Redefining Caregiving: Impact on Cost, Quality, and Population Health in Healthcare Systems

Описание: Welcome to another episode of The Healthcare STARcast! In this episode, host Subbu Ramalingam is joined by two incredible guests: Dr. Heidi Syropoulos, a seasoned geriatrician with a rich background in family engagement and care quality, and Shara Cohen, CEO of Carallel and a passionate advocate for family caregivers within the healthcare system.

Together, they dig deep into the often misunderstood world of caregiving - a workforce of over 63 million people providing an estimated $3-600 billion in unpaid care annually. Is caregiving merely helping out, or is it the essential, yet undervalued infrastructure that keeps our healthcare system running? The conversation unpacks common misconceptions, the invisible labor and emotional toll on caregivers, and the huge opportunities - both economic and quality-of-care related - that come from better supporting this crucial group.

We’ll also dive into the unique challenges of dementia caregiving, strategies for health plans and providers to identify and support caregivers, and the tangible links between caregiver support, patient outcomes, and cost savings. Whether you’re a clinician, health plan leader, or someone personally connected to caregiving, this episode offers fresh perspectives, practical insights, and a powerful call to action.

Tune in for a compelling discussion shedding light on the backbone of healthcare: our caregivers.

Timestamps:
00:00 "Caregiving: Key to Health Improvement"
05:19 "Drawn to Geriatric Caregiving"
08:52 "Empowering Family Caregivers in Healthcare"
13:31 "Caregiving: Undervalued and Overlooked"
17:25 "Caregiving Misconceptions and Realities"
21:49 Shifts in Caregiving and Healthcare
25:14 "Addressing Caregiver Burden Challenges"
26:30 "Rethinking Support for Caregivers"
32:51 "Understanding Dementia's Behavioral Symptoms"
35:00 "Dementia Caregiver Challenges & Support"
37:58 Caregivers' Role in Reducing Readmissions
42:34 Caregivers Prevent Hospital Readmissions
44:54 Caregiver Impact on CAHPS Surveys
47:58 Caregiving Tips for Early Preparation
53:05 Caregiver Burden Stratification Approach
56:36 "Prioritizing Caregiver Engagement ROI"
57:51 "Future of Caregiving Innovation"

Quotes, Hooks, & Timestamps:
"Caregiving is a huge workforce, the core of taking care of the population. If it's done well, it could be huge improvement for the population we serve and a huge cost driver from a positive side striver."
— Subbu Ramalingam [00:01:46 → 00:02:03]

"I did not go to college thinking I was going to medical school, but I did grow up in a family where my father spoke often and told stories about his growing up in a family in rural Ohio where his father, grandfather, great grandfather were all rural physicians."
— Dr. Heidi Syropoulos [00:04:00 → 00:04:19]

"Family caregivers are the largest care delivery workforce that we have."
— Shara Cohen [00:10:25 → 00:10:29]

"How has the landscape changed with, especially with burnout of care, you know, caregivers?"
— Subbu Ramalingam [00:20:25 → 00:20:32]

"The federal government changed how it reimbursed hospitals for acute care medicine, something we call the DRGs. So now we're going to pay for a diagnosis and not for how long you may or may not be sick."
— Dr. Heidi Syropoulos [00:22:07 → 00:22:20]

"As Heidi said at the outset, it's the job that they didn't apply for and they're not trained for and they can't quit."
— Shara Cohen [00:26:52 → 00:26:59]

"So it is a real challenge to get people to understand that the Behavior is a symptom of a disease. And then once they've understood that the behavior is actually a symptom of the disease, that's when it starts to dawn on them, oh, I am really losing my loved one."
— Dr. Heidi Syropoulos [00:33:31 → 00:33:49]

"Yeah, getting readmitted to the hospital, preventing readmission to the hospital is a big one of the biggest drivers."
— Subbu Ramalingam [00:38:32 → 00:38:38]

"UPMC did a study that showed that when they intervened with caregivers at discharge, they reduced readmissions by 25%."
— Shara Cohen [00:41:09 → 00:41:10]

Caregivers are managing pillboxes. They're managing all the pharmacy contacts and refills and renewals. They're oftentimes the front line to notice a side effect from a new medication.
— Dr. Heidi Syropoulos [00:47:02 → 00:47:18]

"There's a lot of innovation that could happen here on the caregiving part"
— Subbu Ramalingam [00:58:00 → 00:58:05]

"It's critical to actually have caregiver burden. Stress stratification for a plan."
— Dr. Heidi Syropoulos [00:54:05 → 00:54:11]


Show Website - https://healthcarestarcast.com/

Subbu Ramalingam - Show Host - Linkedin -   / subburamalingam  

FloWise Leadership - https://flowiseleadership.com/

ViVega Business Services - https://www.vivega.co/

ATTAC Consulting Group - https://www.attacconsulting.com/

Media Partner - TopHealth - https://tophealth.care/

“Disclaimer: Informational only. Not medical advice. Consult your doctor for guidance.”