cover story one
Assessing and Advancing Community Health
The overarching value of equity
BY Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD
Every five years, as part of our public health accreditation process, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) releases the Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment (SHA). The SHA is a comprehensive examination of health in our state. Because it focuses on health, it examines health outcomes and the health-related social factors that contribute to physical, mental and social well-being. The SHA identifies pressing health concerns, such as the cost of and location of care, affordable housing and child care, social isolation and extreme weather events; describes the factors that shape the distribution of health risks and protective factors;
cover story two
Generation Alpha and Skincare: Health care impact of a new craze
By Sheilagh Maguiness, MD
Most dermatologists often like to start a conversation by stating one fun fact: the skin is our largest organ. It’s an unbelievably complex one — it is the body’s barrier and first defense to the outside world while maintaining our internal water content. Other functions of our skin barrier, however, are less well known. For example, it’s a primary organ of the immune system and is incredibly immunologically active. It also acts as a sensory organ, protects us from the damaging effects of UV radiation and maintains our temperature.
Minnesota health care roundtable
Health Care Reimbursement Transparency: Inside the black box
he following report from the 58th session of the Minnesota Health Care Roundtable focuses on the issue of transparency in reimbursement for medical care services. Our expert panel defines this term and explores many reasons why third-party payer reimbursement should be transparent and how its shifting-sand opacity needs to change. The panel offers diverse perspectives on how the lack of transparency affects important elements of our health care delivery system.
