Why We Need to Reimagine Health Care

One of the reasons I joined Blue Shield of California two years ago is because of our shared belief that it is time to reimagine health. We are doing just that by working to put people at the center and designing better ways for people to receive care. This is at the heart of all our efforts.

Earlier this week, Blue Shield of California announced our Health Reimagined initiative. This is a comprehensive and ambitious effort to improve access to quality health care while making it more affordable. We are working closely with medical providers, local and regional stakeholders, and collaborating with technology firms to bring the best ideas and solutions to the market.

Employers are facing unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and looking at how to best care for their employees’ and families’ health and well-being. Health reimagined provides a guide for healthcare that places patients at the center and focuses on personal care. This means giving patients and their doctors tools, time and space to have meaningful medical visits and conversations so they can together tackle tough health issues. 

One example of this is in Monterey County, where Blue Shield is looking to improve access to primary care in part to support a large employer – Municipalities, Colleges, Schools Insurance Group (MCSIG). Our long-term goals here include adding improved access to primary care and behavioral health providers and implementing programs that address social determinants of health. We believe businesses and employers can play a key role in how we can reshape health care to increase quality of care while making care delivery sustainably affordable. We are also working with Salinas Valley Medical Clinic to implement innovative payment models and the Community Health Advocate Program, as well as Monterey Spine and Joint to establish an orthopedic clinic.

The topic of reimagining health care is an ongoing conversation I am passionate about and I invite you to join in the conversation, too. In the coming weeks I will be kicking off a new podcast called, “Healthy Dose of Dialogue” available on Apple iTunes/Podcast app. This monthly podcast invites healthcare leaders to share fresh perspectives and engage in healthy dialogue about transformative marketplace trends and industry insights. We cannot do this alone, but together, we can reimagine health.

Don Antonucci serves as Senior Vice President of Commercial Markets for Blue Shield of California.