Many patients move through the healthcare system in silos, receiving treatment for a singular condition while other potential issues go unchecked. Solving this problem requires integrating specialists throughout the care experience, according to a Harvard Business Review article published Feb. 10.
Using existing resources to manage health lifestyle behaviors and chronic conditions helps solve some of these issues. By screening and referring patients for treatment of other conditions while treating a specific medical malady, population health can be improved, according to the article's authors, Ryan Howard, MD, and Michael Englesby, MD, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine and N.C.-based Duke Health both have programs that address longitudinal health around the time of surgery that screen patients for chronic conditions. At Michigan Medicine, patients undergoing hernia repair are screened for a variety of other chronic diseases that are prevalent in such cases. By measuring these processes, the system has reported an eightfold increase in referrals for long-term health management.
Drs. Howard and Englesby recommend expanding the measures of what constitutes a successful surgical procedure to include the overall improvement and well-being of the patient.