Focus on Front Line Behavioral Health Care Practices in Youth, Elizabeth S. Booma, MD, Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Mental health challenges among children and adolescents in the U.S. are on the rise: roughly 20% of youth have a developmental, behavioral, mental, or emotional disorder. Yet, up to half of those affected receive inadequate or no treatment. This session will provide a closer look at the factors potentially driving this mental health care crisis among youth and how mental health resources can best be directed to mitigate this trend. It will also discuss the ability of integrated models that include behavioral health providers as part of the primary care team to improve outcomes versus the conventional practice of managing mental health crises through the emergency department (ED). Finally, existing resources and strategies that have shown to be effective while being less resource-intensive will be identified.

Paradigm Shifts in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Challenging New Landscape, Richard S. Isaacson, MD, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
In 2022, roughly 6.5 million people in the U.S. were living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and that number is projected to grow to 12.7 million by the end of 2050. Many barriers in the care of patients with AD present significant challenges — tracking cognitive decline is often limited and incomplete, patients require extensive and multidisciplinary care, and associated treatment and drug costs are high, estimated at $321 billion in 2022. This session will examine the current landscape of AD treatment for patients, HCPs, and the health care system, and will describe the role of interprofessional health care team members involved in these patients’ care. It will identify emerging pharmacologic therapies and novel strategies for optimizing patient care, such as remote patient monitoring using AI.

Applying Research to Current Practices: A Roadmap to Accelerate the Route From Learning to Impact, Peter Margolis, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
On average, clinical research findings take 17 years to become integrated into daily practice, due in part to the exponentially growing body of knowledge and know-how, and a lack of processes to implement these evolving approaches quickly to care. Innovative approaches to accelerate translation to practice are necessary. This session will discuss how groups of patients, clinicians and researchers are building communities working together to bring improvement, innovation and research together to bridge the evidence-practice gap.

Concerning Maternal Mortality: Coordinating Improved Outcomes for Mothers, Audra Meadows, MD, MPH, FACOG, University of California San Diego School of Medicine
Rates of pregnancy-related death, or maternal mortality, in the U.S. are unacceptably high, and the maternal mortality rate (MMR) has more than doubled in the U.S. between 2000 and 2014, versus the noted decrease in MMR in other high-income countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as in low- and middle-income countries. Roughly two in three pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Notably, among black women, the MMR and risk for preterm birth are disproportionately high. This session will discuss the multiple patient-level and health system-level factors that contribute to a higher risk of maternal mortality and examine the associated racial disparities reflected by this prevalence. It will provide an overview of existing measures and initiatives that continue to develop to address factors contributing to maternal mortality in general and endeavor to close the gap on racial disparities in this area. The roles of surveillance data collection, telehealth in pre-and postnatal care, patient-centered medical home model, education on culturally appropriate care, increased access to care, and community investment will be described.

Keynote Address: Medical Technology: A Conduit to Streamlining Patient Care, Trishan Panch, MD, MPH, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Existing health care applications for artificial intelligence (AI) powered by machine learning have been shown to enhance clinical decision-making and assist in disease pattern prediction, the detection of certain cancers, and improved classification of radiological scans. A cost-effective approach to care, AI systems such as chatbots, virtual visits and remote self-monitoring applications can help interprofessional teams manage patient care more effectively and efficiently, and can perform better than humans in risk stratification, image recognition, and data analysis. Some show promise in improving outcomes tied to depression and macular degeneration. This session will review current and emerging applications of AI technology in health care and the role of AI in diagnosis, management, and health care team optimization. It will highlight the benefits and limitations of AI technology and discuss ethical implications and privacy issues that must be considered when these are integrated into health care practices.

Navigating the Social Determinants of Health Through the 3-Function Approach to Communication, Dean Schillinger, MD, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
Multilevel endeavors to improve the health care of those who are negatively affected by social determinants of health (SDOH) — including socioeconomic status, health literacy, level of access to quality health care, education level, and exposure to discrimination and trauma — continue through 2023 with continued support from the Department of Health and Human Services. Less favorable SDOH not only impacts access to care but hinders these individuals’ ability to fully participate in health care decision-making and to follow, and pay for, recommended treatment regimens. This session will identify disparities in SDOH and will discuss strategies to increase education about resources and tools that can improve patients’ access to care and ability to navigate the health system. It will present approaches to coordinating with liaisons that can assist with patients’ navigation of health care and medical issues and recommend strategies to advocate for these patients.

Current Initiatives at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Arrah Tabe-Bedward, JD, MS, CMS Innovation Center
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), also known as the “Innovation Center,” was authorized under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and tasked with designing, implementing, and testing new health care payment models to address growing concerns about rising costs, quality of care, and inefficient spending. Through consultation with stakeholders that include hospitals, doctors, consumers, payers, advocates, federal agencies, and others, it aims to build partnerships and promote payment- and service-delivery models of care that improve outcomes and lower costs. Join us this session to discuss the CMMIs initiatives that focus on patient-centered, effective, equitable care.