by David Hawkes
Chief Technology Officer
MphasiS Healthcare Solutions

BPO is no longer the new kid in town. According to IDC, worldwide BPO spending is predicted to grow from $382.5 billion to $641.2 billion per year from 2004 to 2009, a compound annual growth rate of 10.9%. It appears that the change-averse healthcare industry has finally embraced business process outsourcing (BPO) for mainstream functions such as claims administration, COBRA administration, provider credentialing and more.

by Gene Drabinski
president of cost & quality of care
The TriZetto Group

Imagine a time when every patient has access to all the information needed to make sound health and healthcare decisions. A patient would leave each physician visit with a summary of that interaction, including self-management advice. In such a time, if the patient must learn skills or change behaviors as part of controlling a chronic illness, evidence-based, personalized information and tools would be immediately available for understanding, planning and learning.

by Randy Gebhardt
president and COO
Quantum Health

Healthcare costs continue to spiral out of control, with projected increases of 8 to 13 percent annually for the foreseeable future. For patients, the experience of seeking and receiving care ranges from simply confusing to frustrating or even infuriating. What is causing these cost increases and negative experiences and what can employers do to control costs and make things more efficient for their employees?

Direct to consumer marketing of diagnostic imaging is creating increased awareness, but few consumers are aware of the risks associated with these procedures. MedSolutions, specializing in radiology management services for nearly 25 million individuals nationwide, recommends that all patients ask five basic questions before having a medical scan.

by Shawn Jenkins
Co-founder and CEO
Benefitfocus

Everyone recognizes that the current state of healthcare in America is unsustainable and at a tipping point. Managed care organizations and employer groups are hard at work putting together the pieces needed to capitalize on new revenue opportunities and simplify a complex healthcare landscape.

by Michael O’Neil, Jr.
Founder and CEO
GetWellNetwork, Inc

While consumer directed healthcare (CDH) is receiving wide-spread attention from the media, the scope is often on electronic medical record adoption or health savings accounts. While these are important developments in improving care and lowering costs, they do little to address the critical aspects of patient education, satisfaction and empowerment. In this new era when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-enforced HCAHP performance measures may impact Medicare reimbursement rates for hospitals, what can hospitals do to ensure patient education and satisfaction? In other words, how can you ensure patient empowerment?

Healthcare is in crisis:
• A Cost Crisis—impacting global competitiveness, and putting care out of reach for the middle class.
• A Quality Crisis—in which people don’t get the care they need nearly 55% of the time.
• A Workforce Crisis—denying people access to care, and overwhelming clinicians.

The resolution of these crises requires a transformation in the role of the average patient—the only healthcare resource with enough potential to make a real difference.