During meetings held this summer with managers from across the Salt Lake City-based health system, Intermountain Healthcare CEO Marc Harrison, MD, said making healthcare more affordable for the people it serves is a top priority for the organization. Harrison told managers that Intermountain is well-positioned to lead the nation in providing the best care at an affordable cost, and, with the help of each caregiver, it's a goal that can be achieved.
"We have a crisis in American healthcare right now," Dr. Harrison said. "Healthcare is unaffordable. The existing healthcare system is oriented toward driving volume. As an industry we do too many things to too many people that they really don't need, which hurts them economically, and sometimes physically. But Intermountain has a great history of innovation and together we can drive change."
In a press release, Dr. Harrison shared some alarming national statistics about the cost of healthcare:
· One in four people will forego medical care this year because it's too expensive.
· One in three Americans ration their prescription drugs because they can't afford them.
· About half of Americans worry an unexpected healthcare expense will bankrupt them.
· Healthcare expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States
He says the statistics are better in Utah and Intermountain's charity care program is helping those who can't afford care, but more needs to be done. Last year, Intermountain provided more than $246 million in charity care to patients in need of financial assistance.
"We're doing a great job with the cost of healthcare and Intermountain is as competitive and cost-effective as any large system in the United States," he said. "But we have a long way to go and we're going to drive this forward together. How are we going to get there? By keeping people well, by providing the most accessible and affordable care, and by creating a sustainable model."
Examples of innovative solutions at Intermountain that are reducing costs and improving care include:
· Civica Rx, the not-for-profit generic drug company banded together by Intermountain and other healthcare systems and philanthropists to fight the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs by providing low-cost generic drugs to participating hospitals.
· Reimagined Primary Care, the team-based care model that focuses on preventive care to keep patients well. The model already has about 25,000 patient members enrolled and has seen impressive results, such as a 60 percent decrease in hospital admissions, 35 percent decrease in emergency department admissions, and a 20 percent decrease in per member per month costs.
· Addressing social determinants of health such as stable housing, food, transportation, and employment.
· Reducing opioid misuse. Intermountain has reduced the number of opioid tablets prescribed for acute care by more than 30 percent in the last year and is working hard to make further reductions.
· Integrating mental health care into clinics as part of each patient's primary care experience.
· Finding and implementing caregiver ideas. Intermountain caregivers implemented nearly 49,000 continuous improvement ideas in 2018 — more than 130 ideas each day. Many of these ideas both improved quality and reduced expenses.
"We didn't do these things for our self-aggrandizement," Dr. Harrison said. "We did them for our neighbors. And we're in just the right position to continue to be an innovator. We'll still focus on helping people when they're in a car accident, have a heart attack, or get cancer," he added. "But we have the opportunity to do that in conjunction with a 'keep people well' system. We're still going to have great trauma programs, great heart surgery programs, great cancer care programs, and great neuro ICUs, but won't it be terrific if we can actually keep people out of some of those places? And have them stay as close to home as possible in the least restrictive environment?"
