HIGH POINT, N.C., March 25, 2015 – The School of Health Sciences at High Point University will host Dr. Pamela W. Duncan, physical therapist and renowned expert in health policy, as a part of its Distinguished Lecture Series. Duncan will present “Functional Status: The Currency for Value-based Healthcare” at 5:30 p.m. on April 8 in the Francis Auditorium of Phillips Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Duncan, a professor of neurology and senior policy advisor for Wake Forest Baptist Health, dedicates her time to reengineering care delivery models in order to help manage the recovery of patients with complex chronic diseases. Her presentation will focus on how her research has been instrumental in establishing a “sixth vital sign,” function, and the importance of a functional focus in improving individual quality of life and the overall value of health care.
Dr. Eric Hegedus, founding chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at HPU, notes that Duncan’s talk will not only help both students and practitioners better understand how to make the maximum positive impact in the lives of patients, but will educate the public in expecting more for their health care dollar.
“The health care system in the United States is under fire as costs continue to escalate and outcomes are not any better than other nations with lower costs of treatment,” says Hegedus. “Dr. Duncan has taken the profession and the health care delivery model to incredible heights with her suggestions to improve the value and outcomes of health care through function.”
Duncan received her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and continued her education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received both her master’s degree and doctorate. Before joining Wake Forest Baptist Health, she spent four years at Duke University as both a professor and associate director of the Center for Clinical Health Policy Research. In 2012, she was chosen as one of 73 health care professionals to lead pioneering work that tests new models of care for those who are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program.