On Thursday (June 2), I joined other speakers at the IBM Healthcare Leadership Exchange, Transforming Healthcare, held at the Chicago IBM Transformation Center. My keynote presentation focused on “Healthcare in the US,” which seemed to balance the morning with the opening keynote by Susan J Hyatt, BSc (PT), MBA, CEO HyattDIO, Inc., Ontario, Canada, who discussed “Global Lessons on Delivering Strategic Healthcare Wins.”

Any discussion about the current U.S. healthcare climate must begin with the policy conundrum now in play in Washington, D.C. This longstanding tug-of-war between progressives and conservatives seems to be exacerbated by the current budgetary climate. Everyone wants on the public policy wish list, but the trillions of dollars in debt are starting to weigh on the decision-making.

Policy discussions are at the focal point of divergent societal perspectives and social values, such as:

•    abortion,

•    end-of-life,

•    is healthcare a right or a privilege, and

•    individual or employer mandate.

No matter which side anyone sits on, many possible policy solutions now exist for the challenges facing American healthcare. And those options must be economically feasible, socially acceptable and politically viable.

But successful and comprehensive healthcare reform must also address these four basic issues.

1.    The rising cost of delivering and financing healthcare,

2.    The challenges of rising chronic illness and an aging population,

3.    The paradox of quality in American healthcare, and

4.    The uninsured.

The current situation calls for quick fixes that remedy the situation now, but don’t really take on the deep-rooted symptoms of malaise. Such remedies include payers returning to managed care with more emphasis on chronic disease management, care coordination and medical homes.

Providers could take on increased risk for better profits with value-based purchasing, where buyers hold providers of healthcare accountable for both cost and quality of care; bundled payments, ACOs and medical practices.

Source: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/its-about-information-not-technology