May 19, 2011

That's a difficult question to answer, and one that's gone unanswered in the United States for a variety of reasons. Traditionally, quality healthcare assessments take three key factors into consideration: Level of care received by patient Process of care administered by provider, and How patient ultimately fared, aka the risk adjusted outcome

While new incentive programs from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) work toward finding alternate ways to collect and analyze this data, the current method remains flawed.

The main issue with this model is that the risk adjustment outcome is affected by pre-existing health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and psychiatric disorders. Additional factors, such as where an individual lives and the type of care they have access to, is information that health officials have been hard pressed to gather and document.

But there's hope on the horizon in the form of a new surveillance project underway in King County, Washington. The Monitoring Disparities in Chronic Conditions (MDCC) study aims to create and test a population using various data sources to track disparities in chronic diseases on a local level. Researchers are close to gathering enough information on key health risk factors - such as blood pressure, tobacco use and cholesterol – to perform these community background health assessments and hopefully capture the varying spectrum of information. If successful, the project could become the pilot for a national system that tests geo-specific populations.

While researchers work to sort out a solution on a national level, perhaps we can focus on preventative measures ourselves. Wellness incentive programs are gaining momentum in the health arena as more and more companies see the value in offering employees a way to take control of their own health and wellness. Studies have shown that these programs help reduce sick time, increase retention and contribute to a healthier, happier work environment. Not only are these programs cost-effective, they're easy to manage and customize to fit a company's particular needs.

It's really a win-win situation. Companies plan for the future success of their businesses by investing in their employees, while employees take a vested interest in their own health with the resources provided by their employers. What a novel idea.