Health + Medicine

This was the year of the health review – on mental health care, the response to ice, Medicare, private health insurance, the pharmacy industry … and the list goes on.


Paying doctors a fixed sum to care for a patient for the entire year, rather than a fee for each visit or service, is one solution, Peter Sivey wrote.

Another is to better target the tests and treatments that are given, and to tame the tsunami of too much medicine, Ray Moynihan explained. The current review of the Medicare schedule presents an opportunity to do just this.

Population health, a push to keep people healthy and out of the hospital, gained traction in multiple settings across the U.S., including accountable care organizations, bundled-care plans and clinically integrated health-care networks. These networks link patients to the full spectrum of services, from preventive care to highly specialized hospital care. The goal is to help keep people healthy and intervene before costly care is necessary.

Consumerism is expanding. Wearable medical devices, cloud-based computing and transparency initiatives enable consumers to make more informed health care choices. Consumers also have more choice; they can purchase coverage privately, through their employers or through state and federal insurance marketplaces. Employers, in some cases, have established their own marketplaces. Those shopping for insurance can choose between comprehensive or high-deductible plans.