“Men are only as good as their technical development allows them to be.”
– George Orwell
Many leaders in the American health care system have spent the last several decades struggling to find a way to deliver quality care in a cost efficient manner. Unfortunately, many would say that this has been losing the battle. Now, however, the industry is in the process of reinventing itself under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
As the health reform movement transitions from theory into practice, the industry is moving away from the long-held fee-for-service model and toward value-based purchasing. More specifically, according to the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), this new model will be based on “a demand side strategy, involving the actions of coalitions, employer purchasers, public sector purchasers (e.g. Medicare and Medicaid), health plan payers, and individual consumers, to reward excellence in health care delivery. Rewards can take three dominant forms: enhanced reputation and recognition through public reporting; enhanced payment through differential reimbursement; and enhanced market share through purchaser, payer, and/or individual consumer selection.”
