The New Health Care Model

Our model of health care must evolve from disease state management and reimbursements based on patient visit and test volumes, to a system based upon wellness care, evidence-based medicine, and successful outcomes.

To be sure, the changes will neither be easy nor immediate. There are a number of difficult obstacles that will have to be overcome:

• Though there is clear evidence that this new model will save money, reimbursement structures will have to change to provide independent practitioners, clinics, medical groups and hospitals with effective payments to support it.
• Insurance companies' business models and staffing will have to change to focus on monitoring and measuring outcomes instead of counting visits and tests performed.
• Standardized electronic health records (EHR) and electronic billing and claims management systems will have to be developed, widely adopted and shared by all in the medical community.
• Pharmacists must also change their business models to become more central to the role of patient engagement, managing medication -- monitoring regimen adherence and providing patient education.

The good news is, activities are already underway that will support the transition to this new model.

Be sure to visit the ACO, Patient Centered Health Care and Medication Management pages in this section of the web site.

You'll find them under the Practitioners drop-down menu, under the “New Health Care Model” bar, or at the bottom of this page.