In a compelling episode of The Scope with Dr. K, Dr. Kosinski interviews Nick Frenzer, Epic’s Population Health and Implementation executive, about the transformative power of technology in healthcare. Frenzer, a subject matter expert in value-based care, breaks down how Epic’s integrated system champions population health and patient engagement through its innovative tools and forward-thinking approach to equity. He emphasizes the significance of population health, which at Epic includes everything from primary to specialty care, risk adjustment, and working alongside federal payers to enable value-based reimbursement.
Central to this is Epic’s payer platform and real-time attribution engine, which foster alignment between payers and providers. Frenzer acknowledges the complexity of attribution—assigning patients to the right primary care provider or specialist—but stresses that Epic’s tools offer data transparency and support decision-making, ultimately aiming to ease this burden for clinicians.
Patient engagement remains a top priority, showcased by MyChart and tools like Care Companion, which empower patients to actively participate in their care through personalized guides and monitoring. Friend dispels the misconception that patients resist such involvement; rather, Epic sees high engagement when patients are given accessible tools that support their health journey.
Looking to the future, Frenzer speaks passionately about AI’s potential in electronic health records (EHR). While AI can streamline processes and reduce cognitive load, he emphasizes the need for ethical, transparent implementation that keeps human judgment central. Epic aims to harness AI to support, not replace, clinicians, ensuring that AI-driven recommendations enhance care without undermining the clinician-patient relationship.
This episode highlights Epic’s commitment to a future where technology enhances healthcare’s efficiency, equity, and patient-centered focus, embodying a proactive approach that aligns with Dr. Kosinski’s own vision of healthcare innovation
Key Takeaways:
- Focus on Population Health: Emphasizing health equity and seamless care coordination across primary and specialty care, with support from federal payers, is key to transforming population health.
- Empowering Patient Engagement: Patients increasingly value proactive engagement tools, which enhance their involvement in care and support them in managing their health effectively.
- Thoughtful AI Integration: AI in healthcare should ease clinician workload and improve patient care, while remaining transparent, ethically guided, and supportive of human oversight.
Quote:
“We want AI to be the ultimate assistant, supporting clinicians without ever taking away the decision-making that’s central to patient care.”
