Editor’s Note: The Bipartisan Policy Center report “Improving Quality and Reducing Costs in Health Care: Engaging Consumers Using Electronic Tools” is attached here.
From: Bipartisan Policy Center
Conclusion
Patients are at the center of new models of care that are improving the cost, quality, and outcomes of care. Engaging consumers more fully in their own health and health care is critically important to this progress. Giving consumers better access to electronic tools that help them manage their health and interact with the health care system results in better outcomes and lower costs.
Many government and private sector organizations are showing significant leadership in this area, recognizing the important role that engaged consumers play in the health system’s pursuit of the triple aim. As electronic tools have become the norm in so many other industries, from banking to travel, so too will these tools begin to transform the way individuals and families partner and interact with their health care providers. Clinicians and health care organizations that are prepared to help patients adopt and adapt to these tools will lead the way.
Policy makers must address the barriers to more widespread use of electronic tools, and both public- and private-sector entities must help by raising awareness among consumers and providers about their value, by improving the usefulness of the tools themselves and by aligning incentives to support their use.
Leave a Reply