IOM Meeting Tackles Lowering the Cost of Medical Care
How can health care costs be lowered but at the same time not jeopardize outcomes?
Recently, AAPA attended a meeting in Washington, D.C. to explore that very topic in a session called The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Cost and Improving Outcomes. The meeting, which was the third in a series, was sponsored by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Evidence-based Medicine.
This broad-range discussion focused on how to lower costs both from the federal and the private payer point of view. A number of creative solutions were offered, including “bundling” payments for care, using medical homes, and “accountable” care organizations.
Other topics discussed during the meeting include reviewing targets and strategies; payments bundled by condition, episode or outcome; care for the medically complex patient; delivery system integration; new innovations; administrative simplification; consumer preferences for higher value care, and polices and strategies.
One aspect discussed as a strategy for lowering cost and improving outcomes was using more health care provides like PAs. Using information provided by AAPA, Mary Naylor, RN, professor of gerontology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, addressed the group on the cost effectiveness of using PAs and NPs, which was received very well by participants.
Following the session, the IOM plans to issue a report on some of these strategies.For more information, click here.
Doug Scott, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
