There are a few new unique approaches going on elsewhere in the world in regards to chronic disease management and care. Germany, without giving away too much information in regards to our presentation tomorrow, radically altered their health care delivery in response to the increasing costs associated with chronic disease. Their research determined that 20% of the population were responsible for 80% of costs. In response, they created Disease Management Programs, of which we will elaborate on tomorrow.
The Germany example illustrates one of many innovative approaches to treating those with chronic diseases. Researching chronic diseases will be a fundamental part health care in the coming decade (or sooner), their costs and burden on the system are still far from understood and vastly undervalued.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what Craig has stated. The fact of the matter remains that there is no way for our healthcare system to continue handling the cost of chronic disease the way it has been for so long. There needs to be innovative solutions implemented, maybe even (Heaven forbid) stolen from another country's system. The idea that a small percentage of a population can require a large majority of available funds makes healthcare not only inefficient, but also forces the system to make decisions based on fund availability. We should work to minimize the economic stranglehold in our healthcare system and chronic disease prevention is one way to work for that long term goal.
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