President Obama's plan to "lower health care costs and ensure affordable, accessible health coverage for all" is a far-reaching attempt to reform our $2.3 trillion healthcare system. The plan recognizes that healthcare in the U.S. has become a "disease care system" with substantial under-investment in prevention and public health.
President Obama's plan seeks to overhaul the current system and improve efficiency by:
- adopting state-of-the-art information technology
- supporting providers to establish care management programs such as 'Medical Home' models
- aligning reimbursement with provision of high quality health care
- tackling disparities in access to care
The Institute's four focus areas – Preempting Disease, Disease Management, Aging in Place and Underserved Populations – complement the Administration's goals.
The Institute will be developing cost-effective wireless health solutions to reduce unnecessary hospitalization and institutionalization; help people stay well, fit and independent; and, reach people with little access to healthcare services. These solutions will offer convenience and ensure that the right information gets to the right people in a far timelier manner than typically occurs in patient management today.
The Institute recognizes that patient privacy and data security are essential. Data ownership and transmission, authorization and access, and encryption issues are being assessed and addressed by a wide variety of public and private entities, including the Institute.
For more information on the Institute's perspective on wireless health and health care reform, read our White Paper.