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Panel Detail:
Monday, April 24, 2006
8:30 AM - 10:05 AM
The Future of Health Care
Speakers:
James Greenwood,
President and CEO, Biotechnology Industry Organization
J. Edward Hill,
President, American Medical Association
Joe Hogan,
President and CEO, GE Healthcare
Andrew von Eschenbach,
Acting Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Myrl Weinberg,
President, National Health Council
Moderator:
Greg Simon, President, FasterCures / The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions
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Myrl Weinberg tells the audience that personal health records are a critical component in empowering patients to take responsibility for their health-care decisions. Listening is the FDA's Andrew von Eschenbach.
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The health-care industry is the largest segment of the global economy, totaling a staggering 4.6 trillion dollars, or 10 percent of world GDP. The cost of health care in the United States constitutes almost half of this figure, at 2 trillion dollars and 16 percent of domestic GDP. And the demand for health care is growing, fueled by an aging population in the developed world and improved living standards in the developing world, noted moderator Michael Milken.
The challenge of providing quality health care to everyone at a reasonable cost in the face of these trends was the focus of discussion by a diverse panel representing the perspectives of patient advocates, medical providers, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry sectors, and the federal government.
Joe Hogan of Healthcare noted that the balancing act of optimizing quality, access and cost is the main challenge in making health-care policy decisions. Universal health-care systems may optimize access, but they do not necessarily guarantee quality. In contrast, private U.S. health-care systems that aim to optimize quality do not necessarily correlate with better quality. The panelists suggested several ways to improve the current state of affairs, as well as how various groups can work together to bring about change.
Decreasing the cost of health care was at the forefront of the discussion. Hogan suggested that since illness management accounts for a high cost of medical expenditures, early detection and treatment could help reduce the health-care costs dramatically. New medical imaging technologies have the potential to provide early diagnosis, he added, but they need to be provided at reasonable costs to primary-care physicians in order to make an impact.
James Greenwood of BIO added that introducing financial incentives to get checkups is one way to ensure that primary-care physicians can monitor patients on a regular basis. The AMA's Ed Hill remarked that several preventable behaviors, such as drug and alcohol abuse and improper weight management, result in a trillion dollars of medical costs. He suggested that a new look at health-focused K-12 education could create an effective way to educate the young people about the consequences of their choices.
The speakers agreed that the quality of health care could be improved dramatically with the concept of "personalized care." Myrl Weinberg of the National Health Council said that personal health records are a critical component in empowering patients to take responsibility for their health-care decisions. Many patients already use Internet sites to educate themselves about health-care options and provider options. Personalized health records could drive greater patient involvement in decision-making about their treatments. Weinberg noted that personal health records could be implemented in the next two to three years, given collaboration between key players. Hill and Hogan were more hesitant, pointing out that only 23 percent of physicians are currently using digital records and that the adoption of these technologies tends to be challenging and slow in such workflow-centric environments. In addition, Hogan noted, it is not enough to focus on increasing lifespan as a measure of health-care quality. Instead, he said, we need to focus on increasing the "health span," the length of people’s healthy and productive lives.
Various philosophies about how to improve access to health care compete in the political area, which is part of the reason why change is difficult, even though many agree that the status quo is inadequate. In discussing the recent Massachusetts decision to legislate mandatory health insurance coverage on the state level, the panelists agreed that it is an interesting and brave experiment, and that more action on the legislative front in order to encourage better access to health care. However, Andrew von Eschenbach, the acting FDA commissioner, cautioned that simply having insurance does not guarantee adequate coverage. Personalized insurance plans are needed in order to improve access to specific treatments.
The panelists concluded was their representative groups need to continue working together. Fostering better communication and understanding of common objectives is critical to establishing lasting relationships needed to produce positive change.
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