Health System Transformation
The American Heart Association, through research, advocacy and patient education, supports transforming health care in the United States to a more effective system that recognizes and pays for better care and outcomes. We support a health care system that is person-centered, focused on improving individual and population level experience and health outcomes, promotes health equity and rewards our health care workforce for the quality of care they provide rather than volume of services they can bill regardless of outcomes.
Despite not guaranteeing universal coverage, the United States spends far more per capita on health care than any other country. Compared to other developed countries, we perform poorly on overall indicators of population health with profound disparities in the health of our communities. Our current fee-for-service system rewards providers who do more rather than provide higher quality care. It emphasizes treating sickness rather than overall health and prevention. As it is currently set up, fee-for-service is focused on the provider, not on the patient or consumer, resulting in fragmented care. Value-based care is an alternative, which, if done correctly, holds significant promise for improvement across five main areas:
- Enhanced care experience
- Healthier patients
- Smarter spending
- Improved health equity / optimization
- Enhanced provider accountability, support and satisfaction
