Humana CEO Says Interoperability is Key to Changing Healthcare

According to Bruce Broussard, president and CEO of Humana, the US health care system must transition from supply-based to demand-based, primarily focusing on patient choice. At the HIMSS15 Annual Conference & Exhibition, Broussard emphasized that volume-based care is not long for the world, while a value-based reimbursement system is the unavoidable future. He stated, "80% of healthcare costs are related to chronic conditions. But our current system was not designed for chronic care management. It was built for episodic care. Both consumers and providers are victims."

Broussard acknowledges the fact that health insurers do play a major role in the industry's flaws. Consequently, the insurance companies need to make the healthcare system simpler for the consumers. Furthermore, Broussard applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its intention to link 30% of fee-for-service Medicare payments to quality or value through alternative payment models by the end of 2016.

Broussard also advises that the industry continues to improve interoperability because information should be a shared asset, not a proprietary asset. Humana claims that compensation for its senior leadership team is based on both earnings per share and the health engagement scores of members. Broussard stated, "We want to improve the health outcomes of our communities 20% by 2020. We're measuring this by a concept called 'healthy days.' We ask members 4 questions about their physical and behavioral activities. There is a high correlation between answers to those questions and outcomes." Broussard also believes that the patient experience will be improved through personalization, both in data and in face-to-face conversation, to make better decisions.

Summary by MedicalGroups.com

To read more from HealthcareITNews.com click here