It is no secret that the number of people living with substance use disorder (SUD) (including opioids) is large, widespread, and serious cause for concern. Many researchers are looking for ways to understand the scope of the problem and thereby develop interventions. However, SUD information, such as health insurance claims, Read more…
I’ve been in health care for over 20 years, but until several years ago I had no idea what opioids were, what they were doing to our society, and the complexity of the problem. I never really paid much attention to when and how many opioid prescriptions I was personally Read more…
On February 22nd I had the great honor of hosting a day-long CIVHC Connect centered on serious illness. CIVHC has long worked in the palliative care, advance care planning, and care transitions spaces and this was a wonderful opportunity to bring our partners in these initiatives together to learn and Read more…
Planning for the future can be exciting and full of possibilities – like when you’re mapping out your college courses to ensure career success. It is a gigantic puzzle, making sure you have enough credits, that you’ve completed the required courses, and choosing your electives. It requires forethought and diligence Read more…
When a person with diabetes has bypass surgery following a heart attack there are a lot of instructions. Some of these instructions are about the days immediately after release from the hospital and others detail lifestyle overhauls to be implemented in the future. There are prescriptions to pick up and Read more…
Until recent years, if you were a patient needing a health care service, it was nearly impossible for you to determine what it might cost you unless you had health insurance and access to a cost estimator tool. If you didn’t have insurance, your only option was to start calling Read more…
When it came time to make the decision to start a family, I was fortunate to be insured and able to set aside dollars in a Flex Savings Account (FSA) to plan for the costs associated with having a baby. I anticipated costs based on information pieced together from our Read more…
When I started reading this year’s 2018 Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) Annual Report, I have to admit I got a little teary. Before you think I’ve lost my mind and cry over health care claims data (that would just be weird), you need to know something about Read more…
End of life is a scary, vulnerable time for both patients and families. Not only are they confronting the reality of death but they are also trying to navigate unfamiliar portions of the health care system. Palliative and hospice care have different goals than other specialties, as they are less Read more…
Picture Day. Love it or hate it, it was an integral part of every school year. If you were lucky, you chose your favorite outfit and made sure your smile sparkled. If your luck was at the other end of the spectrum, you forgot what day it was and were Read more…