How Complicated Does It Have To Be?
I recently attended a health benefits enrollment information session at my university. The purpose of the information session was to inform employees (faculty & staff) of their health benefit changes and options under the new health benefits provider and plan administrator. The administration of both the enrollment process and the monitoring of the entire program is usually placed under the organization’s human resources (HR) management department. The HR department does an outstanding job in setting up the overall program and monitoring the program’s effectiveness and smooth operations. However, they can really only control so much in that they rely heavily on the selected healthcare organization to do its job and administer the health benefits program appropriately and in a user-friendly manner.
Continue reading "How Complicated Does It Have To Be?" »
This month’s blog will focus on the healthcare reform issue, but perhaps, from a slightly different perspective. If we examine all the different proposals and opportunities to reform the current US Healthcare system, we would find very few that actually do away with the current system and proposes to build a completely new system. Nearly all individuals who have worked in the healthcare system in a professional capacity certainly have witnessed the perverse incentives, the lack of access to basic services for many individuals, the inadequate consistency in quality, and the tremendous drain on the US economy resulting from the huge costs associated with the healthcare delivery system. 
All kidding aside, our healthcare system is limping along with a very expensive price tag and yet we are still in a quandary about what to do! It is interesting (and a little bit scary) to watch the contentious debate over how and if we should change our healthcare system. It is my sincere belief that if you polled most Americans they would say that they believe healthcare is a right (at least a basic set of services) and not just a privilege. I also believe most Americans would recommend, at a minimum, inclusion of the following healthcare provisions in their healthcare system:
During the recent professional meeting at the 
Yesterday, a few of us from Belmont were treated to a first-rate tour of the national headquarters and on-site assisted-living community for a company that is continuously improving the post-retirement living experience for numerous U.S. seniors and their families.
One of our friends, Charles Hagood (Massey MBA, '93), from Healthcare Performance Partners has worked with his colleague to develop a very creative Top 10 List for how to kill one's "lean healthcare transformation". Lean techniques are making rapid gains in the healthcare industry as companies struggle with skyrocketing costs, nursing shortages and poor employee satisfaction while simultaneously facing pressure to improve healthcare service to customers. The entire Top 10 list can be found at 
Twice in the last two weeks I've spent the better part of a day discussing performance excellence systems with area healthcare companies. As someone who is peering toward his own healthcare horizon with the perspective of an aging baby boomer, I have to admit I like the trend I'm seeing these days. We can debate issues of "motive," but the reality is that the quality and performance of healthcare systems in the U.S. is becoming an area of increasing focus by the healthcare companies themselves. Plagued by skyrocketing costs and employee resource problems, even maintaining current healthcare quality levels is no easy task.