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Four healthcare leaders called for innovative ideas

I attended the Crain’s Chicago Business Physicians Group Breakfast at the Mid-America Club on Tuesday morning. The four panelists representing perspectives from an academic medical center, an integrated delivery network, an independent physicians group and a private practice provoked an interesting discussion about where we stand today in healthcare and where we need to be.

Interestingly, the panel, consisting of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Advocate Medical Group, DuPage Medical Group and Vista Family Medicine all agreed on four key requirements for healthcare reform despite their differing (and probably competing) interests.

They agreed that as providers dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of this nation, they, along with policy makers need to come together to:

1)      Improve quality of care by promoting and enabling integrated care teams

2)      Align reimbursements and incentives to shift care away from hospital to more cost-effective centers

3)      Recognize the value of primary care physicians in managing chronically ill patients

4)      Increase efficiency through task shifting and alternative means of care

Many innovative ideas were discussed in support of these key requirements including:

• Pilot programs for Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) are underway at various institutions to identify ways primary care physicians can coordinate care across providers to manage chronically ill patients more effectively and efficiently.
• Task shifting was discussed as a tool to drive efficiencies and lower costs by empowering and enabling clinicians, physician assistants, nurses and other healthcare providers to provide medical triage and complete certain routine procedures, allowing the physician to focus on more complex procedures.
• Aligning reimbursements with ambulatory-based or alternative means to provide care will drive physicians to be more efficient and reduce the cost of care. Examples included patient portals, email communication, phone consults and eVisits as a growing means to deliver care if reimbursements become aligned.

How we as a country will turn these ideas and programs into broad-based reality will be dependent on innovative thinkers and doers to push the ball forward.

We need cooperation among sometimes-competing entities, the wherewithal to make long term investments in financial and human resources and innovative and flexible technology that enables secure and accurate information sharing to take place.

I was inspired from the discussion, knowing that leaders like these panelists, who come from very different perspectives, have a common goal to provide better care in the most efficient way possible.  I look forward to watching as the landscape continues to evolve.