REED TUCKSON, MD: People with chronic diseases require a variety of services, not the least of which is the opportunity to spend time with a physician who is listening and thinking about how to prevent disease, how to prevent complications from disease, how to be able to help better manage it in a more holistic and comprehensive way. Unfortunately, the delivery system is much more favorably inclined to reward interventions that are procedural, doing things, applying technology, putting wires into hearts, doing surgeries, those sorts of things.
ANNOUNCER: Employers and insurance companies are beginning to make changes, to reward better care.
CAROLYN CLANCY, MD: A number of private sector employers have actually stepped up to say, "There is something wrong with this picture. We think that we could actually come up with a different program that says, 'We'll pay you more if you achieve certain quality goals.'"
ANNOUNCER: Experts say improving the quality of health care often saves money.
CAROLYN CLANCY, MD: There are many examples where improving quality of care actually leads to savings. For example, better care for diabetes can often prevent unnecessary hospitalizations down the road. The same for asthma and other kinds of conditions. There are other times when it's going to cost more to do it right, but doing it right the first time -- that is every time -- means that fewer resources will be wasted in the long run.
ANNOUNCER: To benefit from quality care and to reward its delivery requires information about how doctors and hospitals perform. This information can drive changes in how insurance companies pay for care; choices patients make about where they go for treatment; and it can encourage doctors, hospitals and nursing homes to do a better job. Making this information available is often called health care “transparency.”