House bipartisan meeting last week.

President Barack Obama is hosting a health care summit Thursday at the Blair House. It will be televised live. That transparency is an ideal opportunity for the president, Democrats and Republicans to put their best ideas forward and debate different approaches to solving the health care crisis.

It takes about 30 seconds of walking around the campus of the Alaska Native Medical Center to appreciate that you are in a special place. There are values communicated in every hallway.

President Barack Obama answered an important philosophical question last week: How will the federal government fully fund a starved Indian health system?

Imagine what the Indian Health Service could bring to its patients by embracing openness. Real time information, ranging from data to patient feedback, can help any organization improve results. Quickly.

Perhaps one reason why the massive health care reform legislation is in so much trouble is that few people understand the details. The bill is massive, complicated, and packed with official government jargon.

Did health care reform die at the ballot box? I’ve been reading on Twitter how pleased Republicans are with Scott Brown’s win for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. It’s a game changer.

The Indian health system is stuck in a world of conditional sentences. That’s a sentence with the phrase, “if … then.” If Congress passes health care reform, then …

The Indian health system has never had enough money – and therefore it’s essential to secure as many resources as possible in order to effectively treat the most patients.

This New Year I am experimenting, instead of resoluting. (I know, it’s not a real word. But it just sounded right.) I’m interested in how technology can play a role in behavior change, how to eat less, drink enough water, exercise more, and sleep better.

Six months after starting my exploration of health care reform, I am struck by how Indian Country is both a part of the health care debate and yet absent from its larger discussion.

The IHS does ration care – but that’s because it has only so much money in its budget. And, the IHS isn’t perfect with its spending, but is that also a reflection of its limited budget?

What do we want in a health care system? It’s a question Dr. Donald Berwick asked an audience of 5,000-plus people at the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s National Forum on Tuesday.

The month of December promises to be full of drama: Will the Senate pass health care reform? Is there enough time to debate the hundreds of expected amendments before Christmas? And at the top of the wish list, are there really 60 votes to pass a bill?

Say what you like about health care reform, the fact is that Indian Country is included in a big way this time around. If either the House or the Senate bill becomes law, there will be a significant boost in resources for the Indian Health system.

Every president is challenged by the nature of bureaucracy, and the agency that best reflects that power is the Office of Management and Budget.

Health care reform will be high on the list of topics for President Barack Obama’s meeting next Thursday with representatives of the nation’s 564 federally recognized tribes.

Health care reform will be high on the list of topics for President Barack Obama’s meeting next Thursday with representatives of the nation’s 564 federally recognized tribes.