The future of healthcare in the USA is encouraging. Many thanks to Tom Main and Adrian Slywotzky for their article “The Quiet Health Care Revolution” in the November 2011 issue of the Atlantic Magazinethat publicizes a new model for elder care.
CareMore, a company in Cerritos, CA is showing that you can improve quality of care while simultaneously lowering health costs. CareMore’s model provides early intervention — including free rides to appointments when needed €“ which is resulting in significantly lower overall expenses. This is welcome and exciting news! CareMore is spending money where it makes sense and adds value. As a result, their members are receiving better care and have better outcomes at a lower total cost. Early intervention costs less.
According to Main and Slywotzky, CareMore operates 26 care centers across the Southwest, serving more than 50,000 Medicare Advantage patients. CareMore has achieved a hospitalization rate 24 percent below average; hospital stays are 38 percent shorter; and the amputation rate among diabetics 60 percent lower than average.
There is a good chance that we will see this model spread. Main and Slywotzky report that in August CareMore was acquired by the insurer and health-services provider WellPoint, which serves 70 million people nationwide directly or through subsidiaries, and has plans to expand the CareMore model.
While so many in positions of influence continue to complain about the cost of healthcare, it is encouraging to learn of a company that has done something very remarkable about it.
Read the article.
Related articles
- Upstream Medicine (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
- Disease management + short takes on Kahneman, Podcasts, Merck, Design Thinking, Consumer Health (forbes.com)
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