My experience with that huge medical file of mine is that nobody has time to look at it.
Our fragmented health care system is inefficient and wastes resources. The system is organized around the needs of the institutions, not the patients. Moreover, the growing cost of health care is crowding out funding for other areas that also affect health status, such as education, transportation, and housing.
What we need is better care at a lower cost. Payment reform is critical to reducing waste, helping patients become partners in their own care, and freeing up doctors from time-consuming paperwork so they can be there for their patients. We want a health care structure that delivers more for patients and protects the most vulnerable among us, such as the disabled, the chronically ill, immigrants, low and moderate income people, seniors and children. A coordinated care system, with high quality care can drive down the overall costs of health care.
Our Campaign for Better Care is educating consumers to advocate for a comprehensive, coordinated health care system through guiding principles such as: transparency, patient activation and empowerment, protections for vulnerable consumers, and patient-centered primary care. The campaign is launching a video series that includes stories from cancer survivors, care givers, and patients about how a coordinated care system can improve lives and health outcomes. These are straightforward stories that are told by people who have been personally touched by the health care system and strive to make it better:
-Georgia Maheras
