Earlier this week, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke at a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin about his agenda for health reform. The purpose of this post is not to wade into political waters. But I thought this comment by President Obama was interesting in making the case for reform (emphasis added):
We have to ask why places like Geisinger Health systems in rural Pennsylvania, or Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, or communities like Green Bay can offer high-quality care at costs well below average, but other places in America can’t. We need to identify the best practices across the country, learn from the successes, and then duplicate those successes everywhere else.
Geisinger Health Systems has been a client of IBM’s for a few years now and they offer a clear example of what a Smarter Healthcare system could be. Here’s a short synopsis of the Geisinger story from an essay we recently wrote on the subject:
Smarter healthcare is intelligent, applying advanced analytics to improve research, diagnosis and treatment. Geisinger Health Systems is integrating clinical, financial, operational, claims, genomic and other information into an integrated environment of medical intelligence that helps doctors deliver more personalized care. This enables them to make smarter decisions and deliver higher quality care, all because they can easily turn information into actionable knowledge.
A lot has been said about the need for electronic health records, but digitizing health records is simply the first step. Geisinger has had some form of electronic health records for more than 10 years now. But beyond simply digitization, Geisinger now has the ability to analyze a decade worth of clinical information, procedural data and research to bring about the best evidenced-based treatment for patients. That’s the true promise of a smarter healthcare system.
President Obama’s message was to learn from Geisinger’s the best practices. You can read more about the work IBM’s been doing with Geisinger here on ibm.com or listen to this podcast with IBM’s Dan Pelino and Geisinger’s Dr. Ronald Paulus:
Finally, while this isn’t about Geisinger specifically, the points in this video are appropriate for this conversation:
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8:17 am
I love the idea of the Geisinger Health System for I know it will be helpful to many. I hope this too could be utilized by other countries whose health care system needs a lot of attention. It may have poor rating in the US but surely it will be very beneficial for some other countries.
All the best!
Posted by: Blessed Herbs Australia
6:42 pm
This health care reform could crash the american economy! There are just tons of money being poured into this new reform. If it doesnt work! There are going to be some serious problems ahead financially!
Posted by: Virility ex
3:08 pm
Thanks Adam for this post!
I am German and I lived several years in Hawaii. I lived very much in Honolulu and am now back in Germany. In an important point, I am very grateful to be here again, that’s the medical insurance. I hope for every American that Obama can change the situation and thus can improve things.
Francoise Thurnreiter
Posted by: Francoise Thurnreiter
10:45 am
The health care problem is a real big problem for the USA government, its one of the biggest internal problem for the USA i hope the president Obama end up with the right solution for it
Posted by: Virility EX
2:39 pm
We are finding Geisinger extremely poor in how they treat new applicants for insurance. We have been waiting over 3 1/2 months to hear if my daughter is accepted, after paying the first month’s premium. She is a recent college grad, perfectly healthy, but walking around with no insurance. The continuous run around, certainly makes one wonder how responsive they will be down the road. We thought they were a quality company, but this is more than enough evidence to question how fair and quick they will be once an actual claim is made. I write this only that others beware. If this company is being lauded as the example for others to follow for healthcare insurance, the country is certainly going to take a major step backwards.
Posted by: Wayne Lynch
12:06 pm
So here is a suggested approach: We first “nudge” the patients into taking an interest and actively participate in creating and managing their Personal Health Record (PHR). Without their consent and ongoing participation the concept of Electronic Health Records falls way short of its anticipated benefit
http://yarismak.com
Posted by: health
9:17 am
The challenge will be cloning the Geisinger experience, turning “…information into actionable knowledge.” We will need solid value propositions and change catalyst from all influencers: clinical, economic and political, but most importantly the acceptance and cooperation of current and future patients, which are the owners of the information.
So here is a suggested approach: We first “nudge” the patients into taking an interest and actively participate in creating and managing their Personal Health Record (PHR). Without their consent and ongoing participation the concept of Electronic Health Records falls way short of its anticipated benefit. The incentives can and should be numerous. Motivators are personal, so a broad spectrum of incentives could achieve the desired results… tax incentives, lower insurance premiums, added coverage, shorter waiting times, etc. Whatever works!
When we determine we can realize a significant adoption of PHR’s, the next step is easy… leverage technology to virtually aggregate, consolidate and propagate the patient’s information to where and when it is needed, and through collaboration, turn the information into actionable knowledge benefiting the patient’s health care.
Leonard Fox, IT Architect
IBM Global Business Services
Posted by: Leonard Fox