Healthcare reform, policies and health IT
The New England HIMSS Public Policy Forum earlier this week brought health IT representatives from six states to Massachusetts—widely cited for its universal health insurance law, now roughly three years old. In addition to providing state-by-state reports on health IT, the conference offered speakers and attendees a chance to help figure out what the national healthcare reform legislation might mean on a local level.
Throughout the day, speakers and panelists from a variety of stakeholders addressed healthcare reform and its implications for information management. The discussions included these topics:
To get lasting reform in healthcare, what is the number one thing that needs to be changed? The first thing to do is decide “what we’re being paid for,” said Paul Oates, enterprise architecture specialist at Cigna. “Even in this session, across stakeholders, we heard several answers regarding who is in charge of care coordination. I’d like to see industry discussion about what that model is supposed to be and align spending on it. From an IT guy’s point of view, I don’t think I know right now.”
Can public health and private health be brought together? They must be more closely aligned for healthcare reform to work, said panelists during a discussion of state-driven initiatives. The question is how. According to Ned Helms, Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice, the average life expectancy increased by 30 years between 1900 and 2000, and much of the increase was due to public health initiatives such as clean water and safe working conditions. Going forward, health improvement must be driven by personal healthcare and a focus on prevention, said Craig Jones, MD, director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health. Integrating public and private health initiatives will depend on information collection and exchange, and HIEs can facilitate this exchange, according to the panelists.
How can consumers be expected to know which provider or health plan is actually the best for them? There are too many variables today for healthcare consumers to make truly informed choices, said Lynn Nicholas, CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA). The IT answer for this is accessible data that can offer valid comparisons, which will only happen through greater transparency across facilities, healthcare providers and insurers, several panelists said. However, if more data becomes information overload, said Steve O’Neill, CIO of Hartford Hospital, “there’ll be more information than people can stand when it comes to healthcare.”
Will patients accept the idea that fewer choices might actually improve care? This will require a major change in the way patients view care in this country: “People need to be taught that [it] actually will work better for them. I don’t think anyone enjoys navigating this hodgepodge of a system,” said David Smith, healthcare reform policy analyst at MHA. “We need to paint a world where you get something better.”
If healthcare reform eventually leads to fewer patients requiring hospitalization, does that mean more hospitals will close? In states like Massachusetts, where healthcare is a major economic engine, the ramifications of this could be profound, said Nicholas. “Politically, it’s extremely hard to choose which institutions to close. Often hospitals are largest employers in the community. It needs to evolve slowly and that’s where the government comes in, to address issues of access and affordability.”
The answers provided here were not the only ones offered for each question. And nationwide there are plenty of additional opinions from everyone with an interest in healthcare. As Smith put it, "There are larger opportunities if people will reach out to other constituencies."
Mary Stevens, editor
mstevens@trimedmedia.com
Throughout the day, speakers and panelists from a variety of stakeholders addressed healthcare reform and its implications for information management. The discussions included these topics:
To get lasting reform in healthcare, what is the number one thing that needs to be changed? The first thing to do is decide “what we’re being paid for,” said Paul Oates, enterprise architecture specialist at Cigna. “Even in this session, across stakeholders, we heard several answers regarding who is in charge of care coordination. I’d like to see industry discussion about what that model is supposed to be and align spending on it. From an IT guy’s point of view, I don’t think I know right now.”
Can public health and private health be brought together? They must be more closely aligned for healthcare reform to work, said panelists during a discussion of state-driven initiatives. The question is how. According to Ned Helms, Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice, the average life expectancy increased by 30 years between 1900 and 2000, and much of the increase was due to public health initiatives such as clean water and safe working conditions. Going forward, health improvement must be driven by personal healthcare and a focus on prevention, said Craig Jones, MD, director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health. Integrating public and private health initiatives will depend on information collection and exchange, and HIEs can facilitate this exchange, according to the panelists.
How can consumers be expected to know which provider or health plan is actually the best for them? There are too many variables today for healthcare consumers to make truly informed choices, said Lynn Nicholas, CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA). The IT answer for this is accessible data that can offer valid comparisons, which will only happen through greater transparency across facilities, healthcare providers and insurers, several panelists said. However, if more data becomes information overload, said Steve O’Neill, CIO of Hartford Hospital, “there’ll be more information than people can stand when it comes to healthcare.”
Will patients accept the idea that fewer choices might actually improve care? This will require a major change in the way patients view care in this country: “People need to be taught that [it] actually will work better for them. I don’t think anyone enjoys navigating this hodgepodge of a system,” said David Smith, healthcare reform policy analyst at MHA. “We need to paint a world where you get something better.”
If healthcare reform eventually leads to fewer patients requiring hospitalization, does that mean more hospitals will close? In states like Massachusetts, where healthcare is a major economic engine, the ramifications of this could be profound, said Nicholas. “Politically, it’s extremely hard to choose which institutions to close. Often hospitals are largest employers in the community. It needs to evolve slowly and that’s where the government comes in, to address issues of access and affordability.”
The answers provided here were not the only ones offered for each question. And nationwide there are plenty of additional opinions from everyone with an interest in healthcare. As Smith put it, "There are larger opportunities if people will reach out to other constituencies."
Mary Stevens, editor
mstevens@trimedmedia.com