Report Cites Five Tactics To Reduce Spending in U.S. Health Care System
The U.S. health care system could save $3.6 trillion across a decade by addressing operating inefficiencies, reducing fraud and encouraging healthy lifestyles, according to a recent report from Thomson Reuters, Reuters reports.
Adopting these "common-sense" strategies would slash health care waste by 5% annually across 10 years, according to Thomson Reuters, which last year reported that the U.S. health care system wastes roughly $700 billion annually.
To compile the report, Thomson Reuters analyzed current initiatives and reviewed published studies to determine the impact of various waste-reduction measures (Fox, Reuters, 6/14). The report recommends five successful strategies and six specific targets to reduce waste, including:
- Promulgate a "culture of health": Encourage individuals to manage their health and promote medical home models (Thomson Reuters report, June 2010);
- Reform payment: Simplify the billing process and reduce opportunities for fraud and abuse;
- Make systemic improvements: Adopt checklists to curb infection rates and increase care coordination;
- Boost patient safety: Create a "culture of performance improvement" to encourage providers to share and adopt best practices; and
- Invest in appropriate technology: Implement electronic health records to reduce duplicative testing (Reuters, 6/14).