Action Plan Unveiled in Washington D.C. to Promote Partnerships in Health Care Quality, Cost Savings
Sven Gustafson
| 2 min read
The "Building Tomorrow's Healthcare System" plan from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association calls for inspiring healthier living, among other recommendations. Blues CEO Daniel J. Loepp traveled to Washington D.C. last week to join Scott Serota of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in announcing a comprehensive action plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system by improving quality and reining in costs. Loepp was on hand to help Scott Serota, CEO of the BCBSA, unveil “Building Tomorrow's Healthcare System: The Pathway to High-Quality, Affordable Care in America,” a four-pronged approach to building tomorrow’s health care system based on efforts to contain costs and improve quality where BCBSM is already making measurable progress. The “Pathway” plan focuses on rewarding quality and safety while taking on rising health care costs. It advocates for a public-private partnership in four areas:
- Rewarding safety
- Doing what works and focusing on quality outcomes, instead of paying for expensive services that may be ineffective or redundant
- Reinforcing front-line primary care
- Inspiring Americans to live healthy and make better choices
Loepp, who is also chairman of the BCBSA board of directors, told the media about the Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality, BCBSM’s widely recognized partnership with the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. He also shared some of the early achievements of the Patient-Centered Medical Home program, the largest in the country. “We are helping to create a culture of patient safety in Michigan,” Loepp said. “We know our efforts are saving money and creating more consistent application of best practices, but more importantly, these efforts are leading to better outcomes and ultimately saving lives.” If adopted, the recommendations would save $319 billion over the next decade, according to a study by Ken Thorpe, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. For more information, read the BCBSA news release, or read the Pathway action plan. BCBSA is the parent organization of the 39 independent, locally based Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, including the Michigan Blues. Photo by Christiana Care.
