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Getting from volume to value
Health reform is not about one big bill—it’s about many different things going on, including the pursuit of value being driven by people on the street saying, “I think it can be done better and cheaper,” according to Paul Keckley, PhD, Executive Director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, during his talk for the Jerry G. Peers Lectureship on Monday afternoon at AORN's 57th Congress. “For health care professionals, reform is also about valuing what you do and instilling trust and confidence in your patients, don’t ever let that change.”
As for his take on the health reform discussions in Washington, Keckley said health reform is not about bad people, it’s about a flawed system, but when discussions on health reform are framed within a scenario of winners and losers, no systemic change can result, he said.
“It seems to me that this discussion of health care may sometimes miss the idea of meaningful, purposeful work,” he stressed, noting that perioperative nurses play a key role in promoting this meaningful perspective on reform by taking an honest look at the system.
Regardless of what happens this week in Washington as the current health care reform bill is slated to be voted on, Keckley said health reform will continue to be discussed at the state level and that the health system will naturally evolve because it is no longer affordable.
Looking ahead five, 10 and 15 years from now he predicts a very different health care system in the United States that includes four key changes:
• Increased transparency of safety, outcomes and costs
• Increased integration of health delivery
• Lower payments from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans
• Profit with purpose
Despite the opposition surrounding public dialogue on health reform that has occurred, Keckley is very optimistic. “Isn’t it great that for more than a year, people have had to think about health care? We now have some recognition that the delivery system for health care has something to do with cost and that each of you contributes to outcomes that are the result of teams, not individuals—this is something policy makers are beginning to think about.”
Read more stories in Tuesday's Edition.
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