Health care delivery in the United States is currently undergoing substantial changes to address issues of cost, quality, and access. I developed the first version of this slide in 2012 and have been updating it as new trends are identified. I’m curious to see how many of the “Future State” items will become “Current State” over the next 5 years.
Archives for November 2017
So Many Verbs, So Little Change (So Far)
For anyone that follows the trajectory of proposed health care changes in the United States, you’ve probably noticed that authors and speakers have a tendency to use a variety of verbs to convey the urgency of realizing it. Some of the verbs I’ve seen attached to health care include “transform, “disrupt,” and “reinvent.”
Now I understand – and agree with – many of the calls to bring about change in the U.S. health care system. But, I can’t help wondering if too much time is spent attempting to identify new verbs to explain it at the expense of digging in and making it happen.
Those of us with a strong interest in seeing change come to fruition have been afforded an amazing opportunity to undertake this noble challenge of addressing this fundamental issue: fixing health care over the next twenty years.
We did not arrive at this place overnight, nor will we solve the numerous challenges without thoughtful effort. But, if committed people are unwilling to step up and lead, then we will remain in this morass that is slowly drowning us all.
So, let us focus less on identifying verbs to explain the change and work toward bringing it about with all expediency.
Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2018
The ECRI Institute has published their annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2018. As noted in the brief, the list is published each year to identify:
“…the potential sources of danger that we believe warrant the greatest attention for the coming year. The list does not enumerate the most frequently reported problems or the ones associated with the most severe consequences—although we do consider such information in our analysis. Rather, the list reflects our judgment about which risks should receive priority now.” (p. 2)
The list includes:
- Ransomware and Other Cybersecurity Threats to Healthcare Delivery Can Endanger Patients
- Endoscope Reprocessing Failures Continue to Expose Patients to Infection Risk
- Mattresses and Covers May Be Infected by Body Fluids and Microbiological Contaminants
- Missed Alarms May Result from Inappropriately Configured Secondary Notification Devices and Systems
- Improper Cleaning May Cause Device Malfunctions, Equipment Failures, and Potential for Patient Injury
- Unholstered Electrosurgical Active Electrodes Can Lead to Patient Burns
- Inadequate Use of Digital Imaging Tools May Lead to Unnecessary Radiation Exposure
- Workarounds Can Negate the Safety Advantages of Bar-Coded Medication Administration Systems
- Flaws in Medical Device Networking Can Lead to Delayed or Inappropriate Care
- Slow Adoption of Safer Enteral Feeding Connectors Leaves Patients at Risk
If you’re interested in getting your own copy of the Executive Brief, visit this link.