JULY 2024
VOLUME XXXVIII, NUMBER 4
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;
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.
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.
AUGUST 2024
(612) 728-8600 | comments@mppub.com
758 Riverview Ave | St. Paul MN 55107
© Minnesota Physician Publishing · All Rights Reserved. 2023
We welcome the submission of manuscripts and letters for possible publication. All views and opinions expressed by authors of published articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily express those of Minnesota Physician Publishing Inc., or this publication. The contents herein are believed to be accurate but are not intended to replace medical, legal, tax, business or other professional advice or counsel. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without written permission from our publisher.