Agathos welcomes Dr. Michael van Duren as Clinical Variation Lead

Agathos is thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael van Duren as Clinical Variation Lead. In this role, Michael will support Agathos’ clinical variation analytics, business development, and training with new and existing physician users and leaders.

Michael has 20+ years of experience delivering results at health plans and integrated delivery systems, most recently as VP of Variation Reduction at Sutter Health. His method of pinpointing care variation and facilitating helpful, actionable feedback has won physicians’ trust and generated millions in savings.

Learn about Michael’s pioneering work in clinical variation reduction:

• 7 Ways to Make Clinical Measures More Relevant to Physicians (9/24/2017)
  If you want doctors to change their behavior, these seven aspects must be addressed when creating metrics of performance.
• Variation Reduction: Doctors Saved $1.3M in Unnecessary Testing (9/24/2017)
  By coming together in small groups and discovering that their practice styles varied significantly, 832 doctors decreased their ordering of Vitamin D blood tests.
• R-E-S-P-E-C-T Yields Results (3/10/2016)
  Top-down and carrot-and-stick approaches have limited success, he said, as it’s better if physicians are self- or peer-motivated. He’s seen positive results by gathering doctors in peer groups and providing them with individual data about their behavior in a way that is respectful, helpful and actionable.
• Choosing Wisely Talks: Reducing Clinical Variation at Sutter Health, Sacramento, California (2/5/2015)
  Dr. Michael van Duren, Vice President of Variation Reduction, discusses their experience using data in conversations with physicians, and practice patterns as they relate to the overuse of certain tests, treatments or procedures.
• Working in Concert: A How-To Guide to Reducing Unwarranted Variations in Care (9/2014)
  A collection of lessons from pioneers in the field — clinical and organizational leaders who have addressed practice and practi­tioner variation within their own organizations. This guide is intended to help organizations get started in their work to identify and reduce unwarranted variations in care.

• Improving Value by Focusing on Clinical Variation: A Deeper Dive into the Why’s and How’s (ACO World Congress) (2014)

   

• Achieving Affordability with Visual Analytics: Variation Reduction as a Tool to Engage Physicians (5/2011)