An article published on Forbes.com titled ?Health Systems Ignore Patients at Their Own Peril? focuses on something every citizen should be concerned with, regardless if they are the ones providing healthcare or receiving it.? Our healthcare system is shifting from a fee-for-service model to a value and outcome healthcare reimbursement model.? For healthcare professionals, this means the focus should be shifted from a ?do more, bill more? mindset to a quality/value/outcomes mindset.
The author, Dave Chase, is the CEO of Avado and he states he has reviewed and implemented over 100 healthIT systems. He has found that the primary job of legacy healthIT systems is to get as big a bill out as quickly as possible.? The more tests healthcare professionals give or treatment they provide, the bigger their reimbursement.? ?The much-criticized fee-for-service model that incentives activity over outcomes has driven that outcome.? In fact, it would have been irrational for healthcare providers to demand systems that did otherwise? (1).
The current model focuses on the activity of the healthcare professional, giving them complete control.? They prescribe tests, medicine, perform procedures and essentially ignore the role of the patient.? As the article states, the healthcare system is appropriately in control of the decisions that drive the outcome when a patient is in the hospital. However, the situation is different when someone is managing a chronic condition, which represents roughly three-quarters of all healthcare spending (1).? The control is then in the hands of the individual.? This means taking their medication, complying with recommended home treatment such as rehabilitation and diet changes.
In order to improve outcomes, patients need to hold themselves accountable for their own care.? This means taking the right preventative measures to reduce their chances of needing professional treatment.? This also means they need to be compliant with their home care after receiving treatment from a healthcare professional.? Healthtech startups can provide the tools for patients to make this at-home care more manageable:
The highest performing health systems perform very well when there is the medical equivalent of a big fire. However, it is individuals who are the key player in keeping small fires from growing bigger and fire prevention. Just speaking to the technology side of the equation, health systems have invested massive sums of money to fight the big ?fires? that take place in hospitals. The opportunity for healthtech startups today is to develop the equivalent of fire extinguishers, CO2 alarms,?keeping fires from reigniting, fire inspections, and better communication systems that snuff out small ?fires? or prevent them entirely. (1)
Patients now have access to health information at the tip of their fingers twenty-four-seven due to innovations in technology.? With advances in technology also comes increased responsibility and accountability for patients who now have these tools to aid them in tracking and managing their health. ?Both healthcare professionals and patients can improve outcomes by implementing these tools in their care, especially with this shift to an outcome/value reimbursement model as an incentive.
Article Mentioned in this Post:
Chase, Dave. "Health Systems Ignore Patients at Their Own Peril." Forbes.com. Forbes.com LLC, 08 2012. Web. 13 Dec 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2012/04/08/health-systems-ignore-patients-at-their-own-peril/>.
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