Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014 - (Page 56)

Response from Feature Authors D aviD a. k inDig anD g eorge i sham r e S p o n S e O u r s u c c i n c t , s u mm a ry response would be ". . . but it's not primarily about medical care." But we don't want to be misunderstood. We genuinely appreciate the companion feature article and the three commentaries. Medical care is an important determinant of population health. Both of us have extensive experience in healthcare delivery organizations. We think that the triple aim of simultaneously improving the population's total health, improving the experience of care, and reducing cost is an important concept and applaud Don Berwick, MD, and the institute for Healthcare improvement; the centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and these authors for developing and promoting it. the "Double aim" of improving only patient experience and controlling medical costs is itself critical, and the authors primarily highlight much of the important innovation now under way within the leading healthcare organizations they are responsible for. But addressing the Double aim alone is not enough to significantly improve population health. it is instead "population health management" of defined subpopulations that have access and a relationship to care delivery, usually through an acute or chronic illness. necessary, to be sure, but insufficient. there is so much more than the Double aim that we need to do to address the United States' poor showing in health relative to other advanced countries. the nation's economic, military, social, and moral leadership depends on our moving out of our comfort zones to maximize the health and capacity of our people. in our view, healthcare delivery has an expanded responsibility and expanded role to play. 56 * f ro ntier s o f h ea lt h s e r vic e s ma na g e m e nt 30 :4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014

Table of Contents

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014