At its best, the quality of health care in our country and in our region is outstanding. We are at the forefront of developing and using state-of-the-art technologies and innovative pharmaceuticals and have some of the most sophisticated and highly renowned medical centers and clinicians.
However, despite these impressive feats, the quality of health care in this country is often alarmingly poor. We spend 50 percent more on health care per capita than any other country, but have shorter life expectancies and worse infant mortality rates than most other wealthy countries.
While statistics like that are sobering, the good news is we are living in a time of unprecedented changes to our health care system. And quality care is at the forefront of many transformations. The Affordable Care Act, in particular, has emphasized quality as a key element of the law.
Over the past decade, the Kansas City region has been at the forefront to ensure that health care services are centered on the patient and integrated across conditions, providers and settings, and delivered in a way that is safe, timely, effective, efficient and equitable.
HCF has been proud to support programs that are delivering high quality health care. Much work has been done to develop patient-centered medical/health homes and on looking at health in a more holistic manner by integrating primary, behavioral and oral health services.
We have supported efforts that help provide communications and information through means that are accessible and understandable to many different people.
We’ve also worked to promote workforce innovations that address health care system transformation. You will see community health workers throughout Kansas City working in their communities to coordinate care and address the social determinants of health.
Initiatives are underway to help providers and nonprofit organizations understand and practice cultural competency to work toward reducing disparities in health among poor and minority populations, in addition to health literacy programs to help people make good health decisions.
Today, we have a window of opportunity made possible by all of the attention on changing the health care system.
Everyone should receive great care regardless of language, income or type of insurance. And not just physical health care – quality dental and mental care should be available at a reasonable cost, too. By investing in local organizations, we’ve helped open the doors to better health care for more people than ever before.
CATEGORIES
A Healthy 10, Health Care
