The pharmaceutical industry is a behemoth in the United States. In 2023, the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies had a market capitalization of $3.78 trillion dollars. Pharma companies spent more than $15 million dollars in contributions through political action commuttees during the 2020 election cycle. Analysts constantly see new avenues of generationg revenues and profits for the industry including, most recently, obesity drugs which are predicted to become a $44 billion market by 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Private equity has targeted elder and primary care for a quick investment return leaving long-term in-equities with significant public and health policy implications.

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Healthy meals make a huge impact. In fact, poor nutrition is the main cause of poor health, high healthcare costs, and lower productivity in the US and globally. It leads to health issues like heart disease, cancer, and other serious conditions (Source: American Heart Association).

That’s why Patient Care Intervention Center (PCIC) is partnering with the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine (UHCOM) in 2024 to break down barriers to nutrition in the Houston Area by improving access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Houston’s Third Ward.

PCIC is excited to announce a partnership with United Way of Greater Houston/ 211 (UWGH) to build the technology and data-sharing infrastructure for the Integrated Client Journey (ICJ) program.

Sr. Data Analyst, Betty Li Gai, and Data Science Intern, Jacky Chan, recently presented recent community data mapping efforts at Rice University’s virtual 2020 Ken Kennedy Institute Data Science Conference. This year’s conference focused on the role of data analysis and computer processing in community relief efforts aimed at combatting COVID-19.

PCIC has partnered with Lone Star Justice Alliance (LSJA), a nonprofit legal organization whose mission is to improve the lives of emerging adults (18-24 years old) in the justice system through utilization of developmentally appropriate responses to behavior, treating emerging adults with equity and dignity to promote resilience, conserve costs, and increase public safety. PCIC will provide a platform to support their “Transformative Justice” and “End Juvenile Life Sentences” programs, which implement innovative strategies for maximizing the supports and services needed to keep emerging adults in the community where their needs are better met at a lower cost to the state. Through targeted outreach, public awareness campaigns, and other organizing activities, LSJA’s community programs engage emerging adults and their families to promote the development of positive outcomes among Texas emerging adults.

In May 2020, leadership from PCIC, Humana and the University of Houston Community Health Worker Initiative (UH CHWI) presented an innovative, collaborative model of care at the virtual Collective Impact Forum. In the presentation, Tray Cockerell (Humana), Kallol Mahata (PCIC), and Dona Stelzig (UH CHW) spoke about their project’s goals and their organizations’ shared vision for revitalizing healthcare systems and combating current barriers to quality treatment.

PCIC’s board chair, Dr. David Buck, along with Dr. Stephanie Barker and Dr. Nick Maguire from the University of Southampton (a partner of PCIC), presented the “Values-Based Engagement in Healthcare” to an audience of international healthcare professionals at the fifteenth annual Street Medicine Institute Symposium, in Pittsburg, PA.

No way! Here’s why.

Patients with complex needs often require services from a variety of social, medical and government benefit agencies. While there are some systems in place to coordinate referrals between providers, some key issues remain.

Homa Koohi, B.Sc in EE, MBA, is a MPA/ID candidate at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a current intern of IMAGO Global Grassroots.

Homa spent her summer collaborating with PCIC to develop structured models to inform PCIC’s strategic decision making in the upcoming year.

We interviewed her to share the scope and application of her work. She hopes to continue working with PCIC as part of her capstone project for the Kennedy School.

The PCIC technology division has grown from humble beginnings – from a small home office in our co-founder's house to a fully functional technology, media and data management initiative, spanning both our Dallas and Houston offices.

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When we met Ms. Barbara back in November, her goal was to spend more time with her grandchildren, ages nine and eleven.

Several decades ago, Ms. Susan* made the difficult decision to undergo one of the first gastric bypass surgeries, which was supposed to drastically improve her quality of life. Instead, due to unforeseen complications, she was left with significant scar tissue.

"Why do you find your work at PCIC exceptionally rewarding?"

This great question was posed to me by several different candidates whom I was interviewing for a new data analyst position at PCIC. While my immediate answer was honest and concise – that I enjoy problem solving, developing databases, and creating innovative data solutions – I didn’t feel that it fully encapsulated what makes PCIC a special place to work.

When our intervention team met Ms. Adams (pseudonym), she was diligently managing her complex health regimen, which included an overwhelming 30+ prescriptions per day. Each new referral for nausea or chronic pain resulted in another prescription, rather than a solution.

Name:	Swetha Kiledar Siddaramappa
Job Title:	Software Engineer
Joined PCIC:	September 6th, 2016
Degrees held:	Masters in Computer Science

Over the last several decades, healthcare improvement efforts have focused on improving health outcomes while reducing healthcare costs. One patient population in particular garners much attention in these efforts: High-Need, High-Cost (HNHC) patients. HNHC patients are often identified by a frequently cited statistic – 5% of the U.S. population who generates 50% of annual healthcare spending.

Have you heard of “Spectre,” or “Meltdown?”

If so, you might be curious how PCIC has responded to them. If not, it may be time to learn how your organization could have been affected, and what you can do to protect yourself against future software vulnerabilities.

Our data analyst recently attended the Putting Care at the Center Conference in Los Angeles, CA. She presented a poster about PCIC’s interventions with High-Need, High-Cost patients, and discussed the importance of values-based care with fellow participants. Below are takeaways from our interview with her after she returned.

By Li Gai, Data Analyst at PCIC.

An Interview with our Medical Social Worker, Kristy Gerschefske. Visit our teams screen to read more about her.

We see machine learning applied in a lot of business these days, from optimal search engine results to shopping recommendations. When IBM Watson won “Jeopardy!” against humans, it marked the beginning of a new era in artificial intelligence, where machines don’t just pull answers from a vast set of available resources but can analyze and process the information within a really short period of time. The healthcare industry is no stranger to machine learning. For example, Google’s machine learning algorithm is now detecting breast cancer with an 89% accuracy, when compared to 73% for a pathologist.

As a care coordinator, my daily conversations with clients usually revolve around care management – following up on clinic referrals, medication management, disease management education, etc. However, many of our recent conversations have centered on their anxieties about the future of Medicaid. Some of our clients are so anxious that even the simple act of watching news coverage about Medicaid reform can incite a panic attack.

Most PCIC clients have lived through traumatic experiences or are burdened with stressful situations and environments. Add these factors to their multiple complex illnesses. Unfortunately, some mental illnesses are better addressed outside of the Emergency Room. We teach our clients to recognize the importance of mental health and how it can affect physical well-being, and we encourage them to seek help if needed.

Computer security is the act of protecting computer systems from theft or damage to hardware, software or information, and disruption or misdirection of their services. Many systems are under constant threat of hacking, ranging from individual mobile phones to large establishments. In this post, we will focus on one of the methods used to protect sensitive data – Authentication.