Patients in need of care often face social and emotional barriers to health improvement. And sometimes these barriers don’t come up during doctor visits.

VHAN’s Pamela Bruce, Director, Quality and Clinical Transformation, has joined the NAACOS Quality Committee. This committee evaluates quality initiatives and requirements related to ACOs, while focusing on the role of quality performance in population-based payment models. The NAACOS Quality Committee also works to develop and guide the NAACOS quality strategy as it relates to Medicare ACO models including the Shared Savings Programs and other payers with ACO contracts. Congratulations, Pam!

To manage the dual challenges of prescribing antibiotics appropriately and preventing unnecessary usage, VHAN launched a new Antibiotic Stewardship Program.

The American Migraine Foundation found that fewer than 5% of patients who suffer from migraines have been seen by a health care provider, received an accurate diagnosis and obtained appropriate care.

According to a 2017 study in Annals of Internal Medicine, 20-30% of medication prescriptions are never filled, and about 50% of medications for chronic disease are not taken as prescribed.

When the team followed up with the patient, they were able to confirm that the patient was tolerating both medication changes well.

This flu season has been one of the worst in recent years, with approximately 8.7 million flu illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 flu-related deaths reported across the United States. Flu vaccines remain the best defense against this year’s flu, along antiviral medications like Tamiflu, handwashing and plenty of rest. Your patients likely have plenty of questions about treating flu symptoms or avoiding flu altogether. In this article, we address some commonly asked questions with input from clinical experts.

VHAN Care Management offers focused programs to help patients better manage their diabetes and meet their health goals.

VHAN is excited to partner with Aetna to create a member program for small to mid-size benefit plans that helps your employees stay healthy while your practice saves on health care costs. The Aetna Whole Health Employee program offers discounts, comprehensive benefit design, and enhanced features such as wellness, an Employee Assistance Program and $0 copay visits to multiple convenient care options. Hurry and sign up by Jan. 1—and find more information on the VHAN Hub.