5 Things to Know From World Health Care Congress 2019
During World Health Care Congress 2019, healthcare stakeholders from around the globe convened to discuss all things healthcare, ranging from Medicare for All to social determinants of health.
During World Health Care Congress 2019, healthcare stakeholders from around the globe convened to discuss all things healthcare, ranging from Medicare for All to social determinants of health. Here are 5 things to know from the conference:
1. Medicare for All alternative
Criticizing the idea of Medicare for All, Senator Bill Cassidy, MD, R-Louisiana, argued that the legislation would give government more power over the patient rather than give the patient power over their healthcare.
Cassidy also discussed several other healthcare issues on his radar, including surprise medical billing and price transparency, as well as drug competition and cost.
2. Quantifying the return on investment of social determinants of health initiatives
Once social determinants are identified and initiatives are implemented to address them, how can a health system determine the value of these initiatives to gain buy in from providers and payers? During the conference,
According to Susan Mani, vice president of Clinical Transformation and Ambulatory Quality at Lifebridge Health, health systems should create a business case by putting money amounts behind measures, such as prevented readmissions. Population health should be addressed in the same way as any other service line, such as cardiology. Other initiatives put forward by the panel included predictive analytics and paying attention to not just endgame outcomes but also process outcomes, such as referrals to social service organizations.
3. Lessons learned in the shift to value-based care
Another panel discussion shared
While Jason Mitchell, MD, chief medical officer and clinical transformation officer of Presbyterian Healthcare Services, advised that health systems lead the shift with the doctors and leaders in their system, Craig E. Samitt, MD, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, recommended the healthcare industry mirror the tactics of other industries and think more transformatively rather than incrementally.
4. The FDA’s push for innovation
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD,
He walked through several new areas introduced or embraced during his time in office, including gene therapies, cell-based regenerative medicine, targeted medicine, analytical tools, and electronic health records.
5. Ensuring optimal aging at home
As older Americans increasingly prefer home healthcare over care in hospitals, a session at the conference underscored the importance of
Scott Code, associate director, LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technology, added that when thinking about implementing technology in the home to better manage health or to remotely monitor patients, there needs to be the proper infrastructure in place, such as broadband, which many older adults may not have because of their financial means.
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