8 MAY 2024There are, in healthcare, success stories where technology has improved outcomes for patients (think Virtual Care or Remote Monitoring), delivered cost savings, or provided the means to coextensively serve swaths of patients in an asynchronous manner. Brilliant minds in the U.S. and around the world are focused on leveraging technology, alternative care models, new vaccines, "centers of excellence," and the list goes on. But there is no "silver bullet" capable of addressing and resolving disparities. Everyone in healthcare believes we can do better, but progress is slow and often falls short of expectations. Why? Where do we start?Obstacles are plentiful and solutions are two-dimensional at best. Barriers to effectively driving better health outcomes include misallocation of resources (Government spend mandates, federal and state regulators/policy makers), payors, big pharma, providers, politics, and social and economic reasons. Everything is a barrier, and we have collectively split our efforts into solving individual problems (Obesity treatment such as Ozempic) rather than working from over-arching goals to the fundamental building blocks of success.The attention to Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) or Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH), depending on where you live in the United States, recognition that there are other factors impacting physical conditions, and these factors have a lot to do with health equity. Everyone is attempting to solve a problem, but only Where Do We Go From Here? A Stop on the Road Map to Health EquityBy Scott Ghan, MBA, Regional Director of Operations, Global Medical ResponseScott GhanIN MY OPINION
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