National Health Policy Leaders Say Innovation, Enabled by Information Technology (IT) Key to Delivery of Efficient, Effective Healthcare in the Future

MONTEREY, Calif., Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The way healthcare is delivered, not the amount of government reimbursement available, will determine the success of healthcare reform, futurist Ian Morrison told healthcare leaders attending the two-day Client Summit in Monterey sponsored by MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions. Morrison also said innovative approaches to managing patient care, enabled by information technology, will be critical for success.

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Morrison was one of three national speakers who addressed healthcare reform, the uncertainties surrounding implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and a path to delivering better healthcare to all Americans for less cost.

Morrison was joined by fellow keynote speakers David Bates, MD, chief quality officer, Brigham and Women's Hospital and medical director of Clinical and Quality Analysis, Partners HealthCare and Sachin Jain, MD, physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital and former senior advisor to Donald Berwick, CMS administrator.

Dr. Bates reinforced the day's theme that the way healthcare is delivered in the U.S. must be changed, noting the poor healthcare quality and safety in the U.S. compared with other developed nations. The U.S. spends twice as much on healthcare as any other developed nation, yet ranks last in almost every measure of safe, coordinated, effective care, he said.

Bates also emphasized the importance of the continuing adoption of electronic medical records and a care approach utilizing primary care physicians that incorporates patient-centered "medical homes." Although he said the definition of medical homes varies, it is a healthcare delivery model that includes physician-directed, inter-disciplinary teams, care management and care coordination programs, a quality assurance mechanism and health IT systems which collectively will help to improve care. "We're reinventing primary care," he said. "The patient-centered medical home is a promising model."

Dr. Jain focused on innovation in healthcare, noting "the best insights come from patients and providers on the front line of healthcare." He said that the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has created a new door for assessing and implementing promising ways of working differently. "This is a special time for innovation," he said. "Payers and providers should approach CMS directly with ideas for improving care—they don't need to rely on industry groups."

About MedeAnalytics

Founded in 1994, MedeAnalytics delivers performance management solutions across the healthcare system—including hospitals, physician practices and payers—to ensure accountability and improve financial, operational and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.medeanalytics.com.

For more information:
Bruce Lewis
Lewis & Summers Public Relations
(707) 813-1197
[email protected]

SOURCE MedeAnalytics

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