“If healthcare is so broken, why fix it?”

A reflection of the 2019 HLTH Conference

Following the inaugural 2018 HLTH conference, I had many friends and colleagues tell me how innovative and thought-provoking the conference was, compared to that other behemoth of a health conference held each early Spring. This year, I had the chance to check it out in late October, and I can say that it was well worth my time invested.

At the beginning of each plenary session, a video was shown that both sobered and inspired attendees with the state of healthcare in America. Some of the statistics that were shared included:

· The U.S. spent $3.65 trillion on healthcare in 2018, but 40% of adults with insurance still have trouble affording their deductible. 77% of Americans are concerned that a major health event could bankrupt them.

· Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

· Chronic disease now affects 6 out of every 10 adults and accounts for nearly 90% of U.S. healthcare spending.

· At 40%, America’s obesity rate is the highest amongst developed nations; by 2030 this number is expected to rise to over 50%.

· Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than a car accident.

· 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness; that’s over 40 million Americans, and nearly 60% of those adults do not receive treatment.

· Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S…. and the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10–24.

· Employee stress costs employers $500 billion per year; burnout is now classified as a chronic condition.

One of the questions asked throughout the conference was, “Are we becoming numb to the numbers?” We hear a lot of talk about the above metrics, but are we as healthcare leaders actually doing something to influence them? The pervasive theme at HLTH was that we are starting to make some inroads in a few areas:

Innovation is great… but are we truly identifying ways to improve the patient experience?

Plenty of start-ups and new entrants used HLTH as a platform to showcase how their interventions were making an impact in the healthcare industry on behalf of the patient. Rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft were out in full force showcasing how they can partner with Providers to offer reliable rides for patients. The technology can be embedded in common EHR platforms and showed the success they’ve had in targeting a specific population such as Medicaid enrollees. Other examples of patient-centric innovation included an app that allowed patients to record and transcribe doctor's discharge instructions at the point of care, and a primary care service that focuses on treating the patient in three dimensions: In-person, online and anytime.

“It’s not that doctors don’t like technology… they like technology that works!”

Almost as loud as the drumbeat was for patients, there were several chants for improving the provider experience and reducing physician burnout. Voice-recognition tools such as Alexa were being used to facilitate providers in determining who the next patient was on their list or request for lab results. One of the more poignant themes to come out of sessions was the fact that a doctor was able to collect all the information that a patient needed 20-years ago for their care. In 2019, however, the patient has a wealth of resources available outside of the doctor-patient interaction, but the doctor is responsible for collecting as much data as possible for downstream systems to use to support the patient.

“It’s not about paying for sick care… it’s about helping people stay well… and all other results will follow.”

Several Fortune 50 organizations illustrated how their innovations were fixing the current system; continuing to focus on reducing waste and inefficiency and reducing medical errors. Walmart Health showcased their one-stop-shop for delivering a wide range of services through a simple and transparent pricing structure including primary care, counseling, home care, eye and hearing exams, and dentistry. Microsoft announced how they were evolving beyond traditional chemotherapy to speed up implementation of cancer treatments by using artificial intelligence to target specific genome profiles.

Several organizations noted how employer-based healthcare was the latest example of population health interventions, and how by creating Centers of Excellence for heart treatments and spinal surgeries, they are able to reduce costs and improve health outcomes. CVS noted their long-term strategic acquisitions of Caremark and Aetna was their version of vertical integration to present the patient with one point of view.

“Mental health is starting to get the attention it deserves”

It was palpable to see the number of sessions and plenary talks dedicated to how to deliver mental healthcare services not only at home but also in the workspace. Patrick Kennedy, former RI Congressman, was part of a panel that presented a coalition of CEOs and other global leaders that are committed to strengthening their respective workspaces with mental health resources. HR leaders shared how they were helping their employees be the best they could be not only at home but also at work citing small but impactful interventions, such as rebranding traditional Employer Assistance Programs primarily because their employees could not locate these resources. Providing these services has also been shown to be a competitive advantage as the workforce evolves and these services help with talent acquisition and retention.

So many great ideas, how do we get them to scale?

Between now and the next HLTH conference in October 2020, there will likely be even more innovations that will stretch the boundaries of the industry and introduce new entrants into the industry. As many of these new ideas come out, what should remain consistent is the idea that the doctor-patient interaction can never be replaced, and all of us who are neither of those actors should do our best to strengthen that interaction by equipping both of them with the tools and technological resources to help them be successful.

Cabul Mehta is a Client Service Lead in healthcare and life sciences with Slalom. His experience includes operational process improvements, data and analytics implementations, strategic transformations, and population health interventions. His clients include health systems, physician organizations, cancer institutes, academic medical centers and community hospital settings throughout the United States. His research interests span across multiple areas in the industry including shared savings programs and accountable care organizations, personalized medicine, medical technology innovation, data platforms and analytics, and enhancing the overall patient and caregiver experience.

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