This article lists seven features of the Grand Junction health system that have contributed to much lower that average health care expenditures. One of those that stands out most, and arguably has had the most influence, is the leadership and control which physicians in this region assumed. They created their own health plans in order to control costs and maintain control and input over care. I have not heard of anything quite like this and it sounds truly innovative. Given current concerns about physician loss of autonomy following national health reform, this seems like an excellent way of combating that. This feature also seemed related to one of the things I found rather appealing about the health system in Germany – prices are arranged by negotiations with doctors and hospitals, not employers or other third-party members. Not only do the physicians have increased control in how they provide care, but this system also has built in cost-control incentives for those same physicians. It seems like a win-win situation.
Another thing the article mentions at the end is that cities and towns could benefit from taking these seven features into consideration for their own domains. With all of the recent talk about national health reform, it was almost a wake-up call to me to alert local leaders to take a greater interest in their own health systems and develop community practices to combat rising health care costs and over-utilization of emergency rooms by Medicaid patients. Pushing local leaders to take control of their health care concerns and implement standards that work for them seems like a priority that has not received enough attention but should.
This article lists seven features of the Grand Junction health system that have contributed to much lower that average health care expenditures. One of those that stands out most, and arguably has had the most influence, is the leadership and control which physicians in this region assumed. They created their own health plans in order to control costs and maintain control and input over care. I have not heard of anything quite like this and it sounds truly innovative. Given current concerns about physician loss of autonomy following national health reform, this seems like an excellent way of combating that. This feature also seemed related to one of the things I found rather appealing about the health system in Germany – prices are arranged by negotiations with doctors and hospitals, not employers or other third-party members. Not only do the physicians have increased control in how they provide care, but this system also has built in cost-control incentives for those same physicians. It seems like a win-win situation.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing the article mentions at the end is that cities and towns could benefit from taking these seven features into consideration for their own domains. With all of the recent talk about national health reform, it was almost a wake-up call to me to alert local leaders to take a greater interest in their own health systems and develop community practices to combat rising health care costs and over-utilization of emergency rooms by Medicaid patients. Pushing local leaders to take control of their health care concerns and implement standards that work for them seems like a priority that has not received enough attention but should.