Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2010, the healthcare ecosystem comprising pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical technology firms as well as payers (insurance plans) and providers (hospital systems) has been working to understand the implications of the legislation and react in a way appropriate to their markets.
Industry observers and subject matter experts believe that the Act, along with regulations introduced by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will transform the industry from a siloed, multi-stakeholder, doctor-centric industry to a new collaborative convergence of players centered on the patient. Critical to this transformation will be the building of alignment among members of the healthcare ecosystem and a new business model that incorporates increased risk in the form of incentives and penalties through structures such as bundled payments and risk contracts. Enabling this change will be advanced information systems such as Electronic Health Records and health-related apps for devices.
The old mindsets of cost control, high utilization of assets and technology directed at disease events is slowly being replaced with a balanced approach that emphasizes the efficacy of the entire episode of care and quality of patient experience as well as cost.
The implication for leaders in healthcare is the recognition that this new patient focus will require new leadership models that are customer focused and patient centric. Pharma companies will need to justify their value in improving the quality of care for example, while payers and providers look to combinations of their specialties to offer a more user-friendly experience.
New mental models are required in order to change behavior at the level of the individual and the organization. We are building programs that encourage a customer focused and patient-centric approach.
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