The debate on healthcare reform continues to simmer.

For anyone who hasn’t read the thousand or so pages of legislation, we invited Jeff Goldsmith Ph.D. (President of of Health Futures, Inc. and Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia) to offer his insight on what we can expect from the next chapter in health reform – and how we can start thinking ahead of the curve as healthcare providers and insurers.

In a session to many high-level healthcare executives, Dr. Goldsmith touched on the following points:

Deficit reduction

• The Congressional Budget Office forecasts massive deficits over the next ten years
• When Congress gets around to reducing those deficits, they will be forced to cut Medicare, the balance item in the Federal budget
• When the budget is again balanced, it will likely focus on health plans, specialty physicians and hospitals – particularly their outpatient costs

Widening of hospital role in health system

• This is due to a combination of cuts in non-hospital surgery and imaging Medicare payments as well as the increasing amount of hospital-employed physicians
• Hospitals are still viewed by policy makers as the principal leverage point in controlling health costs
• An increased focus on managing clinical risk in chronic disease

What role will health plans and DM firms play in reshaping the health system?

• Current provisions lack a unified view of the patient; Medical Home is on the right track, but we need to do more. At present, both physicians and hospitals are poorly equipped to actually manage the health or health costs of populations of patients. This creates a new opportunity for providers, health plans, and DM firms to collaborate.
• Use data analytics to track patients’ behaviors and nudge them in the right direction when it comes to caring for their health
• Really listen to the people served, understand their health motivations and challenges, and give them the tools and support to better manage their health risks

Read Dr. Goldsmith’s other takes on the current and future state of healthcare.

It’s good food for thought, no matter which side of the debate you stand on.