Joshua D. Sclar, MD, MPH, discusses why a growing number of payers and providers are turning to BioIQ to improve quality, reduce cost and transform member experience.
Prior to becoming BioIQ’s Chief Medical Officer, Sclar’s career spanned clinical practice in a community hospital, healthcare innovation at Johns Hopkins, and executive leadership at a healthcare technology business.
Q: What inspired you to focus your career on population health?
Dr. Sclar: Impact. The U.S. leads the developed world in preventable deaths. I believe that technology, delivery innovation, and payment reform can transform the role the healthcare system plays in health promotion and disease prevention, helping people live longer, healthier and happier lives.
Q: What led you to BioIQ and what do you want to accomplish as CMO?
Dr. Sclar: Much of my work has been focused on harnessing technology to transform the way preventive services are delivered. While many of these high-value services, like colon cancer screening, are now available without copays, too often they remain locked inside a healthcare system that’s difficult to navigate. BioIQ is using technology to make these services easier to use and scale, extending them into home and community-based settings, and facilitating the interaction between individuals and the healthcare system.
Q: What are the top reasons health plans are implementing BioIQ programs?
Dr. Sclar: Without question, the biggest driver is the movement toward quality improvement in healthcare. Quality measures are frequently connected in one form or another to high-value preventive services. As reimbursements become increasingly tied to quality measures and purchasers of insurance become increasingly aware of the importance of these measures, we see increased adoption of non-traditional methods — like those that BioIQ utilizes — to deliver these services.
While quality measure improvement is often the initial reason health plans turn to BioIQ, there are additional benefits they begin to appreciate as their programs expand. Improved engagement among both providers and members, cost avoidance, and a shift in the way members view their insurance plan are just a few of these benefits.
Q: How far along are most health plans on this journey?
Dr. Sclar: Most health plans are only beginning this journey. Many of them have not yet embraced non-traditional delivery of these services. The plans that have are now learning to use technology to scale their programs, reduce the administrative burden associated with running them, and get better results. Plans that have led the way with BioIQ are now realizing the opportunity to expand this form of delivery to additional preventive services and are winning the “race to the top.”
Learn more about BioIQ’s approach to population health measurement.
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Joshua Sclar, MD, MPH, is BioIQ’s Chief Medical Officer. Sclar is board certified in preventive medicine and public health and has over 15 years experience in healthcare. His career has spanned clinical practice, health services research and public health instruction in addition to building innovative, prevention-oriented healthcare delivery models for academia and business.
Prior to joining BioIQ, Sclar was the Chief Medical Officer at Ingenios Health Co., which developed one of the first purpose-built mobile technology platforms for health risk assessment. Sclar was a member of the steering committee that created the Johns Hopkins Sibley Innovation Hub and served as its first Lead Designer and Innovator in Residence. He has published research on a variety of topics in healthcare delivery while working at the FDA, Columbia University Medical Center, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights. He has also been a full-time practicing physician at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Sclar received his medical degree from the State University of New York and completed residency training at Johns Hopkins. He earned a master’s degree in public health as a BJC Healthcare Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami.
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