Better Health tops Cleveland Clinic's 2013 innovations list

Cleveland Clinic has announced its list of Top 10 Medical Innovations that will have a major impact on improving patient care within the next year. The majority of the list is devices and tools for specific clincal purposes, such as a handheld optical scan for melanoma and 3D mammography, but bipartisan legislation crafted to reward better health also made the cut.

The Medicare Better Health Rewards Program Act of 2012 has been presented to Congress as a way to improve healthcare and control costs for Medicare participants. The goal of the program is to encourage people to take a more active role in their well-being by developing and maintaining healthy habits.

The three-year Better Health Rewards Program uses the annual wellness visits Medicare already subsidizes to determine and measure improvements in six key areas of health: body mass index, diabetes indicators, blood pressure, cholesterol, vaccination status and use of tobacco products.

In the first year, people will be assessed in each of these areas and then work with their doctor to develop a plan to bring their indicators into a healthier range. Progress will be measured during subsequent wellness visits in years two and three of the program.

By saving the Medicare program money, participants in the Better Health Rewards program will be given up to $400 after checkups in the program’s second and third years. All of these monetary incentives will come entirely from savings generated by seniors becoming healthy and using fewer healthcare services.