Health Care: A Dose of Innovation for the Ills

• Published in: Benefits & Compensation Digest Vol. 45; no. 12; p. 16
• Main Author: Bowden, Dawn
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brookfield International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans 01-12-2008
• Subjects: Disease management; Health care access; Health care industry; Innovations; United States > US
• ISSN: 2157-6157; 2157-6165

The health care industry has numerous ills including the lack of integrated care, high medical error rates, growing rates of uninsured people and escalating costs of health care overall. The lack of health value innovation and quality improvements across the system is alarming considering research and development efforts; investment by government, private and public organizations; and the high number of new venture start-up rates in the health care field. Innovation in health care is challenging. This situation is directly attributable to the complexity of a health ecosystem that requires extensive collaborative arrangements through which organizations, and even individual care providers, combine offerings and capabilities into a coherent, customer-facing solution. Delivery of health care services and programs needs to follow evidence-based guidelines and best practices. Innovations in health care must focus on how care is organized, delivered and measured. This is the only way to achieve better care for more people at a lower cost in the long term.