Last night, I was honored to be a guest at the 4^th annual Hands-on-Help awards presented by the Caregiver Action Network (CAN) to recognize the work being done to support caregiving for families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, disabilities or veterans reintegrating back into their family lives and communities. The event was held at the historic Cosmos Club and attracted political celebrities and caregiving professionals alike. One of the highlights for me was to see Senator Bob Dole receive CAN’s “Staying Healthy Together” award for his tireless work on behalf of our nation’s veterans and to ensure those who served and their families receive the care they fully deserve. 

Elizabeth Dole, who heads the Elizabeth Foundation for Wounded Warriors, is a Board Member of CAN and was in the front row to watch John Schall, CEO, engage in a “fireside chat” with the Senator and to officially bestow the award.  It was particularly exciting for me as I worked on Mrs. Dole’s personal staff when she was the Secretary of Labor under President George Herbert Walker Bush. She has been such a great mentor throughout my career, talking about using our abilities and talents to reach our full potential. It was fun to see them and to talk up close and personal.  Others recognized included Congresswoman Michele Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Meryl Comer, President of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation and David Badeen, Vice President, Sam’s Club HealthCare.

I can’t say enough for the work of CAN and John Schall, who has catapulted the organization in just three years to serve over 90 million Americans who care for loved ones across the country.  Yes, it was an honor to be among such dedicated and impassioned  people who make a true difference in health and healthcare for everyone. We all need to support CAN and help double the number of caregivers they empower.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR), “Better Value in Health Care Requires Focusing on Outcomes” by Caleb Stowell, MD and Christina Ackerman, MD,  discusses the need for providers to shift from a volume-based model of care to a value-based model in lower costs or better outcomes.  While a challenge to accomplish, Stowell and Ackerman find that successful value strategies in health care focus on producing measurable outcomes to create real transformation. They point to factors such as meeting mission and differentiation, integrating around the patient and greater collaboration among physicians, comparison of practices, controlling cost through knowledge sharing and shifting payment from volume to results.

To achieve better performance and noted cost-reduction for providers and patients, putting systems in place that track performance behavior and outcomes is imperative to effective health transformation.  I find this particularly true when factoring in the role of population health and tracking outcomes that reflect the specific characteristics and needs of populations that require greater coordination and integration.  At-risk and vulnerable populations can have the greatest impact from valued-based care models. clearly many successful hospitals and health systems that provide models to replicate. The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) model cited is an excellent example of reducing cost, increasing value and enhancing the patient experience by decision-support tools that are relatively easy  to use and can track outcomes for patients and providers.  Just like an Olympic champion obtains “value” with optimal performance and “tracking” outcomes (i.e. performance and process goals), a healthcare value shift will happen when tracking outcomes is fully embraced and integrated industry-wide. If you are a leading a health care provider organization and are uncertain how to navigate the shift, you might start by measuring your outcomes.