Published by: Lisa Harris on 3/28/2011 9:28:06 AM
This post is the seventh in our series of guest entries marking the one-year anniversary of the passage of the health reform law.
March 23 marked the first anniversary of health care reform – the day the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by President Obama. This new law makes qualifying for affordable health care a reality for 30 million Americans who are currently uninsured. With more insured patients, there is a greater opportunity for the preventive care that will result in better health care outcomes at lower cost.
At Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis we put great emphasis on patient-centered care, prevention, efficiency, cost effectiveness and a sustainable business model to be ready for the changes health care reform will bring. Many of the changes that will be necessary as a result of health care reform are already standard practice at Wishard.
Wishard is advancing programs that represent the future of health care delivery. The Wishard-Regenstrief Partnership for Health Care Quality has produced groundbreaking results that provide the foundation for electronic medical record systems in use around the globe. Our cutting-edge work over the last four decades has generated more than 300 peer-reviewed research papers by Regenstrief investigators, all of which describe improvements in the quality, efficiency, effectiveness and safety of care provided at Wishard due to innovations in health information technology.
Another example is our GRACE program (Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders), which utilizes an advance-practice nurse and a social worker in collaboration with primary care doctors in community clinics to care for low-income frail elderly patients. An interdisciplinary geriatrics team reviews care, furthering the expertise provided to the patient through the primary team. Using in-home assessments and telephone monitoring, GRACE targets a dozen problems that are common among older Americans, ranging from dementia and hearing loss, to managing multiple medications, to supporting family caregivers, emotionally and practically. The program has saved $1,500 per enrolled patient and reduced hospitalization rates by 44 percent. Focusing on value over volume and good outcomes and rewarding efficient, effective and evidence-based care is the best way to achieve genuine health care savings and to improve care.
Health care reform calls for a new $15 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund that will invest in proven prevention and public health programs that can help keep Americans healthy – from smoking cessation to combating obesity. The law also calls for funding to support the construction of expanded services at community health centers, creating access for more than 20 million new patients across the country. Wishard is already in the midst of adding a new community health center – incorporating primary care, senior care, mental health and dental care as well as the full range of diagnostic and rehab services – to our family of 10 existing sites located throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis, and we are constructing an entirely new, modern and efficient hospital that will be at the heart of health care for decades to come. Learn more about our project to construct The New Wishard at www.thenewwishard.org.
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Lisa E. Harris, MD
CEO and Medical Director, Wishard Health Services
Immediate Past Chair, NAPH