Based upon your learning from the first half of this course

Based upon your learning from the first half of this course, what would you consider to be the highest priority objectives for our U.S. healthcare delivery system at this time? State at least three objectives, and explain why you feel that each objective is so important.

Solution

Answer: The highest prority of the healthcare system in US are:

1. More systematic and proactive management of chronic disease – this will improve health outcomes, reduce inappropriate use of hospitals, and have a significant impact on health inequalities.

2. A population-based approach to commissioning – a key challenge for commissioners is to direct resources to the patients with greatest need and redress the ‘inverse care law’. Clinicians involved in CCGs will need to shift their focus from the patients that present most frequently in their practice to the wider population that they serve.

3. More integrated models of care – from ‘virtual’ integration through shared protocols to integrated teams and in some cases shared budgets and organisational integration.