BUSINESS CONSULT
KATY REED, MBA
Senior Manager , ECG Management Consultants
WILL CRANE
Manager, ECG Management Consultants
Staying Two Steps Ahead
C
hange in health care has been the norm
for years, but due to the recent reform
nationwide, it’s never been as demanding
and involved as it is today. Successful health care organizations will be those that are responsive, rather
than forcibly reactive, to the changing environment.
Responsive systems are supported by nimble governance and leadership structures that successfully balance a critical understanding of system-wide trends
and local market dynamics with empirical data and
which incorporate qualitative insights from internal
and external stakeholders. Such structures enable
leadership to confidently guide organizations to make
crucial decisions in times of accelerated change and
great uncertainty. This column wraps up our series
on the five key attributes of thriving value-based enterprises with a discussion about what it means for
hospitals and health systems to be responsive.
Why “Wait and See” Doesn’t Work
As reimbursement models continue to evolve under
health care reform, health systems and provider
groups must have processes in place to adapt to
the increasing importance of value-based metrics.
The pressure from payors is balanced by consumer
desires for improved access and lower costs, which
are forcing organizations to reconsider traditional
care delivery models. Organizations and service lines
must also be responsive to the needs of physicians,
particularly cardiologists, who are in a position to
improve continuity of care and control costs in a
population health environment.
Recently adopted Medicare legislation mandates
that an increasing percentage of reimbursement be
allocated to value-based me