Analytics capabilities for healthcare organizations have traditionally been siloed, but vendor offerings have expanded to provide consolidated, end-to-end platforms. KLAS Research's report highlights significant progress made by deep adopters of these platforms, particularly in established solutions like Cerner, Epic, and Health Catalyst. Newcomers such as Innovaccer and Arcadia.io are also making strides. Future research will focus on data management and customer satisfaction within various pillars of the analytics framework.

Healthcare costs have been rising, prompting a shift towards value-based reimbursement (VBR) models. Despite initial hopes, many provider organizations have struggled to achieve success with VBR. A key issue identified is the lack of alignment between payers and providers, leading to inefficiencies and stress among clinicians. At the 2018 Cornerstone Summit on Population Health Management, experts highlighted the need for aligned contract incentives, inclusive culture change, and streamlined metrics to drive VBR success. Encouragingly, 84% of summit attendees believe the transition to VBR will ultimately be successful if these strategies are implemented.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) have gained increasing importance, with factors such as zip code being strong predictors of health outcomes. The healthcare industry is recognizing the need to incorporate SDoH into patient care and strategies, despite the challenges in collecting and utilizing relevant data. Stakeholders are exploring creative solutions, including partnerships with non-healthcare companies like Lyft and Uber, to address SDoH and improve patient health.

The 2018 Population Health Cornerstone Summit by KLAS aims to refine the population health framework by focusing on three key areas for vendors: anticipating complexity, getting the right people involved, and avoiding overpromising. Vendors are encouraged to engage in a discovery phase, ensure key stakeholders are involved, and align sales teams with delivery realities. The summit emphasizes the importance of candid communication, realistic expectations, and structured accountability to achieve successful population health management.

KLAS' recent reports on population health management (PHM) highlight the complexity and evolving nature of the field. Six key pillars of PHM were identified: data aggregation, data analysis, care management, administrative/financial reporting, patient engagement, and clinician engagement. Despite the comprehensive functionality offered by enterprise vendors like Epic, Cerner, and athenahealth, provider satisfaction remains lower compared to best-of-breed competitors. Providers are optimistic about future improvements and have reported significant cost savings through effective PHM strategies. KLAS plans to focus future reports on the relationships, guidance, and outcomes from PHM vendors to better understand their impact on healthcare.

The Mr Gay Syria 2016 competition, held in Istanbul, was a defiant stand against ISIS by the LGBT community, showcasing the courage of participants like the winner Hussein Sabat. Sabat, who lost his first boyfriend to an ISIS execution, aims to change the narrative around Syrian gays, emphasizing their aspirations beyond being victims. Despite the risks of homophobic attacks and the need to lead double lives, these men seek to live openly and advocate for LGBT rights. The event also highlighted the challenges faced by gay Syrian refugees, with Sabat being denied a visa to represent Syria at Mr Gay World in Malta.