By Timothy Lash As the United States passes the grim and staggering milestone of 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, there is increasing hope that vaccines may soon help us reduce this deadly threat and put us on a path to some level of normalcy. But that path to vaccination (at least for now) is filled with… Read more »
West Health’s CEO, Shelley Lyford, describes our unique approach to the mission of successful aging. For West Health, addressing the needs of seniors isn’t simply a fiscal and political priority – it’s a moral imperative. Each of our separate entities works together in pursuit of our successful aging mission. Our Institute ensures that our Foundation’s grant-making… Read more »
September 11, 2020 Sean Dickson, JD, MPH1 JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2016388. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16388 Policy makers have proposed levying penalties for drug price increases that are higher than the rate of inflation for drugs covered in the US Medicare program, but research is lacking regarding the ways in which manufacturers might respond to those penalties…. Read more »
Ageism and cost-cutting in the age of coronavirus By Shelley Lyford, Opinion Contributor – 08/03/20 (First published by The Hill) COVID-19 has delivered a one-two punch to state budgets — and we’re still in the early rounds of the fight to contain this deadly pandemic. Steeply declining tax revenues combined with sharply rising expenses have… Read more »
June 10, 2020 Life as we know it has forever changed as our nation continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism and injustice, political division, economic hardship and human suffering. While the wounds run deep and the list is long, we are seeing signs of hope that over time we will emerge from… Read more »
While geriatric medicine strives to focus on the support needed to accommodate aging patients, it can falter when the resources to improve quality of care are not provided to healthcare professionals. The mission of the West Health-UCSD Geriatrics Quality Improvement Science Fellowship is to educate and create innovative leaders in the field of geriatric… Read more »
Congress Should Act Swiftly to Make Telehealth Expansion Permanent June 25, 2020 By Shelley Lyford It took a public health emergency to temporarily lift the regulatory barriers that have stifled the growth of telehealth in this country. Now, Congress must act and take the next step, which is to legislate telehealth into the mainstream of… Read more »
June 23, 2020 by Sean Dickson and Timothy A. Lash As COVID-19 continues to ravage US communities, the costs in terms of lives and lost wages are severe, particularly among seniors and minority communities. Treating COVID-19 shouldn’t disproportionately add to these costs, but the history of drug pricing in the United States provides reason for concern. The… Read more »
June 8, 2020 Black Lives Matter. We are grieved and outraged by the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others who have been hurt or killed by racist violence. The peaceful protests we are witnessing around the nation and in our own communities are righteous and needed to help bring about an… Read more »
May 19, 2020 This week the West Health family of organizations hit another major milestone! I’m very excited to announce that Civica Rx, the nonprofit generic drug manufacturer created in 2018 by seven leading health systems and three national foundations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation, is now part of a new and historic… Read more »