Healthfirst ADVANCE PERSPECTIVES Blog

Welcome to the ADVANCE PERSPECTIVES blog. Read our latest insights, strategies, and viewpoints on advancing health equity.

Provider Spotlight: Faster Identification of Suspected Pancreatic Cancer Increases Access to Trials for Underrepresented Populations and Likelihood of Treatment

Because pancreatic cancer is especially aggressive, early detection is critical to effective treatment. Northwell Health built an AI tool to detect signs which helps patients get the care they need faster.

Quality is Essential for All Health Plans

Every New Yorker deserves access to high-quality healthcare. Healthfirst is proud to have achieved the No. 1 overall quality ranking from the NYSDOH for our 2022 Essential Plan Quality Incentive Program results.

Onsite Care Support in Behavioral Health

To help avoid readmission to alcohol and drug addiction facilities, Healthfirst began placing care managers onsite at inpatient rehab centers to help develop trust and continuity for more effective discharge plans.

Every Month Should Be National Minority Health Month

April is National Minority Health Month, but as Healthfirst’s Dr. Kai-Ping Wang explains, the healthcare industry should reflect, advocate and take action every month to address disparities in NY and nationwide

Protecting Access to Care for our Youngest New Yorkers

Gaps in healthcare put children in low-income families at risk. Healthfirst’s Dr. Maja Castillo explains why continuous access to Medicaid & CHP for those birth to age six must be included in New York’s final budget

Provider Spotlight: Predictive Models Help Plan for End-of-Life-Care with a Health Equity Lens

Despite wanting to be at home at time of death, many pass away in the hospital. NYU Langone Health built models to predict mortality risk for hospitalized patients and conduct conversations about advance care planning.

High-Risk Pregnancy Intervention

Healthfirst uses predictive models to identify and intervene in high-risk pregnancies more than seven weeks earlier than traditional clinical decision trees in populations at risk for maternal and infant mortality.

Provider Spotlight: Advocating for Responsible AI Through Human-Centered Design at Northwell Health

AI’s transformative potential is well known. So are its biases. Healthcare can only benefit from AI and reduce disparities in equity and access once algorithms truly represent the populations they serve.

Equity efforts to end the AIDS epidemic

This PrEP Aware Week, we’re highlighting the important work being done in New York to promote equitable access to PrEP and to end the AIDS epidemic.

Provider Spotlight: Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Work to Support Aging in Place

Aging in place is hard for most seniors, especially in NYC’s underserved neighborhoods. Healthfirst partner Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Centers, works to identify risk and develop preventive interventions.

Provider Spotlight: Addressing Structural Racism in Maternity Care

Maternal mortality rates in NYC and across the U.S. are much higher for Black women. To address the issue, NYC Health + Hospitals focuses clinical interventions on the root causes on inequity in how care is delivered.

Provider Spotlight: Using Data to Address Disparities

Northwell Health uses data and analytics to serve the Long Island community by providing equitable access to care, especially COVID-19 vaccines, and identifying unmet social needs.