Wellness and Optimal Health Management

Project Mission The optimal health management project seeks to move the American healthcare system away from a model of reactionary, crisis-driven care to a transformational model of personal health management that is information-rich, incentivized, individually based,

and focused on prevention, wellness and self-management.

What Do We Mean By Health Management?

Terms such as disease management or chronic care improvement psychologically miss the target. We should not focus solely on mitigating chronic conditions, but should aim to help individuals stay active and healthy regardless of their disease state. Active people living with chronic heart failure, arthritis, asthma, or diabetes who are watching their diet, complying with their prescription regimen, and exercising do not talk about managing their disease. They are managing their health. Although achieving specific metrics, such as maintaining a recommended blood glucose level, is an important measure of success, the optimal health management model focuses on the total individual and keeping the individual healthy. The focus for the healthcare professionals is not only on preventing hospitalization, but working with the individual to achieve optimal wellness.

Without doubt, America should have the best acute care and hospital system in the world. However, this should not be the chief goal of the health and healthcare system. The chief goal should be for the individual to maintain his or her optimal health and wellness without intensive assistance from a health caregiver. Self-management would require the individual to have the motivation, education, and appropriate tools to stay healthy and understand when to proactively seek medical assistance before deteriorating to the point of needing hospitalization.

Project Priorities

1. A vital first step in achieving the new model is aggressively implementing health management programs for individuals living with chronic disease. These disease management programs orient the healthcare professionals to working proactively with patients to maintain their health and keep them out of the hospital. The Center seeks to inform decision makers, the public and the principal payers of health insurance about the benefits of disease management both in increasing positive health outcomes and decreasing costs.
2. Unfortunately, the current medical system does not financially encourage a shift to a health oriented, wellness model of disease avoidance and disease minimization. It will take purposeful action to design a transformational system that incentivizes caregivers to keep people out of hospitals and other acute care settings. The Center seeks to align more of the financial incentives in the healthcare system to reward wellness and prevention.
3. Technologies exist that enable individuals to more easily manage their health. The individual should be able to track and trend his health through an electronic health record as well as assess his health status through home diagnostic devices and perhaps utilize a decision support system based on the latest medical knowledge to assist with his assessment and to adjust his care regimen. The Center for Health Transformation seeks to advance the adoption rate of these technologies by communicating their value to individuals and payers and breaking down any public policy barriers that exist.
4. It is scientifically clear that the combination of nutrition, activities, and attitude is vital to maintaining health. What we eat – how active we are – what our mental attitude is— all impact wellness. Yet modern medical schools neglect the importance of these components in favor of a more surgery and prescription drug focused provider culture. The Center seeks to integrate new medical knowledge around nutrition-activity-attitude into a transformed healthcare system, including impacting medical schools, continuing education for health professionals and lifelong learning of the individual.

COMMENTS (1)

Are you thinking about complementary and alternative therapies being part of your plan? Posted by: Sue Hull | Jan 23, 2008 9:13:41 PM

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