- Redesign care processes
- Make effective use of information technology (IT)
- Improve knowledge and skills management
- Develop effective teams
- Coordinate care across patient condition, service, and settings
- Use performance and outcome measurement for continuous quality improvement and accountability
Reforming health care is a ubiquitous topic in the national dialogue because of the amount of resources that "healthcare" expenditures consume—16%-20% of GDP. For all the ideas and opinions brought forth, however, all we seem to get is more GDP devoted to the problem, with partial solutions that get traction, then fizzle, doing little to improve quality or reduce the chaos in the non system. Then the blame game begins: Rising costs are the "fault" of providers, or of insurers, attorneys, pharmaceutical and product companies, patient demands and expectations, for-profit hospitals, or government inefficiencies.