Aligning Incentives: The Key to Better Healthcare Outcomes

In this episode of The Promise of Personalized Medicine, Perry sits down with Dr. Sherie Smalley to explore the nuanced challenges and opportunities in today’s healthcare landscape. Dr. Smalley shares her unique perspective as a physician and medical director, shedding light on the complexities of aligning patient care, financial responsibility, and clinical decision-making.The conversation dives into the misalignment of incentives within the healthcare system, the critical need for cost transparency, and the importance of equipping both providers and patients with the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions. The conversation also dives into:why value-based arrangements could be a game changer, fostering collaboration, data sharing, and trust among stakeholders while improving patient outcomes.the evolving role of laboratory medicine in supporting clinical decisionsthe potential of genetic testing to revolutionize carethe systemic fragmentation that often hinders progress. This episode is a thought-provoking look at how healthcare professionals, payers, and patients can work together to address systemic challenges and pave the way for better care. —---------Dr. Sherie Smalley is a healthcare consultant and principal at New Dawn Health LLC. Her background experience as a physician executive with 30 years of healthcare experience includes serving as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Medical Director for Medical Policy for health plans providing government and commercial coverage. Her passion is improving health outcomes by promoting patient-centered, high-quality, personalized healthcare. Dr. Smalley also held a volunteer faculty appointment at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine where she taught problem-based learning. Prior to her health plan experience, Dr. Smalley held a role in the California Department of Public Health and practiced anatomic and clinical pathology in Northern California. Dr. Smalley holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a double minor in biology and chemistry from Sonoma State University. She received her medical degree from the University of California, Davis, and completed her residency at Kaiser Permanente’s San Francisco Medical Center. Dr. Smalley is board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology. Sherie has three children and four grandchildren. She is an avid gardener and enjoys growing orchids.  She has been a member of the Susquehanna Orchid Society and the Honolulu Orchid Society, and currently has almost 100 orchids under her care.—----Stay connected with our host, Perry Dimas, here on LinkedIn!