Dr. Stephen Hales
Secretary-Treasurer
Board of Trustees LCMCHealth
As a physician and board member, my first thought, and LCMCHealth’s focus, is not on cost cutting, but rather on assuring quality of care, patient safety and excellent outcomes. That said, I am convinced that a culture that prioritizes access, patient satisfaction and strong quality metrics will ultimately drive lower cost of care for patients. Effective doctor-patient relationships, emphasizing overall patient health and preventive care, will reliably reduce utilization of high-cost corrective interventions. On the cost side, we work hard to attract and retain the best professional staff, to make effective use of data, and to manage supply chain costs. The past years have been extraordinarily challenging.
Focusing on prevention and early detection is key to reducing the cost of care. Regular check-ups with a primary care physician are important. Education is also paramount. As part of Lakeview Regional Medical Center’s commitment to caring for our community, we regularly communicate health tips, encourage screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, and provide online health risk assessments to encourage the early detection of diseases. Our “Matter of Balance” classes teach seniors how to prevent falls, and our annual mother/daughter community event provides health screenings, demonstrations and education. These proactive measures help save lives and reduce the cost of care.
Hiral Patel, CEO of Lakeview Regional Medical Center
JoAnn Kunkel
CFO
LCMC Health
At LCMC Health, we are committed to providing the best possible care for our patients while addressing healthcare disparities in our community. Our providers look for ways to reduce costs by implementing practices such as Telehealth services, offering prevention and management of chronic conditions, providing patients tools to monitor care at home, and other solutions.
Additionally, we provide financial assistance to qualifying low-income patients for emergencies and other medically necessary healthcare services. This type of assistance is based on a combination of family income, family assets and medical obligations.
Dr. MarkAlain Déry
Physician
Access Health Louisiana
In industrialized countries around the world, the average amount of monies it costs to cover healthcare annually is about $5,000 per person; in the U.S., that amount is $10,000/year. Where does that extra $5,000 go? It goes directly into profits. Period. Our healthcare industrial complex prioritizes profits over the lives of people. You may ask, does that extra $5,000 that Americans pay annually get us better healthcare outcomes? No, it does not. But don’t take it from me — here is what the Commonwealth Fund reports: “Despite having the most expensive health care system, the United States ranks last overall compared with six other industrialized countries — Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — on measures of quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and the ability to lead long, healthy, and productive lives.” We need Medicare for all NOW!
Warner Thomas
President and CEO
Ochsner Health
At Ochsner Health, our organizational strategy revolves around providing the best experience possible for our patients, and this includes helping reduce healthcare costs. In recent years, we’ve focused our efforts on shifting to value-based care and population health with a significant investment in digital tools to better manage chronic disease. We believe the new model of care should bring healthcare to the patient in a convenient and accessible way. We’re doing this with programs like Ochsner Connected Anywhere, a virtual care platform offering immediate access to a healthcare provider; our Digital Medicine program, which helps patients manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes from home; and Connected MOM, which links pregnant and postpartum women with their care team for closer monitoring and fewer in-person visits. We are shifting from reactive to proactive and predictive healthcare, which reduces costs and is better for the whole health of the patient.
