UnitedHealth's Dr. Reed Tuckson believes managing the health of large populations and individuals calls for the best in every stakeholder
When Dr. Tuckson saw her again, she was in the emergency room, septic and malnourished with decubitus ulcers. She had missed every one of her follow up appointments. Medical science could certainly help treat her conditions, however, what the woman truly needed was support beyond the scope of medicine alone.
Dr. Tuckson, who today serves as executive vice president and chief of medical affairs for UnitedHealth Group, believes optimal healthcare delivery requires pulling the pieces of medical and social services together in a comprehensive way, "so that lovely, wonderful woman is not in a wheelchair at two in the morning, unable to breathe, hungry and in pain." He says the experience with that particular patient still resonates with him.
"The highest level of our mission requires us to find the common connection with the missions of the other stakeholders, because none of us can do alone what actually has to be done on behalf of each individual person," Dr. Tuckson says.
Making Decisions
Dr. Tuckson believes the industry must be more explicit about what patient-centered healthcare delivery should look like and how it should function, then share the vision beyond the purview of its own ranks. That vision isn't clear enough now to influence change. In order to generate a meaningful conversation that might lead to improvements in the system, the nation must take a long hard look at making choices and engaging consumers, he says.
"What's so frustrating about the health reform debate in Washington," he says, "is that it is so completely uninformed about the real issues: How do we make decisions that are personally appropriate that advance our chance for affordable access for the services that we need as individuals-both medical services and medically necessary social services?"
It's unreasonable to expect individuals in traditionally underserved populations with little optimism for the future to make healthy lifestyle choices a priority. Many skip preventive health services because they are struggling simply to get a hot meal on the table each night, Dr. Tuckson says.
"If gunshots are ringing through your community, it is very difficult to think about going jogging in the evening or planting a community garden, if there's no actual earth in which to plant," he says. "Those are real challenges that are stated the most dramatically."
Unrealistic Portrayals of Cardiac Arrest in Contemporary Film | ACC 2025
March 31st 2025Cardiac arrests in contemporary film are largely inaccurate when it comes to survival rate and etiology, according to a poster presented today at the American College of Cardiology conference held March 29 to 31 in Chicago.
Read More
Breaking Down Health Plans, HSAs, AI With Paul Fronstin of EBRI
November 19th 2024Featured in this latest episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast is Paul Fronstin, director of health benefits research at EBRI, who shed light on the evolving landscape of health benefits with editors of Managed Healthcare Executive.
Listen
In this latest episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast, Briana Contreras, an editor with MHE had the pleasure of meeting Loren McCaghy, director of consulting, health and consumer engagement and product insight at Accenture, to discuss the organization's latest report on U.S. consumers switching healthcare providers and insurance payers.
Listen
Winrevair Reduced Risk of Morbidity and Mortality by 76% in PAH | ACC 2025
March 31st 2025In the ZENITH trial, Winrevair was evaluated based on a composite endpoint of all-cause death, lung transplantation or disease-related hospitalization for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Read More
Clopidogrel Beat Aspirin in Preventing Heart Attacks After PCI | ACC 2025
March 31st 2025Clopidogrel monotherapy may be an alternative to aspirin for prevention of cardiac events in high-risk patients after percutaneous coronary intervention, according to a new study presented at ACC 2025.
Read More