U.S. Chamber of Commerce Health Care Summit

I was honored to speak recently at the U.S. Chamber’s Annual Health Care Summit and proud that Novant Health could be a part of an event that continues to facilitate important conversations between business, health, and policy.

The theme of the summit this year was “HEALTH FORWARD,” so it seemed fitting that I speak to the future of health care, which – these days – I like to describe this way:

We are redesigning a plane at the same time we are flying it.

As we well know, the health care industry is in the midst of a dramatic evolution. Consider the impact of the Affordable Care Act on insurers, doctors, and hospitals, in the midst of a rapidly growing elderly population and increasing physician office visits, all during a time the payments we, as providers, receive from insurance companies are declining, or stagnant at best.

So how have we, Novant Health, tackled redesigning this plane midair?

First, we have focused on treating the individual rather than the disease.

Second, we have invested heavily in health care technology. We are big believers in the value of information technology, which probably puts us in the minority.

Third, we invest in the health of our doctors and nurses because in order to be world-class at taking care of our patients, we need to be world-class at taking care of our staff.

I am proud of the work Novant Health is doing – leading many of our peers in tackling a challenging environment, but I do believe there are still policy changes needed.

We need policies that reflect the current environment in which we operate, that eliminate obstacles that currently make it almost impossible to deliver the affordable, high quality and coordinated care that is expected of us. And we need an updated, modernized set of rules and regulations that support the collaboration among hospitals and doctors, and the coordination of care that is essential to improving quality of care.

This is an exciting and extraordinarily challenging time for the health care industry. We remain excited and committed to tackling this challenge.

To learn more about Novant Health’s ongoing commitment to achieving these reforms, visit www.novanthealth.org. To hear my full remarks from the Chamber Summit, visit https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4625784