Kenneth Cohen, MD

Experts discuss the persistent clinical and systemic challenges in diagnosing and treating atrial fibrillation, emphasizing the need for earlier identification—especially in high-risk, comorbid populations—while highlighting the limitations of current risk models, the complexity of managing atrial fibrillation burden, and the importance of integrating wearable data into precision-based care without overburdening clinicians or compromising clinical relevance.

Experts discuss the multifaceted management of atrial fibrillation, stressing the importance of addressing comorbid conditions alongside the arrhythmia itself, while highlighting the challenges of underdiagnosis, the rise of subclinical cases detected through wearable technology, and the need to align emerging diagnostic tools with evidence-based care to avoid unnecessary interventions and optimize outcomes.

Experts discuss the complex clinical and economic challenges of atrial fibrillation, emphasizing the need for personalized care that balances symptom management, stroke prevention, and risk factor control—while recent evidence on subclinical atrial fibrillation highlights the limitations of widespread anticoagulation, reinforcing the importance of targeted, value-based strategies for optimal outcomes.

Experts discuss the growing role of early detection and predictive strategies in managing arrhythmias—particularly atrial fibrillation—highlighting the impact of wearable technology, challenges in diagnosis due to intermittent symptoms, and the shift toward more personalized, value-based care driven by timely evaluation and evidence-based interventions.

In 2025, each issue of Population Health, Equity & Outcomes will feature a profile of a health system leader transforming care in their area of expertise. This issue spotlights a conversation with Ken Cohen, MD, executive director of translational research at Optum Health.

Physician groups under 2-sided risk–based Medicare Advantage provide care associated with higher quality and efficiency compared with care by these same groups under fee-for-service Medicare.

Medicare beneficiaries treated by physicians with high levels of Medicare Advantage risk exposure had higher care quality and efficiency outcomes compared with those treated by other physicians.

Analysis of more than 16 million visits for hypertension care suggests that a large fraction of face-to-face care is low value and could be provided differently or potentially eliminated.

One-third of health care in the United States is wasted. Despite this recognition, solutions are sparse. The Optimal Care model combines evidence-based medicine, patient-centered technology, and outcomes reporting to transform health care.