Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation Health Care Symposium Proves Timely
The second annual Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation Health Care Symposium, held on April 7th, came just two weeks after the landmark health care reform legislation became law. The timing couldn’t have been better. Symposium presenters and audience members had the opportunity to analyze what health care reform means for the country, and more specifically for Oregon.
Senator Jeff Merkley opened the program by saying he felt privileged to be a part of the battle to pass health care reform legislation. “This bill takes us from the philosophy of access to health care as a privilege, closer to health care as a right of citizenship in a healthy society,” said Merkley. He addressed the loss of jobs in Oregon with nearly 20% of the workforce unemployed and the impact that is having on safety net clinics like Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. “Virginia Garcia is the front door to health care for so many of our citizens,” said Merkley.
(Pictured at right, US Senator Jeff Merkley.)
Congressman David Wu reiterated the importance of the health care reform legislation, and acknowledged that though improvements need be made, “this legislation over time will be seen as a hallmark of American progress.” There have been more than 1,300 businesses who have filed for bankruptcy in Wu’s first Congressional District with the high cost of health care sited as the leading cause. Wu also recognized that Virginia Garcia has been on the “frontlines of community care” and lauded the emphasis Virginia Garcia places on health education and preventive care.
(Pictured at left, Congressman David Wu.)
Keynote speaker Dr. John Kitzhaber began his address by saying that the “furor” over health care reform bordered on ludicrous, but that the bill “lit the fuse” on what really needs to be addressed in health care reform; the health care delivery system. Our system operates under reverse incentives for delivering health care by rewarding more procedures and not necessarily better outcomes, according to Kitzhaber. “The system should be focused more on creating healthy people, and less on creating health care,” said Kitzhaber.
(Pictured at right, Dr. John Kitzhaber.)
Most of the expense in our current health care delivery system comes from treating chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. But instead of placing the emphasis on chronic disease management, such as lifestyle and behavioral changes, the financial incentives follow acute care, like hospitalization. “From this we get a marginal return on population health,” said Kitzhaber.
Though Kitzhaber agrees that there is room for improvement in the adopted health care reform legislation, he is encouraged by the flexibility it affords states, especially here in Oregon. “We have a chance to take the newly insured people in Oregon and treat them differently.” Kitzhaber advocates for the creation of “health communities” where local populations can be understood, treated and evaluated based upon what works.
(Pictured above and below at left, Gil Muñoz and Sue Hennessy)
This population driven model is what many in health care delivery are looking toward, according to panelist Sue Hennessy, VP Health Plan Services, Kaiser Permanente. “We need to identify the gaps in care and move more toward the prevention side of our business,” said Hennessy. Dick Stenson, CEO, Tuality Healthcare agreed. “We have to reward outcomes over procedures and place more emphasis on incentives upstream in our health care delivery system.
Catching patients upstream is a priority for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. “We try to get to people before they spiral out of control,” said Gil Muñoz, CEO of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. “The federal government understands that it’s critical to invest in our health care delivery system,” said Muñoz, “and they recognize the value of community health centers like Virginia Garcia.”
The medical home model, in practice at Virginia Garcia, is the model for the future of health care delivery in America that many experts tout. Once a patient establishes a medical home with Virginia Garcia, they are assigned a primary care physician and remain a patient of that clinic for all of their primary care needs. Virginia Garcia’s primary care physicians are part of a team of providers who create an overall health care plan for each patient that includes lifestyle and disease management education. This focus on coordinated patient care to create “healthy populations” is the direction for health care delivery Kitzhaber advocates. (Pictured above, Dick Stenson)
“We need to educate patients at the point of contact with the health care system,” said Kitzhaber. “Virginia Garcia plays that part.”
(Pictured at left, Symposium panelist, Nita Werner, President and CFO, Ornelas Enterprises, Inc.)
The increase in federal dollars will allow Virginia Garcia to plan for increased capacity once the new health care reform goes into effect and more patients become eligible for health care. In 2009, Virginia Garcia added ten new providers between their clinics which will mean adding about 7,000 patients over a two year period. Part of that funding will allow for the expansion of their dental program, where two new providers have been added as well as an outreach specialist to focus on patients with diabetes who often have extensive dental needs.
“We, who are part of a larger system see a future in the medical home model,” said Jack Friedman, CEO, Providence Health Plans. You don’t have to look very far for an example of innovative health care delivery. It’s right in our back yard at Virginia Garcia.”
Thanks to all who helped make Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation’s Second Annual Health Care Symposium a success.
(Pictured at right, Jack Friedman)
To view more images from the Symposium, click here.